How to Help a Dog Adapt to Mobility Challenges

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Like people, dogs may change in their abilities over time—and, as they age,  some won’t be able to move the way they used to.

Witnessing these changes can be distressing, but dogs with disabilities can live happy, healthy lives with your love and assistance. One vet even told us about a small dog who learned to go cross-country skiing in her wheelchair—with skis swapped in for the wheels.

“This dog zips around the neighborhood on wheels, and then they actually go cross-country skiing—they swap out the wheels for little skis. It’s fabulous,” said Margret Lenfest, VMD, Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, Certified Veterinary Assistant, an assistant clinical professor at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine.

Your dog may not be destined for this particular activity—but, for every mobility challenge you and your dog might face, there’s an expert to guide you. Whatever their abilities, here’s how you can help your best friend live their best life.

Signs of mobility problems in dogs

A dog may have trouble walking for many reasons, but the cause generally comes down to either an injury or an underlying condition. This factor may also determine whether lameness (the medical term for limping) is temporary or permanent.

In either case, there will be signs that your dog is struggling to walk. They may resist putting pressure on a paw, whine more than usual, or react poorly to touch. You may also notice that your dog is limping, dragging their nails, or struggling with something they used to accomplish with ease, like using the stairs or jumping onto the bed.

These indicators may speak to an injury or a disease.

Watch these signs for up to two days to see if they improve on their own. If your dog’s mobility hasn’t gotten better after a day or two, head to the vet. If their mobility worsens at any point after you first notice that something is wrong, even if it’s been less than two days, head to the vet immediately.

A three-legged brown and white dog wearing a harness and leash jumps excitedly while standing outside on a sandy path in front of ferns and trees.

Acute vs. degenerative conditions

Disabling injuries and diseases range widely in their severity, permanence, and long-term implications. In general, you can separate mobility challenges into those that are acute (injuries that may have a definite treatment and healing period) and degenerative (disabilities often caused by conditions that will worsen over time, but can be slowed with medication, surgery, and/or physical therapy).

Acute injuries, such as sprains, fractures, and broken bones, vary in severity, and can be treated or healed. 

Degenerative conditions, like hip dysplasia, arthritis, or degenerative myelopathy, have no cure. This means that you and your dog will be navigating the resulting mobility challenges for the rest of their life. But treatment can ease pain, make your dog more comfortable, and help them adjust to new ways of moving.

How a vet can help a dog with mobility challenges

Whether the problem is acute or chronic, your vet will know the best way to help your dog recover or adapt. 

When you take your dog to the vet for mobility challenges for the first time, you can expect the doctor to perform a thorough physical exam. They’ll check for limb or neurologic abnormalities that may be causing these changes, and may order X-rays or other imaging. Once they diagnose the problem, they may recommend medication, physical therapy, and/or surgery.

Physical therapy can often help with recovery or pain management. Vets certified in rehabilitation or animal physical therapy can offer various types of treatment. They include:

  • Therapeutic or physiotherapy exercises: Exercises focused on improving balance and building specific muscles can assist dogs post-operation, or those living with a degenerative condition.
  • Manual therapy and passive range of motion: This treatment involves a suite of exercises flexing and extending joints, and is common after orthopedic surgery or musculoskeletal injury.
  • Therapeutic massage: Geared toward pain relief, this therapy can improve mobility and blood flow.
  • Hydrotherapy: If you’ve ever seen a video of a dog walking on an underwater treadmill, you’re familiar with hydrotherapy. The practice, which also includes swimming-pool exercise, can benefit dogs with arthritis or recovering from surgery for a condition like hip dysplasia or a cranial cruciate ligament tear. 
A black and white border collie does hydrotherapy inside a large tank filled halfway with water, while a human wearing rubber boots stands outside.

Dogs who suffer a broken bone can heal in about eight to 12 weeks, according to Dr. Lenfest. Once the bone is healed, the dog will need physical therapy for at least one to two months as they regain their strength.

Dogs with an orthopedic condition like arthritis or hip dysplasia—or a neurologic condition like degenerative myelopathy or wobblers syndrome—will likely live with a disability for the rest of their lives. In some cases their mobility may, unfortunately, worsen over time.

While there are treatment options specifically for degenerative orthopedic conditions, such as joint injections and medications to manage pain, physical therapy can also help your dog strengthen supporting muscles and relieve their stiff joints.

