Creating a home environment that is stable, suitable, and safe for your disabled dog is vital. When your dog becomes physically challenged, it can be a difficult transition to care for their changing and unique needs. Your dog can’t merely continue like before as they aren’t the dog they once were.
Disabled dogs fall, bump into things, get tangled in objects, and can become fearful when they don’t feel safe and protected. Dogs with disabilities feel vulnerable, so their home is where they need to feel even safer. Their home should be that familiar surrounding that doesn’t threaten them.
Knowing how to set up your home so your dog is comfortable and can safely move around is essential and part of your beloved pooch’s daily care. Do you know how to plan and change your home so it’s disabled-doggy-safe? Let’s find out.
What Is a Safe Environment for Your Disabled Dog?
An environment that’s disability-safe has clear paths for movement, where you are conscious of not changing things if your dog is old or visually impaired, and where you provide for their physical needs, such as having rest spots, different water stations, and regular care check-ins.
Your dog may suddenly start tripping frequently, walk into furniture, slip, and fall, and struggle with climbing up or down. So, setting up your home to be safe and secure and meet their needs is the best practice.
Even an act as simple as having multiple watering stations to make it easier for your dog to hydrate can make them feel more comfortable. Your dog relies on you to meet the needs they can no longer meet for themselves, so planning is vital.
Modifying Your Environment When Your Dog Becomes Disabled
Once you get over the overwhelm of having a physically impaired dog, you should carefully assess your home. It may help to squat down or crawl on your hands and knees around your house as you plan and evaluate your home according to your dog’s needs.
Here are ways to improve your dog’s home environment based on their unique needs or disabilities.
1. Visually Impaired Dogs
If your dog has suffered a sudden loss of vision, it can be challenging as it may not know exactly where to go. Gradual loss of sight is easier for your dog as they can adapt somewhat to losing visual awareness.
At home, ensure you don’t move things or place shopping bags or chairs where your dog doesn’t expect them. They can’t see these and can easily fall or hurt themselves by bumping into heavy objects.
Even the presence of people can be a challenge for blind dogs, so it’s good to tag visitors with bells to help alert your dog of someone being close to them.
2. Dogs that Can’t Walk
If your dog can’t walk, they will have unique physical needs. For instance, having enough space in their home to move in an assistive device such as a doggy wheelchair, a drag bag, or on a prosthetic leg. Suppose your dog requires a harness for a condition like hip dysplasia. In that case, you should check that nothing can catch on the harness and potentially panic your dog.
3. Incontinent Dogs
For an incontinent dog, it may be necessary to provide several spaces where your dog can rest and lie down on a potty pad—keeping an area secure where your dog’s potty pad, crate, and soft doggy bed are available when you can’t be with your dog.
4. General Disabilities
Dogs with disabilities such as PTSD, epilepsy, tremors, and other disabilities may require you to provide stability in their home environment by not moving things around, providing enough space to pass between furniture without feeling cornered, and offering a soft bed for them to rest in.
Environmental Risks for a Disabled Dog
When considering your home, you must know what can create an obstacle or danger for your disabled dog. Even innocent-seeming items in your home can become a danger to them.
When your dog becomes disabled, give some consideration to the following everyday items in your home:
Stairs
For dogs with movement or poor vision, stairs can be dangerous. One of the best things you can do if you have a flight of stairs is to place a child gate at the top to prevent your dog from falling down the stairs. Also, put a gate at the bottom so your dog doesn’t try to go upstairs and accidentally injure themselves.
Doors
Doors can hurt your dog if they try to move past a door and gets stuck on the edge. Doggy wheelchairs can get caught on a door frame, so placing padded corners on door frames can help limit the danger.
Cupboard Doors
Cupboard doors can accidentally strike a disabled or blind dog if they run into open cupboard doors or get stuck on kitchen drawers.
Rugs
Loose rugs can also catch on your dog’s nails or their harness or wheelchair and frighten your dog or cause injuries to them.
Other Pets
A dog that becomes disabled can become bullied by other pets, and it’s vital to monitor your home environment to ensure your dog doesn’t get intimidated or cornered by your other pets.
Slippery Floors
Dogs with dysplasia may struggle with balance, and slippery floors can cause them to fall or split their legs because of muscle weakness.
Cables
Tripping hazards like cables can also seriously harm your dog’s home environment. An excellent way to help protect your dog is to secure cables with tape or a cable collector to prevent them from catching on your dog and causing them to fall or panic.
Blankets and Throws
Fringy throws and knitted blankets can cause serious injury to your disabled dog if they get stuck in your dog’s paws or nails. If your dog lies on your furniture, place these wraps out of the way or change them for a smooth textured drape.
Checklist for Environmental Suitability for Your Disabled Dog
Now that you know more about keeping your disabled dog safe in your home, running through a daily safety checklist is essential.
These questions help you keep your home safe, as even small changes can present real challenges for your dog.
- Have you closed all unnecessary doors and cupboard doors?
- Are rugs folded away and drapes raised out of the way?
- Have you secured the electrical cables?
- Are your stairs secured with a child-safe gate to prevent your dog from falling?
- Have bell tags ready if you expect visitors to warn your blind dog?
FAQs
How do you take care of a paralyzed dog?
Caring for a paralyzed dog requires that your dog has a wheelchair, drag bag, or sling raiser to help them move about. Movement remains essential for your paralyzed dog’s physical and mental health. Ensuring your disabled dog follows a healthy diet helps to keep them strong, and it also provides good bowel function and circulation.
Manage urinary health by using pee pads, diapers, and belly bands to help your dog remain comfortable if they have developed incontinence due to paralysis.
What is the quality of life for a paralyzed dog?
A paralyzed dog can enjoy a full and rewarding life if they receive the best care and have their changing physical and emotional needs met. They can play, eat, and enjoy the company of you or other four-legged friends. A dog that has lost the use of their back legs can still move with the aid of a wheelchair or assistive device.
How many hours a day can a dog be in a wheelchair?
A dog is not supposed to spend a whole day in a wheelchair. Dogs should only spend 15-30 minutes in a wheelchair per session, with a few sessions throughout the day, as excessive use of a wheelchair can cause raw spots and bruising. The dog should also be allowed some comfortable respite for the rest of the time.
Final Checks
A dog can cope surprisingly well with a disability like becoming paralyzed, muscle weakness, visual impairment, losing a limb, and emotional trauma. Your involvement, preparation, and environmental control are essential to their health and happiness.
Check that your dog has sufficient space to move with their assistive device, that they are safe from being caught in a cable or decorative item in your home, and that they don’t have access to stairs or other dangers.
Create a disability-safe environment for your disabled dog, ensuring they can move confidently in your home and feel at peace because they know nothing can injure or threaten them.