Sabrina's Charley 7/17 Conservative

Almost two weeks later and finally got a graduation picture!

Edit: can't get the pic to show up in the post today! Here's the link to the gallery: dodgergallery.ourdogs.net/recovered/IMG_7014

(The sling is from the K-9 Cart company - I find it cumbersome to use, but it helps to slow Charley down and keep him from crossing his back legs as much.)

Curbs are going to be the bane of my existence. Charley's at the point where we're letting him walk down the street a little (he thinks he's ready for a "real" walk!). I'm so glad my husband has a few days off work because Charley wants to be right back to his old walking pattern of hopping up and down from the curb at whim. It takes both of us to keep him "herded" away from the curb and away from the middle of the street!

Thanks Paula! The sling is "EZ Sling" from K-9 Cart (http://www.k-9cart.com/Dog-Harnesses/EZ-Sling). It's very pricey. 

Edit: only fair to say that my following "review" is based on using it for a dog who doesn't need support. The sling is designed for actual support.

Pros (for the way we're using it): my husband says that it helps Charley walk without crossing his rear legs. The "loops" are padded foam and seem to fit inside Charley's legs in such a way to help him walk without crossing.

Cons (for the way we're using it): cumbersome! I've listed my husband's assessment of Charley's walk because it takes all of my attention to keep the whole contraption in place! I think this would be easier to use on a larger dog. Charley's legs are so short and thus the "loops" are so close to the ground that he steps out of it a lot - because he doesn't need it for support it's very hard to hold it so that the loops are close enough to his belly so that he doesn't step out of it. There are "handles" for me to hold but they never seem to be in just the right spot (the "handles" are at the top of the "loops" and the foam padding at the bottom.)

Anyway, not sure if all that made any sense! I'm the one who "operates" the sling, so from my perspective it's cumbersome. My husband "supervises" and herds Charley away from the curb, so he has a better perspective on the therapeutic value of this contraption and he gives it a therapeutic thumbs up.

There are design trade-offs to everything and we don't need this for the intended level of support it's designed for, and so I'll work on curbing my grumbling and be thankful my husband bought me something to help with Charley's rehab!

))Hugs(( to everyone!
- Sabrina

Edit again(!): My husband and I think if the company "scaled down" the small sling to make an extra small, it would be easier to use with Charley (15.5lbs). The people at the company are great and we're going to send them some of our observations and see if they have plans/would consider making an extra small.

Thanks for explaining how you use the sling. Thinking outside the box to use tools to help rehab Charley is what we like to see. Sounds like Charley's leg can feel when he touches the inside of the loops as you have positioned the sling down in a lower non-supportive way. Touch cues Charley to self correct his leg movements.  Maybe one of our members will come up with an alternate homemade solution!