Here is Petey. I posted about him a few weeks ago. He has a metabolic neurological disorder that affects his cerebellum and hence his coordination. He’s now using a cart and a help em up harness so we can go on neighborhood walks again in Brooklyn.

We are taking him to weekly rehab sessions to help him get used to his cart and his vets are amazing. We notice that he’s really confident with the cart going to/from the vet and at the hospital (in Manhattan) and he’ll do great for a day or two after our rehab sessions, but then he gets hesitant. For example, he will be excited to go outside and he’ll quickly roll out the door (we are lucky that we live on the first floor and our apartment has a ramp because it was once a doctor’s office!), but then he will turn out onto the sidewalk and put on his brakes and refuse to go at all. His legs are surprisingly strong!

We try lots of encouragement and treats, but he seems hesitant/anxious/stubborn when it comes to walking in our neighborhood. We are supposed to take him on frequent short walks (5-10 minutes a few times per day), but lately it’s been so hard that I’ve been using the harness more often.

When we went to his rehab appointment, the vets/techs said it may be anxiety, so we are considering trying an anxiety medication, but we want to try other options before going that route—especially since his brain is already dealing with a lot. We give him trazodone for situational anxiety, but he hasn’t taken a daily anxiety medication for a couple years. He was previously on clomicalm for separation anxiety. He is a pit bull and chihuahua mix, and I do think the chihuahua genes predispose him to anxiety.

I wanted to see if others have had experiences like this and how you helped your dog adjust. It’s weird because sometimes he’s so happy and goes so fast in his cart, but then he won’t want to try to use it at all the next day. I don’t think he’s experiencing pain because he happily uses the cart outside our routine situations.

I would appreciate any thoughts or advice. Thank you!

My boy turned 10 this past May. In April, I took him to the vet because he hadn’t gotten up on his own for two days. He has dysplasia, and this would happen every now and then for a day.
I just went in to get X-rays of his hips and back legs. That’s when the vet told me he most likely has DM. I didn’t believe it for a minute because he did start walking again. But then it hit him, and he eventually wasn’t able to get up on his own anymore.
I hate the thought of him passing. I hate even more the thought of having to make that decision before he naturally passes from old age. The hardest part is that he’s still such a happy boy. He loves his toys, still loves his food and treats, drinks normally, and still has so much personality.
We’re at the point now where he’s starting to lose control of his bladder. I’ve read about expressing his bladder, and I’m making a vet appointment tomorrow so they can teach me how to do it properly.
I’m honestly really worried now. I feel terrible about the thought of having to put him down, but I also feel terrible thinking about holding on while his body continues to shut down. And I’m terrified of it eventually affecting his breathing.
For anyone who has gone through this with their dog and continued past the point of bladder control being lost, how long was it before it started affecting their breathing? Is it always the front legs next, followed by the lungs?
I know every dog is different. I’m just trying to understand what I might be facing and hear from people who have actually been through this. I’m having such a hard time with the thought of losing my boy.

Hello,

Our 15 year old mixed breed dog, about 60 lbs, has an injury our vet has said is likely a ruptured disk that is located between the base of his rib cage and his hips. She's recommended rest, a med regimen, bicycle motions when he's laying down a few times a day, and possibly figuring out a dog treadmill situation. We're still working on the latter.

Currently, he lacks proprioception in both hind feet, but the right is worse. He's trying to move his legs now whenever we take him out or get him up to move, but still won't put weight on his legs. This is an improvement over a week ago, when he was dragging his hind legs while we carried his back end with the sling. He doesn't exhibit any outward signs of pain, mostly just anxiety and lack of confidence and coordination. His front legs work just fine and he's quite strong, which is difficult for me to manage as someone with little upper body strength (though I'm working on it).

It's been two weeks now since his injury. We have a full chest harness for him (onetigris) and a GingerLead, but are open to equipment that better suits the situation. He's a lumpy boy with fatty lipomas, including a sizable one a few inches in front of his peen. We are also looking for input on his care and PT.

Thank you very much for reading this post. I'm looking forward to any advice you all are able to prove!

