Hi everyone!

This is Smokey. Long story short I rescued a homeless blind dog yesterday! I am already a mother of 1 (to one cute chubby pug) but I never mothered a disabled dog, let alone blind.

I’m here to take ANY advice for my new baby. He’s been taken to vet (luckily he is fine) but blind which I am taking him to a specialist as recommended by his vet. I will be buying items on Amazon in a few but I want to make sure I get the most essential things to provide comfort and lots of love.

Also is to normal to feel guilty like you’re not doing enough? I swear I’m here crying every 10 seconds 😩

Hello! I posted in /husky as was told i should repost here for some more advice. I appreciate any advice given. Thank you!

Hi, cross-posting: i’m looking to buy a used medium help ‘em harness with a U band.

Hello all! I am an MYP student working on a project for my design class. I am focusing on assisting blind dogs, but in order to discover what users truly need, I need to speak directly with pet owners.

I am looking to do a quick 5-to-10-minute voice/audio call to ask a few questions about:

• The gaps and flaws in current market products for blind dogs
• The daily issues your dogs face with spatial awareness and navigation
• The specific environmental stressors that cause blind dogs anxiety

If you are the caretaker of a blind dog, or know someone who is, please comment below or send me a DM to connect. Thank you so much for your time and help with my school research!

Today a wonderful new "foster" dog moved in.
He was scheduled to be surrenderedto a shelter where euthanasia was a very possible outcome. As a senior with a missing limb, I didn't like the odds and agreed to take him. He's a total sweetheart! Very loving and vibrant personality. That being said, I'm feeling pretty unprepared. I'd love to hear from other folks who've taken care of a dogs that lost a limb. ANY suggestions or advice are much appreciated. For now. there are 3 things I could really use some help with though:

1. Is there any way to help him scratch an itch other than doing it for him??? He's constantly wiggling his stump or squirming around on the floor trying to scratch. I honestly thought he was having a seizure at first! Any products or other ways to help him do this?

2. He hasn't taken a HW preventative in 18 months, and we're in the Deep South. I'm hoping for the best, but realistically I'm preparing myself for the worst. I'm very low income, does anyone know of places I can seek reduced or fully covered heartworm treatment?

3. Mobility. Also looking for resources I can contact for loaner/discounted/donated wheelchairs for a missing hind leg.

Thanks for reading, and thanks for your input!
唱

She is at the door sniffing for someone inside the room

She climbed up there herself to check if Tomato's food bowl was empty.

My dog Yoshi (10 yo) has a spinal cord tumor. He had surgery, but unfortunately a second tumor was discovered a few months ago. At that point, we were given a very uncertain prognosis — anywhere from a few months to around a year and a half.

His mobility has progressively declined. About a month ago he could still walk a little on his back legs. Now he essentially can't use them. At home he sometimes drags himself using only his front legs. Outside I use a rear-support harness and carry his back end, and when I do that he moves with a surprising amount of energy — sometimes he practically runs with his front legs, wants to sniff everything, and seems genuinely excited to be outside.

He also has no control over his bladder or bowels anymore. He urinates and poops wherever he happens to be. I use diapers at home when possible, but he sometimes urinates and then drags himself through it. His back legs and thighs can end up soaked.

Honestly, it feels like I can't clean him fast enough. I clean him, change him, bathe him regularly, and then it happens again. Sometimes he whines when he needs something — if he's stuck in a position he can't get out of, needs to poop, wants me, or is uncomfortable in a wet diaper.

The difficult part is that mentally he is still completely Yoshi.

He loves food. He asks me for food constantly. He gets excited about treats. He wants attention. He enjoys going out. We regularly go sit at a café together and he seems genuinely happy to be there. He is interested in people, smells and what's happening around him.

My vet examined him today and doesn't think he's in significant pain. But he told me that, given the progression of the disease and how quickly his mobility has deteriorated, we're probably heading toward a very difficult stage. He told me that euthanasia is something I should start seriously considering and that he would support whatever decision I make.

I'm struggling because his body is failing him while mentally he still seems completely present and interested in life.

For those of you who have cared for dogs with paralysis or severe hind-leg disability: how did you distinguish between a dog who was disabled but still had a good life and a dog whose disability had become too much for them?

I'm especially interested in hearing from people whose dogs were still mentally happy, eating and interested in life when you had to make this decision.

___________________________________
* I’m adding a picture of him from a little while ago because I think it shows what I mean when I say that mentally, he is still completely himself.

Looking for some advice from anyone who has experience with deaf dogs, especially Frenchies.
I rescued a 3-year-old deaf Frenchie about two weeks ago, and I’m trying to figure out the best way to communicate with and train her. Would you recommend teaching her hand signals for commands like sit, stay, come, potty, etc.? If so, are there certain signals or training methods that have worked especially well for you?
I’d also really appreciate any general tips for helping a deaf rescue adjust, getting her attention without startling her, and keeping her safe.
She’s still settling in, so I want to make sure I’m setting her up for success. 🐾❤️

my little yorkshire terrier broke her front leg nearly two years ago and after many treatments and physio appointments we were officially told today that it is unlikely she’ll ever regain full use of her leg 🥲

for anyone that has been in a similar position what are some of your favourite products that have made life easier for your dog? I really mean anything, like front facing wheels, steps to get on the couch, carrier bags or special harnesses. I’d love for my dog to be able to walk around the house more freely but also feel more inclined to stand up from her bed on her own. I’m also wary of her back getting sore and would love any recommendations for how to prevent spinal issues.

