Help me up Harness

B

Bailey's Mom

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We took Katy to PT because at 14 her back legs are giving out on her and the Vet suggested PT could help strengthen the legs and give her more confidence and reduce the fear she has over her legs giving out.

Along with a schedule of PT exercises the Vet suggested this harness and let us try one she had to show patients how it works.

I had looked at assisted harness online before we decided to see a PT Vet but I had no idea if she'd wear one or if she'd allow us to help her once it was on. I also had no idea what would be a good fit for her and our local stores don't carry anything like this to try on to see how it would fit. I know you can send stuff back but I hate doing it.

Surprisingly she likes it and it has been a huge help for my back and body trying to help her off the floor when she turtles and up and down stairs and the ramp.

I've never reached this stage with a dog before so it is new territory. I am hopeful Annie will be with us at this age and with the PT training may even be healthier.

Oddly we found the training cones the Vet wanted us to get at Wayfair. I never have thought to look there for agility cones. We just needed something simple for Katy to walk over and these have the cones with a rod that goes through them. Chewy was out of stock and Amazon was a bit pricey for something we wanted for rehab.

What has been fun to watch is Annie our 8 year old working on the exercises with Katy to get the treat rewards. The training is good for her but even at 14 Katy is still competitive. The two of them are hilarious to watch. Katy tried blocking Annie by straddling the pole on the cones and Annie head butted her pushing her across the cone.
 
OK, competition on the PT exercises gave me a good laugh! Gotta love our Shelties. Someone else here had this kind of harness - maybe Chris? It sounds super helpful. My friend's 13 year old retired agility Sheltie has been having PT and it has helped her mobility a lot. I hope Katy gets some improvement as well.
 
I believe Cindy uses a similar one and yes I believe Chris used one as well. I also have one I used with Riley and it helped immensely with my back! Good to hear that Katy is still competitive at 14! Guess they never really stop wanting treats lol!
If anyone needs a harness like this I’d be willing to give it away if it would help another Sheltie owner (fits a bigger Sheltie).
 
To elaborate. I think Gavin does not like it. He will walk for me in the harness but (I hold the handle, and if I walk quickly he will walk for me enough to get to the grass potty area) but if I add the rear component, he gets difficult. I don't know if it is harder to walk with it or if he just doesn't like it.
 
Cindy said:
To elaborate. I think Gavin does not like it. He will walk for me in the harness but (I hold the handle, and if I walk quickly he will walk for me enough to get to the grass potty area) but if I add the rear component, he gets difficult. I don't know if it is harder to walk with it or if he just doesn't like it.
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Probably just doesn’t like it lol. I remember Riley didn’t ‘like’ the back portion of the harness either. Perhaps it just rubs him the wrong way around the hind legs or he just doesn’t enjoy the way it feels. Sheltie’s can be fickle if they don’t like something!
 
I was surprised Katy would wear it and let us use it to be honest. That's why I was so glad that they had one at PT because we could try it on and see that she was willing to accept it. I really didn't want to buy one blind and hope she'd accept it. She has never been thrilled with change and that is not getting better with age.

Another surprise for me is she is actually OK with us using the rear and front holds to help her up and hold her steady until she gets her balance when she can't get up on her on. This isn't an every time thing yet. As a matter of fact since she's started wearing her harness she's actually shown more willingness to try getting up and then wait for help where before she'd make one panicked attempt and then fight you trying to help her up. It seems to have decreased her anxiety a bit about how she will get up.

I find its easier to get her to her feet and help hold her rear legs in place until she feels more confident of her balance and then she's off. She thankfully doesn't need help walking yet unless it has to do with stairs or going up the ramp. She prefers going down the ramp on her own.
 
for some reason, Gavin is OK with me holding his tail as we 'walk'. It is to help him balance on his good leg, so it's not like I'm using it to suspend his rear, but it is surprising nonetheless. Used to just be when he was pooping, to prevent him from twisting himself and falling. the walking bit is more intensive, but only for maybe a minute. that's preferable to the rear harness, go figure.
 
Gavin uses inflatable discs. I'll put his front legs on it to destabilize him. Years ago he could do the BOSU, now it is a small one that is maybe 2 inches tall. he doesn't last long, and we are doing easier exercises mostly cause I get discouraged (and I sure he does too) when he falls so much
 
One thing I have noticed. Using the harness is hard work for Gavin. He is panting pretty hard after a short walk. He needs to rest for a few minutes before he can do his business or make the return trip. The wheelchair isn't nearly as taxing. it's all weather dependent, obviously. a hot day is tough either way, but still even more hard on him with the harness. We avoid afternoons as much as possible
 
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