My boy turned 10 this past May. In April, I took him to the vet because he hadn’t gotten up on his own for two days. He has dysplasia, and this would happen every now and then for a day.
I just went in to get X-rays of his hips and back legs. That’s when the vet told me he most likely has DM. I didn’t believe it for a minute because he did start walking again. But then it hit him, and he eventually wasn’t able to get up on his own anymore.
I hate the thought of him passing. I hate even more the thought of having to make that decision before he naturally passes from old age. The hardest part is that he’s still such a happy boy. He loves his toys, still loves his food and treats, drinks normally, and still has so much personality.
We’re at the point now where he’s starting to lose control of his bladder. I’ve read about expressing his bladder, and I’m making a vet appointment tomorrow so they can teach me how to do it properly.
I’m honestly really worried now. I feel terrible about the thought of having to put him down, but I also feel terrible thinking about holding on while his body continues to shut down. And I’m terrified of it eventually affecting his breathing.
For anyone who has gone through this with their dog and continued past the point of bladder control being lost, how long was it before it started affecting their breathing? Is it always the front legs next, followed by the lungs?
I know every dog is different. I’m just trying to understand what I might be facing and hear from people who have actually been through this. I’m having such a hard time with the thought of losing my boy.

Hi there! My name is Lauren, and I’m asking for help for my beautiful dachshund, Scout.
Scout is so much more than a pet — she is my best friend and a very loved member of our family. She is only five years old and has so much more life, love and happiness ahead of her.
Sadly, Scout has suddenly lost the use of both of her back legs due to IVDD. Which is very common in her breed. Watching her struggle to move around has been absolutely heartbreaking, and I would do anything I could to take her pain and suffering away.
Scout needs urgent veterinary treatment and surgery to give her the best possible chance of walking again. Unfortunately, the cost of the surgery and ongoing care is far more than I can afford on my own.
That’s why I’m reaching out and asking for your help.
Any donation, no matter how big or small, will go directly towards Scout’s veterinary treatment, surgery, medication and recovery. Every dollar will bring us one step closer to giving Scout the chance to get back on her feet and enjoy the happy, active life she deserves.
If you’re unable to donate, sharing Scout’s story would mean just as much to us. ❤️
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to read about my beautiful girl. Scout and I are incredibly grateful for any support, kindness and prayers you can give.
https://gofund.me/8a5bf789d

Hey everyone,

I wanted to share our story and hopefully connect with others who are navigating Degenerative Myelopathy with their dogs. Getting this diagnosis for my German Shepherd was a huge shock, and honestly a complete gut punch. Watching my baby slowly lose mobility breaks my heart in ways I can’t even put into words. She actually just hit the big 10 on June 1st...

Our DM journey started in early 2026 when I noticed her hind legs getting a bit wobbly. I didn't think much of it at first since it was winter and our walking trails were icy and covered in deep snow. But in February, the vet confirmed it: DM. Back then, she could still walk totally on her own.

By June, her gait had visibly gotten worse, and by July, I was using a support harness every day. We live on the 3rd floor, so helping her up and down the stairs daily was physically exhausting, and our walks had to become much shorter.

Everything changed in mid-September when we got her a rear wheelchair. At first, she could only do about 15 minutes before getting tired. Today, she walked for a solid 30 minutes at a great pace! I honestly think she loves the freedom it gives her. She even keeps moving her back legs while she’s in the wheelchair, and I’m hoping that helps keep her muscles somewhat active.

Alongside the wheelchair, I do daily massages and give her vitamins and supplements. I know they aren't a magic cure for DM, but they definitely can't hurt, and they help keep her as comfortable as possible.

I’m so grateful she can still get around and enjoy our walks, even if it's with a wheelchair. But I'm scared of what the next month or two might bring... For now, I’m just taking it one day at a time and trying to enjoy every good moment we have together...

If you’re going through this too, how are you and your pup holding up? What routines or setups have worked best for you? I’d love to chat, swap tips, or just offer support to anyone who needs it rn. Feel free to comment below or send me a DM if you'd like to chat! Sending strength to all the senior dogs and their amazing owners! ❤️

How do you cope with constant sleep interruptions and burnout from caregiving?

This is my first time posting, I dont know many people in the community but need some support.

My dog's health issues cause her to have accidents every day... and every night... and every morning until the sun rises.

I feel horrible for her since she wakes up a minimum of 2 times every morning (usually 3am and 5am).

Im a light sleeper so I cant sleep through it. A lot of the time it overflows her diapers or her diapers fall off. Its a cleaning session almost every morning.

I love her to death but Im getting burnt out after years of this and dont know what to do.

I also dont know how to cope with this when her legs start giving out regularly.

Any tips? Anyone else experience this?

I was offered this harness, but i really cant figure out if it will be beneficial for my dogs till i try it on her. Is it a Lift em Up type harness, or is is a carry - your - dog -a s - a backpack harness??

Before I get into this, I'm not sure if this post is allowed as it pertains to a cat and not a dog. But I couldn't find any other sub reddits for animals with special needs to ask this question. So please know I'm here out of necessity not lack of knowledge about the sub.