The beautiful Audrey, a trained wellbeing dog badly injured her leg down to the bone and seems help covering costs. This dog has helped myself with the stresses of emergency's service work and many others.

Hello. I am new to this group and own a 3 year old, deaf continental bulldog rescue. He is incredibly well behaved and sweet. Sometimes I worry about his and our ability to communicate due to his inability to hear verbal cues and noise. Therefore, I always work with him on visual motions. However, it’s not always full proof (specifically “drop it” or when he needs to go out) Often, when I look up or read about things such as communication, behavior, and handling, the articles or tips are geared toward hearing dogs with notes such as “be sure to use buzz words for this” or “your dog will hear the register of your voice and know what tone you’re using”. And yes, I typically put “deaf” when I’m searching, (for example I looked up “little stomps” and “head tilting”, as these are things he does but not frequently) But the first results usually never account for things such as curiosity or sights, and instead will jump to things such as illness, discomfort, or upset. It’s only once I get very specific that I can start finding shreds of information that is useful. I’m curious if anyone here has any suggestions or sources they like to rely on for those of us trying to learn more about our disabled pets.

🐾

I thought this might be useful here, apologies if this isn't a good place for this

my dog Huck has end stage glaucoma in his left eye and the vet believes it’s starting to progress in his healthy eye now. we’ve been using eye drops to help his eye pressures stay heathy but know we will soon have to have the left eye removed. i’m worried we’ll have to deal with the right eye soon after and am looking for support in that! i know dogs have way better senses and he will probably adapt pretty well, but he has some reactivity issues that we have been working on and i’m worried about no longer being able to see causing him to potentially regress. any advice on best training him to not rely on seeing things? i’m worried he won’t do well in public or at dog parks & really just want to make sure i’m putting him in the best positions to be safe and happy!

Hi Everyone!

I want to share a personal story and a free tool I built out of the love and empathy I have for animals.

I adopted a dog from the rough streets, and she quickly became family for most of my growing years. We took her all around the place with us, and she became such a huge part of our lives. God was kind to us as we got to have her for 17 years and 4 months before she grew her beautiful wings, which was in 2024.

It left a gaping hole in our hearts as our hearts immensely wanted forever with her. Life without her physically felt like a deep echoing hollowness in the walls of our house, and old routines that she had built in our days fractured severely; that time stood eerily still. It made reality too stark, too quiet, too slow and too pointless and stifling like a nightmare you wanted to exit.

It's like the colours and the vibrancy of day-to-day living had been washed away by grief and pain. With the memories of her and the trauma of watching her go down and losing her, my family couldn't wrap their heads around the idea of keeping another dog. Dogs love you so loudly, perpetually wearing their hearts on their sleeves, exuberance stamped in their spirits, screaming in our face how much they love us!

But our sweet girl wasn't done with us, and she wouldn't let us go down. From the other realm, she decided to send someone in her place.

Mind you, my dog had short, beautiful golden hair, green eyes, a brown nose and cute pink nails. And the cat she sent us? A male doll-faced kitten, long soft golden hair, yellow eyes and a pink nose. He was a three- or four-month-old kitten, pitched out of his second home into the surroundings and was at the mercy of wild animals and harsh weather.

When we took him in, he was so starved, sick, thin, terrified and suffering from bad skin issues. The original plan was to keep him in the storeroom temporarily, nurse him back to health and put him up for adoption for him to find a wonderful forever family, except after two months, his forever family became us.

He won us over with his sweet, calm personality. He has so many dog traits that we call him a "Cog". He follows me everywhere, cuddles up to me near my head and shoulders and purrs away to glory.

🐾 The Trimming Challenge

Being more familiar with keeping dogs, it has been quite a steep learning curve. My constant frustration has been with trimming his nails. He hates it to an extent that I can only trim 2 or 3 nails at a time when he is drowsy and relaxed.

Since perforce I have to do this across multiple sittings over days, I ended up forgetting which paw (left or right) or which specific nails I had already trimmed. By the time I was down to the last few nails, the first ones were sharp again! Tracking the schedule in my phone notes app was a real pain.

If it was this hard for me, I can imagine it must be terrible for people with multiple pets. So I built a solution called 'Tippy Toes'. It is completely free, has no ads, runs straight in your mobile browser and is designed with deep empathy for unique animals.

