I need some good advice (about dogs).

[Raven]

I have a 13 year old black lab/collie mix by the name of Gypsy. She is a wonderful dog, the love of my life (after Will, of course!). According to the Vet, she has the worst pair of hips he has ever seen. She is on Remydyl for that. She does quite well for herself because she has developed tremendously strong front legs to compensate for the back legs. I am on one level here so she does not have stairs to contend with.

Lately, I cannot get her in the car. I have a dog ramp which she hates or is afraid of and last week I built a platform which is about 8 inches tall, 2 feet by 6 feet, carpeted, hoping that she would use that as a jumping off point. No luck with that either.

I have got to figure out a way of getting her in the car. Any ideas? (By the way, she has always loved to ride in the car, so I don't think that's the problem.) Thanks everybody! :-)

[TEXASYANKEE]

1. Towel

Use a towel as a sling under her hind parts. She puts her front paws on the car seat, you lift up the towel sling ... waalaa, she's in the car. (Watch Animal Planet's Animal Cops or Animal Precinct, and you'll see several ways to get dogs into a car.)

[Hawkeye-X]

2. Pick her up and carry her.

Is that so hard for you? Plus you get the extra doggie kisses for being so KIND to her? :) My doggie is only 7 pounds and a very energetic 7 pounder...

Hawkeye-X

[Robb]

3. I'm sure you tried treats already...

...As in, big yummy snack thingy inside the car?

[Richardo]

4. I've got a 13-year-old, large dog, too. On Rimadyl...

And so far, all I've come up with is the brute strength solution:

Maxfield weighs in at ~110# and when he goes to the vet I have to put his front paws on the back seat and lift his hindquarters with a sling fashioned from a towel around his midsection. He kind of "walks in" on his front paws as I levitate the rest of him in.

When it's time to get out he starts to get out of the car on his own and I lift his hips to ground level for him.

Upper body workout? You bet!

Doesn't hurt him, either.

[roguevalley]

5. have a small step you can keep in the car and have him

use it. Use a lead to get them to go up it until they get used to it.
Your dog is a honey. Kisses to it.

[MuseRider]

6. Raven

Gosh you have had a hard time with dogs lately. I am sorry. We always have 3 dogs and up until our latest rescue they have all been BIG dogs. All have died of old age so we have dealt with this hip thing a lot. The towel works very well if you can get her front legs in the car. It is much more difficult to get them out. Maybe if you put the ramp up somewhere else, like by your bed and practice with the towel getting her to negotiate that with help and she maybe wouldn't be so frightened. The towel works great when she gets a little older and has trouble getting up or walking. I rehabed our old Lab by getting her up with it and out the door, down the steps and just supported her back while she did her potty. I am small but this did not stress me or her. Good luck. ((((HUGS))))

[Raven]

7. I just knew it!

You folks are so great! I knew if I asked, I would get some help! It's the towel tomorrow. She's about 100 pounds so I can't possibly lift her but I will practice with the towel and the ramp. There is hope. I knew you guys here would know. Thank you, thank you! What did I do before DU!

[MuseRider]

8. There is much hope!

You love Gypsy and she loves you and the two of you will work this out. This will give you more time with her as she will not have to depend only on her hips. Please give her a big scratch for me. Love the doggies!

[geniph]

9. Does she have dysplasia?

Is Femoral Head Ostectomy (removal of the ball of the hip joint) an option? One of our cats suffers from Legg-Calve-Perthes (a degenerative condition of the hip joint), and FHO completely removed his pain and lameness. The speed at which he recovered mobility was nothing short of astonishing.