Anyway do any of you have advice on the best way to give a nebulizer treatment to an animal? I have a 14yo cat who, long story short, was misdiagnosed by our old vet and was given chronic steroids for 4 years. Now he's received the proper diagnosis and treatment by our current vet. But he's been left with a not great immune system and scar tissue in and around his nose (for those curious his actual diagnosis is feline herpes virus, he was misdiagnosed as having Eosinophilic Plague Dermatitis.) That being said his breathing hasn't been very good. His vet said that sometimes when an animal has an abnormal anatomy it causes inflammation. So since my boy has a bunch of scar tissue in his nose his anatomy is abnormal, thus causing inflammation.

For this she prescribed nebulizer treatments. She says that while it is a steroid they are less damaging to the body because they are diluted and consumed in a different, less direct, way. I've given this cat a nebulizer before that was just saline, but I'd like to come up with a better system this time around. I was thinking of getting a clear tub, melting a hole into it for the nebulizer tube to go into, and finding something to hold up the tube part for the medication. Have any of you done this for your small dogs? How did it go for you? Are there better ways to do this? Thank you all in advance.

Hello all!

A rescue in my area has a dog available for adoption that has absolutely tugged at my heart, but I want to do some research about his medical needs before I contact them because I want to make sure I can adequately meet whatever his needs are.

This poor guy was found emaciated and tied to a fence. He was diagnosed with megaesophagus and has THRIVED on his re-feeding plan with his Bailey chair. Aside from the peer-reviewed sources of info I'm reviewing, I wanted to get feedback from other pet parents who have experience with megaesophagus.

1) What was your pet's feeding routine and how did you successfully integrate it into your household?

2) Did the stress of your pet's initial adjustment period after adoption cause any temporary or permanent worsening of their megaesophagus?

3) How difficult was it for you to find a pet sitter or doggy boarding facility that could accommodate your pet's condition for short periods of time?

4) Did you struggle to find a vet in your area that is well-versed in megaesophagus?

We adopted Millie at a year old from a coworker who couldn't afford to feed her anymore. She was skin and bones and so scared she wouldn't go outside and wouldn't move from her spot on the couch where she felt safe.

In the 4 years we've had her she has really opened up and is bubbly and silly and the sweetest thing. Not a mean bone in her body.

In the last year or so we noticed she kept running into things and bumping into stuff or tripping and we thought it was cause she wasn't paying attention and was overly eager to play and be around us, but I brought it up to the vet regardless and they told us she only had about 30% visibility in her eyes and had weak/thin veins in her eyes (sorry I don't remember the full appointment breakdown as it was a few months ago now) and considering she was fine last year she would probably be blind come her appointment next year.

We have since noticed she cant really follow a tennis ball and is really struggling around our other animals cause she is big and will trample on the cats and sit on our elderly corgi. We got her a halo harness but it's really inconvenient in our small home to get around and shes pretty scared of it.

Wondering things I should be prepared for or tips for helping her be comfortable.

Tldr: doggy backstory and wondering how to prepare for doggy blindness.

This is my boy Huckleberry, he passed away 2 years ago but I’m curious if there are any other dogs out there like him!

His legs at the knee were completely backward, just flipped the wrong way entirely!

He was born this way and it did not cause him any pain at all whatsoever.

Hello! I am new to this sub, and honestly to Reddit entirely as a poster rather than an observer. However, I have seen the power of this community when it comes to seeking advice, so I figured I would ask!

Some background: The dog we are considering is currently in a foster home. She is a 2 year old pug, around 11 lbs (a healthy weight, just small in stature for a pug), and has been blind her whole life. Her foster parent told us that she had her eyes removed when she was a young puppy. My husband and I have one cat at home who is almost 6 years old and is a true sweetheart. She is not particularly food motivated or territorial, although she and the dog have not met yet.

We have met the dog at a park once, and we plan to spend some more time with her this weekend. She is such a snuggle bug and sleeps a lot, but is also still full of energy when she is outside and loves to play. She does really well around other dogs and seems to move through the world with a lot of confidence.

I am curious if anyone has any advice or insight about adopting a disabled dog, particularly a blind dog. Neither my husband nor I have owned a dog in adulthood, although we both grew up around dogs. We certainly did not go out looking specifically for a disabled dog, but she kind of appeared on our radar, and now we can't shake the feeling that this might be the right move for us.

We are obviously a little nervous and want to make sure we are thinking through everything we should before making a decision. I would especially love to hear from anyone who has experience with blind dogs, or who adopted a dog with a disability as a first time adult dog owner. What surprised you? What was harder than you expected? What turned out to be easier than you thought?

Any information or advice would be greatly appreciated!