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Helping/carrying my arthritic dog up and down stairs

11 replies

orlakielyimnot · 06/12/2015 08:23

Do you have any advice? My 10 year old cocker is arthritic and when she gets flare ups she can't manage the stairs. At 15kg I can't lift her from floor to my chest without hurting my back at the midpoint of the lift. So I've been looking all morning through Google for an object that could help. The only things I've found are for small dogs or are partial slings and I worry about weight distribution and comfort. Does anyone have anything they rate highly?

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M0ggy · 06/12/2015 08:36

Hi OP,

Are these the stairs at home?

If so, The thing might be to keep her downstairs at night, & get a babygate at the bottom, so she doesnt try to come up,

Sorry if thats not helpful, & someone will be aling with better advice soon,

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TrionicLettuce · 06/12/2015 13:06

Would something like the Ruffwear Webmaster or Doubleback work?

I've used the Webmasters on dogs around that weight for pretty rugged walks and they were perfectly happy to be lifted up (and even carried briefly) by the handle.

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Noitsnotteatimeyet · 06/12/2015 13:09

Would something like this help?

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MitchellMummy · 06/12/2015 18:01

I had a 29kg dog to get up and down. Understand about the midpoint. If you had something like a footstool you could kneel on the floor and lift dog onto footstool. Then stand up and you can lift her from footstool. Same coming downstairs, but you could lift her on to bed which will be easier to pick her up from. My dog I could get upstairs but couldn't carry him down. If ever he couldn't do it I'd put him on my lap and bum shuffle him down. When things were v bad I moved the spare room mattress into the dining room so he didn't have to go up and down.

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orlakielyimnot · 06/12/2015 21:24

This day ran away with me. Thank you for your replies. Moggy, the stairs are at home. We can't leave her down stairs because we both spend a lot of time upstairs and the other dog joins us. It would break our hearts not to bring her up, but it's a good suggestion to block the stairs when we're at work just in case.

Thanks lettuce and tea time. I probably do need to bite the bullet and spend loads. It seems like a lot to pay for just going up and down stairs though, those are propper outdoor harnesses which would feel a bit fiddly. .. There was something from a site in the US. A sling type thing. .. I might try that.

In the meantime i will have a think about your idea Mitchell. Your loved pooch was much more of a handful and if that worked for you I'll give it a try. I had been pleased with my trick. She'd come to the bottom/to step and wait and I'd put both hands under her chest and abdomen and do a quick lift/stand and dog flip move such that once I was upright she was upside like a baby and she'd put a paw around my neck which I thought was sweet. I felt reasonably safe taking the stairs like this but it's always been a worry, and then a few weeks ago I began to develop mild lower back strain so I know I need a longer term solution. Maybe I should Google how to do a lift properly!

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MitchellMummy · 06/12/2015 22:05

Good luck. May also be worth you finding a good physio. I did, albeit I need to make another appointment!

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M0ggy · 06/12/2015 22:10

There are some hydrotherapy pools around, Im not sure if you need a referral from the vet and/or pay private, but very beneficial from what I have read.

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orlakielyimnot · 07/12/2015 21:14

There aren't aren't hydrotherapy pools near us, and yes, my own physio is a good idea!

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Lokibuddyboo · 31/01/2016 02:17

You could try building alittle doggy stair lift I seen one on YouTube being used by a boxer dog.