Featuring advice from SCAN clients!

While none of us hope to find ourselves with a paralyzed pet, this is sometimes the outcome after severe spinal cord injury. Many of these pets can still have a good quality of life with their disability. It does require some adjustment for all involved and is not right for every family, depending on the specific needs of the pet. To help you adjust to the changes ahead, we’ve collected answers to common questions as well as some helpful tips from other families of disabled pets.

• What were you most anxious about when first taking your pet home, once you knew full recovery was unlikely?

It was really scary at first seeing him not being able to walk. We just wanted him to be comfortable and happy! You could tell he was confused at first on why he couldn't move his legs, but eventually he didn't seem to mind and was back to himself!

• What was the most difficult thing to adjust to with a paralyzed pet?

Probably how to navigate everything. How to get him into a new routine, oh and bladder expression for sure!

• What was the most helpful tip or resource you used?

Dont treat him like glass, and let him be a dog :)

This was so hard for me at first, but I definitely understand now. I still get nervous to pick him up, but I'm getting better! My husband is a pro at it now lol! He also does his bladder expressions like it's a piece of cake. Once you get into your routine, it all becomes so much easier! Take it one day at a time.

• What advice would you share for a friend with a paralyzed pet?

It gets easier! You will get into a routine where it's just your new normal and not so scary.

• What has been the greatest joy in having a paralyzed pet?

It's so rewarding! It's hard, but it's so so worth it! We were so happy just to be able to take him home and have him healthy.

• Do you feel your pet has a good quality of life?

Absolutely ! I think he's quicker on 2 legs than he was on all 4! He doesn't let being paralyzed slow him down and we are so happy that he's happy! He gets all the attention from everyone and he soaks it all up. He has such a personality lol!

Some things that have really helped our clients:

• “A stroller (Facebook market place usually has them a lot cheaper): it has been a life saver ! We have the Pet Gear No zip Large Jogger. He loves it. We got 2 for when one needs cleaned! We take him around the house with us in it and it gives him extra room to lay down and spread out and still be next to us. It's good for taking him places too. He loves going to restaurants and the beach!”

• “Walkin Pets wheelchair. It adjusts so the fit is just right! Valentino is 28-29 pounds and has a longer body. He’s small. Their customer service is great too if you need help adjusting it! (We got Valentino's wheelchair through Ruck9. They are a nonprofit and awesome! They have a Facebook with their contact info for anyone needing a wheelchair. They help so many paralyzed dogs and are so sweet!)”

• “Pack and Plays! I work from home so I have one in my office and he hangs out in there with me all day. We have one in our bedroom too.”

• “Orthopedic dog beds. TJmaxx or Marshall's has them for a really good price. Even Serta brand! We stock up on them and they are washable. We put them in his pack and play and his stroller. They make ones that are like a long fluffy pillow, so they can fit in there really well! They also have one's that look like couches too with the raised edges! We use those for bedtime and in his crate.”

• “Waterproof crib covers on Amazon. These have been so so helpful! We put them over his dog beds and they are so easy to wash. He doesn't always love the puppy pads, he likes to dig at them so these are really nice to have!”

• “Dog camera. He's always crated when we aren't home, so we have a camera facing him. It's so helpful and it's nice to be able to check on him! We try to only be gone for a max of 4-5 hours when we do leave.”

• “Valentino has had separation anxiety even before he was paralyzed. Trazodone and gabapentin have helped! He still is anxious, but he's much better on the medicine than not on it. He will pant and bark when we leave the house then he usually calms down. I think giving him alone time is good for him too, even though he might not think so lol. If we do leave the house we try not to be gone too long since he is incontinent. I feel bad if he has an accident and gets dirty because he hates being dirty. I know that's not realistic for people who have a job where they can't come home during the day or work from home. I wish I had more advice on that because I'm sure that's hard to navigate.”

• “A car seat. We have the double seat Pup protector memory foam car bed. It's washable! and the perfect size so he can sit up or lay down.”

• “Puppy pads - Sam's club has been the cheapest.”

• “Unscented laundry sanitizer. It gets all his blankets and bedding really clean!”

• “Pull up training diapers for kids are cheaper than dog diapers and fit really well. We try not to diaper unless he's in his wheelchair, in the car, or has an appointment. His skin is so sensitive. But the pull ups are great!

  • When he gets irritated skin from incontinence, we use Animax ointment as needed.

  • Corn starch at night to keep him dry.

  • Manuka honey and Moringa oil daily on his skin

  • Simplicef as last resort. It works great! But I try to stay away from antibiotics until it's necessary.

  • Oatmeal baths since he needs a bath or multiple baths daily and chlorhexidine shampoo 3x a week.

  • We recently switched to Hills Prescription Biome diet and it's been going well! He gets diahrhea here and there and this has really helped and So has Proviable paste and capsules! “

• “Definitely find a vet that understands dogs with back issues for your regular checkups . That was really hard for us! I noticed a lot of regular vets don't understand a lot about IVDD. We also found ERs we really like and trust (even though we hope to never have to go!)”

• “Acupuncture - he goes usually twice a month. They have been so helpful and will give him an all over check and check his skin to make sure everything looks good each time he gets acupuncture.”

• “Valentino wasn't a huge fan of therapy. We did 2 packages of sessions and some water therapy and we decided to do his exercises at home and he loves to move his legs around in the pool!”

• “If you can, save a little each month just in case for vet bills or emergencies. Care credit and scratch pay helped us so much when he needed surgeries.”