In the case of degenerative disease, your veterinary care team will likely focus on quality of life, providing realistic expectations and goals while working with you to make sure your dog is comfortable. 

How you can help your dog adjust to mobility challenges

Which accommodations a dog needs depend on their specific injury or illness. Some adjustments are temporary, while others last a lifetime.

But, in general, these are some measures that often help dogs experiencing mobility issues:

  • Cover slippery floors with rugs or yoga mats.
  • Train your dog to wear shoes, booties, or rubber nail covers indoors to allow for a better grip, especially on wood or tile floors. 
  • Teach your dog to use a ramp so they don’t have to jump on and off of furniture or into and out of the car. 
  • Carry your dog up and down stairs if they’re small enough.
  • Use an assistive harness to support their rear end, especially if they’re struggling with hip dysplasia or arthritis in their back legs. These harnesses may come with a strap or handle for you to help support their back legs and pelvis. Even if your home doesn’t have stairs, you can use this harness to help them stand up.
  • Consider a stroller. Dogs with disabilities should still get to enjoy the outdoors. When we talked to Jonathan S. Block, DVM, founder of West Delray Veterinary in Florida, for a previous story on the topic, he told us: “Strollers can be very useful for dogs who still want to enjoy walks with their owners, but are unable to walk for one reason or another.”

How to help a dog who’s become a tripod

It can be difficult emotionally for an owner to process their dog becoming a tripod. But, in some circumstances, losing a leg may relieve a great deal of pain for a dog—and tripods often adapt quickly to their new circumstances, going on to live active, normal lives.

“If their other limbs are perfectly fine and a leg is really painful, they’ve probably been practicing being a three-legged dog for some period of time,” Dr. Lenfest said. She said that there may be a bigger psychological hurdle for humans when it comes to losing a limb, but dogs are more concerned with no longer being in pain. 

After surgery, take things slow. Follow all your veterinarian’s instructions and give all prescribed medications. Your dog’s care team will teach you how to change bandages and keep them clean. Help your dog exercise to the extent they’re able without overexerting. You may need to carry them temporarily while they’re unable to walk.

One important thing you can do for a tripod dog is keep them at a healthy weight. Since they have fewer legs to support their weight, excess pounds will further strain their joints—increasing their risk for chronic degenerative conditions like arthritis. 

“You don’t want any of their remaining legs to have any faster progression of arthritis, [which] could impair them down the road,” Dr. Lenfest said.

A physical therapist can teach you exercises to strengthen your dog’s core. This will help them maintain good posture. 

Your tripod dog can still enjoy their favorite activities. If they’re fond of swimming, Dr. Lenfest recommended keeping them in a floatation vest for safety. If they’re learning to swim with three legs, start them off in a shallow area and keep a close eye on them.

A cream-colored French bulldog in a wheelchair wearing a red leash stands on a city sidewalk.

Wheelchairs for dogs

Wheelchairs, too, are an option for dogs who aren’t able to walk. Though adapting to using a wheelchair takes practice, they offer enormous benefits to dogs who learn to use them. “A lot of dogs that need a wheelchair, once they get used to being in it, have a fabulous life,” said Dr. Lenfest (See: the aforementioned patient who learned not only to zip around in the device, but to go cross-country skiing with skis swapped in for their wheels.)

Physical therapists will prescribe home exercises so people can help their dogs practice moving with ease. In one activity Dr. Lenfest described, two people stand at opposite ends of a hallway and call the dog back and forth so they can learn to pull themselves along and turn around. The path to living comfortably as a wheelie dog takes some work, but the resulting mobility and independence are worthwhile and within reach. “Wheelchairs can be a huge door to freedom,” Dr. Lenfest said.

Slow and steady

Be kind to yourself and your dog. Lean on your veterinary care team, and know that many other dogs and dog owners have been in this position before and moved forward. A disability is something to adjust to, but doesn’t preclude your dog from continuing a happy, healthy life. You are their key to living happily.

As you and your dog navigate this shift together, Dr. Lenfest had three pieces of advice to offer: “Don’t rush things. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else or any other dogs. Take the time you need.”

The post How to Help a Dog Adapt to Mobility Challenges appeared first on The Farmer’s Dog - Digest.


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