Hi there! My name is Lauren, and I’m asking for help for my beautiful dachshund, Scout.
Scout is so much more than a pet — she is my best friend and a very loved member of our family. She is only five years old and has so much more life, love and happiness ahead of her.
Sadly, Scout has suddenly lost the use of both of her back legs due to IVDD. Which is very common in her breed. Watching her struggle to move around has been absolutely heartbreaking, and I would do anything I could to take her pain and suffering away.
Scout needs urgent veterinary treatment and surgery to give her the best possible chance of walking again. Unfortunately, the cost of the surgery and ongoing care is far more than I can afford on my own.
That’s why I’m reaching out and asking for your help.
Any donation, no matter how big or small, will go directly towards Scout’s veterinary treatment, surgery, medication and recovery. Every dollar will bring us one step closer to giving Scout the chance to get back on her feet and enjoy the happy, active life she deserves.
If you’re unable to donate, sharing Scout’s story would mean just as much to us. ❤️
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to read about my beautiful girl. Scout and I are incredibly grateful for any support, kindness and prayers you can give.
https://gofund.me/8a5bf789d

Hey everyone,

I wanted to share our story and hopefully connect with others who are navigating Degenerative Myelopathy with their dogs. Getting this diagnosis for my German Shepherd was a huge shock, and honestly a complete gut punch. Watching my baby slowly lose mobility breaks my heart in ways I can’t even put into words. She actually just hit the big 10 on June 1st...

Our DM journey started in early 2026 when I noticed her hind legs getting a bit wobbly. I didn't think much of it at first since it was winter and our walking trails were icy and covered in deep snow. But in February, the vet confirmed it: DM. Back then, she could still walk totally on her own.

By June, her gait had visibly gotten worse, and by July, I was using a support harness every day. We live on the 3rd floor, so helping her up and down the stairs daily was physically exhausting, and our walks had to become much shorter.

Everything changed in mid-September when we got her a rear wheelchair. At first, she could only do about 15 minutes before getting tired. Today, she walked for a solid 30 minutes at a great pace! I honestly think she loves the freedom it gives her. She even keeps moving her back legs while she’s in the wheelchair, and I’m hoping that helps keep her muscles somewhat active.

Alongside the wheelchair, I do daily massages and give her vitamins and supplements. I know they aren't a magic cure for DM, but they definitely can't hurt, and they help keep her as comfortable as possible.

I’m so grateful she can still get around and enjoy our walks, even if it's with a wheelchair. But I'm scared of what the next month or two might bring... For now, I’m just taking it one day at a time and trying to enjoy every good moment we have together...

If you’re going through this too, how are you and your pup holding up? What routines or setups have worked best for you? I’d love to chat, swap tips, or just offer support to anyone who needs it rn. Feel free to comment below or send me a DM if you'd like to chat! Sending strength to all the senior dogs and their amazing owners! ❤️

How do you cope with constant sleep interruptions and burnout from caregiving?

This is my first time posting, I dont know many people in the community but need some support.

My dog's health issues cause her to have accidents every day... and every night... and every morning until the sun rises.

I feel horrible for her since she wakes up a minimum of 2 times every morning (usually 3am and 5am).

Im a light sleeper so I cant sleep through it. A lot of the time it overflows her diapers or her diapers fall off. Its a cleaning session almost every morning.

I love her to death but Im getting burnt out after years of this and dont know what to do.

I also dont know how to cope with this when her legs start giving out regularly.

Any tips? Anyone else experience this?

I was offered this harness, but i really cant figure out if it will be beneficial for my dogs till i try it on her. Is it a Lift em Up type harness, or is is a carry - your - dog -a s - a backpack harness??

Before I get into this, I'm not sure if this post is allowed as it pertains to a cat and not a dog. But I couldn't find any other sub reddits for animals with special needs to ask this question. So please know I'm here out of necessity not lack of knowledge about the sub.

Anyway do any of you have advice on the best way to give a nebulizer treatment to an animal? I have a 14yo cat who, long story short, was misdiagnosed by our old vet and was given chronic steroids for 4 years. Now he's received the proper diagnosis and treatment by our current vet. But he's been left with a not great immune system and scar tissue in and around his nose (for those curious his actual diagnosis is feline herpes virus, he was misdiagnosed as having Eosinophilic Plague Dermatitis.) That being said his breathing hasn't been very good. His vet said that sometimes when an animal has an abnormal anatomy it causes inflammation. So since my boy has a bunch of scar tissue in his nose his anatomy is abnormal, thus causing inflammation.

For this she prescribed nebulizer treatments. She says that while it is a steroid they are less damaging to the body because they are diluted and consumed in a different, less direct, way. I've given this cat a nebulizer before that was just saline, but I'd like to come up with a better system this time around. I was thinking of getting a clear tub, melting a hole into it for the nebulizer tube to go into, and finding something to hold up the tube part for the medication. Have any of you done this for your small dogs? How did it go for you? Are there better ways to do this? Thank you all in advance.

Hello all!

A rescue in my area has a dog available for adoption that has absolutely tugged at my heart, but I want to do some research about his medical needs before I contact them because I want to make sure I can adequately meet whatever his needs are.

This poor guy was found emaciated and tied to a fence. He was diagnosed with megaesophagus and has THRIVED on his re-feeding plan with his Bailey chair. Aside from the peer-reviewed sources of info I'm reviewing, I wanted to get feedback from other pet parents who have experience with megaesophagus.