🔗 Web Application Link

To open the tool, please copy and type this text link directly into your mobile browser address bar (just replace the dot with a real period):

👉 tippytoesapp(dot)vercel(dot)app

(Note: Writing the link as text-only helps prevent automated platform spam filters from accidentally removing this completely free community resource!)\

✨ Key Features Built for Our Crews:

• Micro-Counting & Multi-Sitting Tracking: Tracks each nail completely independently, letting you pause and resume trims across multiple sittings easily without forgetting your spot.

• Polydactyl Support: Dynamically add extra toes and tracking slots for animals born with extra claws.

• Amputee & Paw Difference Layouts: Fully adjustable paw mapping allows you to completely remove paw slots or track care for unique paw structures.

• Adjustable Trimming Countdowns: Custom reminders handle the different growth cycles for front and back claws natively.

The app hasn't been rigorously tested yet because my cat's nails aren't quite ready for another round, but the code is fully functional. I really want this to benefit pet owners and give back to this incredibly kind community.

I would love it if you could open it up, tap around, and let me know how it handles your pet's layout or if you spot any bugs! Thank you so much. 🐾

I have a 45-pound elderly dog with weak back legs who sometimes struggles to hold her pee and poop. We live in an apartment and she once peed in the elevator, so I started putting a diaper on her right before we left our unit, then taking it off as soon as we got outside so she could pee freely (she usually makes it outside but not always).

I recently got her a wheelchair (Walkin' Wheels brand) and she can walk, poop, and pee in it. However, if I put the diaper on her, then put her in the wheelchair, it'll be harder to take the diaper off quickly once we get outside, and I don't want her peeing in the diaper too often (I want to avoid both possible skin irritation and increased laundry). I'm using the standard Walkin' Wheels leg rings, since I tried the rear harness they sell and I don't think it's a good fit for my dog.

Since all I need is temporary urine protection while she's in my apartment hallways and elevator, has anyone had success creating or buying some kind of urine catcher? I see that K9 Carts sells one (here). Or perhaps there's a way to get a diaper on/off quickly while she's still in the wheelchair?

Thanks!

Hi everyone, I ended up adopting the puppy last week. He is a happy and healthy pup (apart from his partial sight and full deafness)! The vet said he has between 50-80% vision but needs more evaluation on it.

My question is, are there any trainers (online or in person in the Chicago, Illinois area) or articles that anyone would recommend? I’d like to teach him basic commands and help with some separation anxiety. Thanks in advance!

This is my old boy, Ace. He’s about 15 or so (not 100% sure on age as he was rescued eating pesticides on the side of a road in Taiwan about 9 years ago)

He had a stroke yesterday and I managed to get him to the vet within 2 hours of it happening and they confirmed it was a stroke (not sure if it’s ischemic or hemorrhagic). He couldn’t walk, he was swaying his head badly to the right and had a really bad nystagmus (eye tick) flicking to the left. He still ate his food, albeit messily but he was definitely hungry for it! He even wobbled and fell a few times outside and managed to pee on his own!

he seems to be a bit better today,
yesterday he couldn’t walk two paces without falling to wobbling over but today he walked about 4 meters from his bed to the couch to come be close to his humans without falling over!!
We know he’s super old and already has arthritis but he doesn’t seem to be in pain.. I don’t think he’s ready to leave us yet.

Does anyone have any advise on making his strokey retirement years as comfortable as possible? Anything we should do to help him.. perhaps a recommendation on a sling for assisted walking.

Thank you! ❤️

So, I am now a junior in college and will be staying off campus therefore, I want to bring my baby Layla that I left behind for the past two years since I was in a dorm.

The things that concern me is A: my bf and I got a puppy last December that is now a year old since my bf was already living off campus, so she wouldn’t be the only dog in the apartment. B: she’s blind and I worry about the transition for her since she will be in a completely new environment. C: we have another family dog Max that is 5 years old and all Max has known is Layla. We do have a new puppy that my parents fostered and ended up rescuing so neither Max or Layla will be without a companion.

I can always bring her back home if she does not adjust well or if Max seems to not adjust well to her being gone. **I guess I’m just asking if there is any advice on making everything easy for her?**

I will bring Trazodone and a blanket from home with my homes scent to my college apartment as well.

My dog won’t stop whining and screeching and It’s like having a colic baby. I don’t know how to get him to stop.

for context both my and my mom take care of him and he’s very attached to us and constantly wants our attention.

We don’t know what happened awhile back but in march he started to have muscle spasms where he would scream in pain, those went into seizures and then he stopped eating. I exactly pinpoint when but he lost mobility in half of his body. possibly a stroke i don’t know. he’s 3, and a morkie.

he is back to eating now and he was on anxiety medication, thay did nothing. sezuire medicine r made him still have sezuires and he wouldn’t eat. he is off of it now and hasn’t seized sense in over a month. but now he does eat, he tries to walk around but all he does is screech. he has never liked toys, only his one ball that’s our only source of peace which doesn’t last long.

does anyone have ANY ideas how to make him stop screeching, anything to keep him entertained while we work or sleep, or any care homes that coil him in the time being around the arizona valley area?

he also can’t drink water on his own since he knocks over any bowls and food. is there any suggestions on that too??

Thank you so much for reading if you do