Treating Canine Wheelchair Injuries: Chafing, Pinching, and More

Your beloved pooch is rockin’ their wheelchair, and they’ve never had so much fun being able to move and run again. But even sweet stories have a bitter bite sometimes, and canine wheelchair injuries are more commonplace than you would think.

Does this mean your dog should give up their ride to freedom? Nope. It does, however, mean you need to be a responsible dog owner and tend to any injuries as they happen and prevent them from happening. Here’s how.

What Are Canine Wheelchair Injuries?

Wheelchair injuries happen to dogs for numerous reasons, and if you can anticipate an injury or accident, it helps you avoid your dog getting injured.

Most canine wheelchair injuries result from:

Poor fitment of the wheelchair, causing chafing and minor lacerations
Not training your dog to their wheelchair, as a lack of training can cause them to panic and hook their wheelchair if they get stuck
Terrain-related injuries from wheelchair damage
Rashes from allergies that are triggered by the wheelchair material or hygiene
Bruising from being left in the wheelchair too long

What Went Wrong?

Canine wheelchair injuries often happen due to the dog’s own exuberance causing them to fall, rub, or bruise while in the wheelchair. While some injuries can be avoided, it’s not always possible to prevent all injuries.

Ensuring the wheelchair is correctly fitted for your canine partner, is clean, and has no obvious places that can hook, cut, or scrape your dog is the best way to stop things from going wrong.

Prevention Is Better than Cure

One way to ensure injuries are limited and most mishaps are prevented is to have a checklist in place. Being organized is the best way to keep your paw-bestie safe.

Here’s what my wheelchair checklist looks like:

Is the wheelchair fully assembled with all straps correctly placed before fitting my dog to it?
Are there any signs of damage to the wheelchair or cart?
Are there signs of soiling on the wheelchair supports or straps that need to be cleaned?
Have I correctly fitted and secured my dog in the wheelchair?
Does my dog have to get across any difficult terrain such as steps or over storm grids in their wheelchair? (I’d rather use a carry strap to help them cross.)
Are the wheels in good condition and fully secured on the wheelchair?

Of course, I also have a checklist for my dog before they even get into the wheelchair as this helps me prevent a pre-existing condition getting worse. Before placing my dog into the wheelchair, I:

Check if my dog has any signs of rubbing, scuffed hair, raw skin, rash, or pinched skin on their body (especially their tummy, inside of legs, and around their chest).
Feel their body for signs of tenderness or reactivity that could indicate bruising where the previous wheelchair ride may have hurt them.
Check all their contact points, where their body touches the wheelchair frame or straps for signs of skin pinching or rubbing, once they are in their wheelchair.

But If You Can’t Prevent It—Treat It

Despite my best preparations, accidents still happen, and I often have to treat minor injuries. The types of injuries you can expect with a canine wheelchair are:

Pinched Skin

Pinched skin is a common injury type that your dog may develop from a wheelchair that’s not an ideal fit for them. If they are strapped in too loosely or too tightly, they may pinch some skin, which can bruise and become tender.

If the pinching continues, it may lead to chafing, which can create a bloody mark or roughed up patch of skin that’s painful and inflamed.

Treatment for pinched and chafed skin:

Ensure all straps fit your dog perfectly in their wheelchair or cart. If there is some tightness, lengthen straps, and if your straps are too loose (and you can’t tighten them more), use a pillow pad or sponge to help “fill up” the gap.

When pinched skin has happened, ensure the area is cleaned to prevent topical infection, apply a good quality antibiotic cream, and don’t use the wheelchair for a few days to give your dog’s skin some time to recover.

Minor Lacerations

If your dog’s skin gets severely pinched and broken, or if any part of the wheelchair has a sharp edge, it can easily cause a laceration (aka a skin-level cut) that can bleed, become infected, and cause your dog severe pain.

Treatment for minor lacerations:

Lacerations can be serious, so treat them as such. Clean the cut carefully, ensure the bleeding has stopped, and if severe enough, take your dog to the vet for stitches. Keep the cut clean by wiping it daily with a mild disinfectant solution. Apply a topical antibiotic cream to help ward off secondary infections and nourish the skin.

Try to avoid any part of the wheelchair pressing into the laceration, and you may find that your dog won’t be able to use their wheelchair for a while until their cut has healed.

Bruising

Your dog’s not supposed to make contact with any metal parts of the wheelchair that could bruise them. While it’s hard to see a bruise on some dogs due to long coats or dark skins, a dog can suffer extensive bruising when they are in a device that doesn’t fit them correctly.

Signs of bruising can include:

Sudden formation of lumps under the skin
Reluctance to go into their wheelchair
Nipping when you strap them into their wheelchair
Localized heat (hotspots) when you touch them

Treatment for bruising:

Bruising usually clears up on its own, but in severe cases, your dog will need an anti-inflammatory medication, which your vet can prescribe. Take care to avoid touching the bruises, and don’t let your dog use their wheelchair if they press on the bruises when in it.

Alternatively, add extra padding to the wheelchair to help prevent further bruising.

Tangled and Pulled Hair

Since wheelchairs have moving parts, it can be challenging to avoid your dog getting tangled in the wheels or hinges of the wheelchair or cart. For long-haired pooches, tangled hair can be a real challenge, which can cause severely knotted coats.

Treatment for pulled hair:

If your dog is prone to getting tangled up in their wheelchair, you can opt to shave the longer hair near their armpits and between their legs. Shaving long hair helps ensure your dog can’t get stuck in a wheelchair so easily.

Split Nails

Since your disabled dog may not have the same muscle control as before they started using their wheelchair, they may split their nails while walking or running in the wheelchair. A split nail can cause severe pain and even infection.

So, frequently check your dog for signs of nail damage.

Treatment for split nails:

Ensure your dog’s nails are trimmed regularly to avoid splitting, and if a nail splits, remove the excess nail. Then apply a topical antibiotic cream and (if necessary) a band-aid to help protect the damaged nail and to prevent it from hooking in your dog’s fur or on the wheelchair straps.

Broken Bones

You may take the best care to keep your dog safe in their wheelchair, but accidents happen, and if your dog falls while in their wheelchair, they may be unlucky and break a bone. Fractures (bone breaks) may happen to their legs, ribs, and even spine.

A broken bone may cause your dog to cry severely when you touch them or lift them. Swelling is another good indication of a broken or fractured bone. It’s important to get your dog the best care if you suspect a wheelchair injury may have caused a fracture or torn ligament.

Treatment for broken bones:

Take your dog to the vet immediately to have x-rays, a sonar, and a checkup done. Once the fracture is identified, your vet will be best able to advise you on what to do. They may also opt for surgery to repair the break.

FAQs

How long can a dog be in a dog wheelchair?

Never leave your dog unattended in a wheelchair, and always ensure you let them out of the wheelchair every 15 minutes (so 4 sessions per hour) for a couple of minutes. At most, a dog can be in a wheelchair for an hour, though this should be reserved for dogs that are fully accustomed to a wheelchair.

Can dogs lie down in wheelchairs?

Small dogs can have a brief lie-down in a wheelchair, but large dogs won’t be able to lie down or get up while in their wheelchairs. Ensure your adult dog has sufficient nappies to help with the cleanup.

The Last Pinch

With a wheelchair, your dog is rolling into the exciting world of canine wheelchairs and heaps of joy. As an owner, you should ensure your dog is always safe and secure to avoid pinching, rubbing, or worse. Inspect your dog and their wheels daily to ensure there are no signs of canine wheelchair injuries.

Helping Your Four-Legged Friend To Age Well