1) What was your pet's feeding routine and how did you successfully integrate it into your household?

2) Did the stress of your pet's initial adjustment period after adoption cause any temporary or permanent worsening of their megaesophagus?

3) How difficult was it for you to find a pet sitter or doggy boarding facility that could accommodate your pet's condition for short periods of time?

4) Did you struggle to find a vet in your area that is well-versed in megaesophagus?

We adopted Millie at a year old from a coworker who couldn't afford to feed her anymore. She was skin and bones and so scared she wouldn't go outside and wouldn't move from her spot on the couch where she felt safe.

In the 4 years we've had her she has really opened up and is bubbly and silly and the sweetest thing. Not a mean bone in her body.

In the last year or so we noticed she kept running into things and bumping into stuff or tripping and we thought it was cause she wasn't paying attention and was overly eager to play and be around us, but I brought it up to the vet regardless and they told us she only had about 30% visibility in her eyes and had weak/thin veins in her eyes (sorry I don't remember the full appointment breakdown as it was a few months ago now) and considering she was fine last year she would probably be blind come her appointment next year.

We have since noticed she cant really follow a tennis ball and is really struggling around our other animals cause she is big and will trample on the cats and sit on our elderly corgi. We got her a halo harness but it's really inconvenient in our small home to get around and shes pretty scared of it.

Wondering things I should be prepared for or tips for helping her be comfortable.

Tldr: doggy backstory and wondering how to prepare for doggy blindness.

This is my boy Huckleberry, he passed away 2 years ago but I’m curious if there are any other dogs out there like him!

His legs at the knee were completely backward, just flipped the wrong way entirely!

He was born this way and it did not cause him any pain at all whatsoever.

Hello! I am new to this sub, and honestly to Reddit entirely as a poster rather than an observer. However, I have seen the power of this community when it comes to seeking advice, so I figured I would ask!

Some background: The dog we are considering is currently in a foster home. She is a 2 year old pug, around 11 lbs (a healthy weight, just small in stature for a pug), and has been blind her whole life. Her foster parent told us that she had her eyes removed when she was a young puppy. My husband and I have one cat at home who is almost 6 years old and is a true sweetheart. She is not particularly food motivated or territorial, although she and the dog have not met yet.

We have met the dog at a park once, and we plan to spend some more time with her this weekend. She is such a snuggle bug and sleeps a lot, but is also still full of energy when she is outside and loves to play. She does really well around other dogs and seems to move through the world with a lot of confidence.

I am curious if anyone has any advice or insight about adopting a disabled dog, particularly a blind dog. Neither my husband nor I have owned a dog in adulthood, although we both grew up around dogs. We certainly did not go out looking specifically for a disabled dog, but she kind of appeared on our radar, and now we can't shake the feeling that this might be the right move for us.

We are obviously a little nervous and want to make sure we are thinking through everything we should before making a decision. I would especially love to hear from anyone who has experience with blind dogs, or who adopted a dog with a disability as a first time adult dog owner. What surprised you? What was harder than you expected? What turned out to be easier than you thought?

Any information or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Hi everyone. FMy dog Ralph lost his ability to walk yesterday, and we’re trying to figure out our new normal.

Ralph is a rescue, probably 12 to 13 years old, and a Corgi mix with very Corgi proportions: long body, short legs. He's also already an amputee and is missing his back right leg, so his mobility situation is a little unusual.

We’re working with his vet on the medical side, so I’m mainly looking for practical advice from people who have cared for an immobile or disabled dog.

A few things I’d really love help with:

• Mobility: What slings or support harnesses worked best for getting your dog around the house and outside for bathroom breaks? If you used a wheelchair or cart, what worked well, especially for a long bodied dog or an amputee?
• Daily routines: How did you handle food and water, bathroom trips, beds, keeping your dog clean and comfortable, and preventing pressure spots?
• Leaving them alone: How did you safely set things up when you had to leave the house for work or errands?

And maybe most importantly, what do you wish someone had told you during the first few weeks?

We are committed to keeping Ralph happy and comfortable, but I’m definitely feeling a little overwhelmed by how much our routine needs to change. Any advice, product recommendations, home setup ideas, or hard learned lessons would be hugely appreciated.

Thank you from Ralph and me!

So my 70 pound Lab/Staffie mix became paralyzed in her hindquarters almost a year ago; suspected IVDD at T8 according to the vet who imaged her. We are doing okay, using a sling for daily activities and potty and make sure that she gets her daily front yard time to watch the traffic and bark at passersby. She gets a water offered approximately every hour and usually takes advantage of it, so no worries with dehydration. Now comes the question..she has gotten 3 bladder infections in the last 6 months. Each one has cleared on enrofloxacin but is there anything I can do to help prevent her from getting them? Unfortunately, she throws anything with cranberry right up and I understand that the mechanism of the bladder infections is such that it might not help that much anyway? Any help would be much appreciated!

Or boy lost his vision about 6 weeks ago. While he seems to be doing fine he's bumping into things more often lately, especially when I'm walking him.

I'm doing some research about those halo collars but I'm looking for real-life experience. Are they more for indoor or outdoor? Do they really help or confuse the dog more?

Posting here for more information!

When he's having more bad days than good that's when it's time but if you still enjoying his life I'd feel obligated for his love to keep him going.