Categories 
- Sponsor
- Searches
- Tags
Old (large) dog unable to climb staircase to our home. Suggestions?
Question by bluntgurl: Old (large) dog unable to climb staircase to our home. Suggestions?
We live in an old victorian in SF and there is a steep staircase both front and back. We have a tennant in our lower flat. 12 year old German Shepard feeling her age and I suspect arthritus. We’ve thought of slings and carrying her on our backs, but we’re getting up there too. Some kind of pully? Wheel chair folks might have some ideas. . .
Best answer:
Answer by future_man_uk
Wheel chair folks?!!! Are they related to elves or pixies?
Give your answer to this question below!
We installed carbonized (golden color) bamboo laminate in this beautiful 2-Story Victorian home. We did the staircase and the whole house (except kitchen and baths) in the laminte. The nice thing about this particular laminate is that it looks almost EXACTLY like real bamboo…but…wont scratch as easily and will be very easy to maintain.
Video Rating: 3 / 5
1845 Napoleon’S Bedchambers Palace Wurzburg Staircase
- Genuine Historic Print as History as was Recorded
- Original old antique victorian print, not a modern reproduction
- 100% Satisfaction Guarantee
- Size and details in description below, Email for any missing image or description
- Choose from the lage selection available
Full page from our copy of the Illustrated London News dated 1845, an illustrated weekly newspaper weeks date as shown on top of page, the size of each page is approximately 16 x 11 inches (410×280). All are genuine antique prints and not modern copies, the Illustrated London News is an illustrated magazine which was first printed in 1842 and is the finest pictorial example of a historic social record of British and world events up to the present day. The ILN is known for its coverage of the following subjects the wars, ships, boats, guns, sailing, portraits, fine art, old and antique prints, wood cut, wood engravings, early photographs, Victorian life, Victorian culture, kings, queens, royalty, travels, adventures, natural history, birds, fish, mammals, fishing, hunting, shooting, fox hunting, sports including tennis, cricket, football, horse racing, politics and many more items of interest founded by Herbert Ingram may 14th 1842.
Price: {price-updating}
Published in: Victorian Articles and QA
12 comments
Back to top
Recent Posts 
get an escelator fitted
http://www.accessibility4less.com/Summit_StairLift.htm?crtag=cr
Can you make some sort of a ramp for your German Shepard
stop being cruel! shoot the mutt in the head and put it out of its misery!
Yep sounds like arthritis though it may be dysplasia. Have your Vet check the hips. Often it’s a matter of pain medication for the dog. Clearly it hurts the old pup to walk up the stairs.So you may be able to treat the dog not the house. Also if the dog is overweight this can really exacerbate the problem. There is always the option of carrying the dog…I would for an old friend.
Could you make something like a cart or train and pull her up by rope try seen if you can harness her in like rock climbers
there is a chair lift for people who can’t walk stair so see if there one for dogs.
In Qld there is lifetec 1300 885 886
http://www.lifetec.org.au
they display all kinds of thing for people with a disablity and where you can buy it
Buy a dog harness and attect it to a slegde
If it too steep you might put both you and dog at risk of injury
If she too old and not enjoying life then put her down I know it hard
my old dog winky was put down a few years ago
probably is arthritis at that age. there are some great meds out there now for dogs with this problem – get it from your vet – ask for Deramaxx. it’s a once a day, liver flavored chewable tablet. put my 9 yr. old Dane on it (she was having problems just getting up and down from a laying position – creeking as she did) within just a few days she was like a spring chicken again going thru her 2nd childhood! i was totally amazed how fantastic it worked. we called them her “anti-creeky” pills that of course she only got (everyone was is young). she got very excited everyday when she got it! it definitely changed the last year of her life (Danes dont live as long as Shepards). she was really happy on them. there’s also Remidyl but that’s usually for a shorter term use but we have a client with watch-dog Rotts that uses them for the same purpose. check with you vet on both. they’re both meat flavored chewables and great for the problem you’re having. i work for a vet and never knew these meds existed before that!
On one side of the staircase build her a ramp.
I presume that, since you live in a Victorian home, there is no way to install a ramp.
I would first check with the vet and see if arthritis medication will help. I had an 11 year old Great Dane who was able to manage stairs with her daily medication. Without it, she could hardly move. Towards the end, we used to put a large towel under her chest, with each of us holding an end, and walking on either side of her. That way we could support her weight to get her up and down stairs.
But I would check into medication first.
This site may have something to help you.
http://www.handicappedpets.com/
If you haven’t already, have her examined by your vet to see if there are any pain meds or supplements that will help her.
German Shepherds are prone to hip dysplasia you should take the dog to the vet to be diagnosed and if it is dysplasia there are some pretty good meds that may help such as Rimadyl but 12 is pretty old for this breed and you may have to invest in some sort of escalator if you are not ready to have the dog put down.
Just give her extra time to get up there.The vet can give you some meds.for arthritis,maybe that can help.It’s sad that with age everyone and thing gets affected in some way or another.Can you get one of those grocery pull cart and convince her to climb in, it will be a bumpy ride,but worth a try.I just lost a 15 year old, but she was a chihuahua,I know how attached we can get.Hope I helped a little.