German Shepherd with Degenerative Myelopathy regains his mobility with a Walkin' Wheels Wheelchair!

Klaus was diagnosed with Degenerative Myelopathy in November, 2022. Since then, DM has rapidly taken away his mobility and with it, his independence. Watch Klaus try out his new Walkin' Wheels wheelchair from HandicappedPets.com at Spring Creek Park.
It only took a few steps for Klaus to realize he'd regained mobility and freedom! After that, he was off to the races with a big smile on his face!

[@OdinAdventures]

God bless you and God bless Klaus and Axel!! Look at the fun you brought back to him by allowing him to regain his mobility! You kept on going where others would give up, because of your love to your dogs and the responsibility you showed as the perfect dog dad ! All our dogs are playing together now, waiting for us to join them some day! God bless you!

[@MorningstarLifeTX]

Thank you, sir! We really miss our Klaus and Axel! They were both the light of our lives and will be missed forever! I anxiously await the day that I can be reunited with my two best friends at the Rainbow Bridge!

[@EIRONA]

Just ordered a set of wheels for my GSD. He's willing to drag him self to greet people so I'm hoping he takes to the wheels. Great video and it aspires people to do the same.

[@MorningstarLifeTX]

Good luck to you both! I hope all goes well!

[@beatrizjaramillo637]

Que dios bendiga a estos perritos que no pueden caminar con sus cuatros patitas y que bueno que ay gente preciosa que hacen estos carritos para hacerle la vida un poco más liviana a estos angelitos de cuatro patitas y nuestros hermanitos ..y bendiga a estás personitas que cuidan y protejer y les dan amor y cariño fueran otros los dejarían abandonados como lo hacen la mayoría ..felicitaciones al dueño de este perrito un besito y que dios les mandé muuuuchas bendiciones ❤muac 💖 para los tres 🙌

[@MorningstarLifeTX]

Thank you!

[@danaraymond4022]

​@@MorningstarLifeTXl

[@ronu7313]

Beautiful you are an incredible papa

[@MorningstarLifeTX]

Thank you! I love my boys very much and would do anything for them!

[@elgato-tz1de]

I love GSD !!!thanks ❤❤❤

[@MorningstarLifeTX]

Me too! Best dogs in the world!

[@elgato-tz1de]

Beautifull ❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@MorningstarLifeTX]

Thank you!

[@Northumberlandwoodlands]

Omg this is so amazing how's he doing..our kai has lost the use of his hind legs and needs one of these... can you give me some info please.

[@MorningstarLifeTX]

Unfortunately, Klaus crossed the rainbow bridge on October 18th due to Degenerative Myelopathy. The wheelchair definitely extended his life by several months and gave him back the joys of being a dog. If you're dealing with a similar issue, I"d highly recommend getting your dog a wheelchair! This one came from HandicappedPets.com. It's easy to set up, easy for both you and the dog to use, and can fold up to take less room, so you can easily take your dog places and not have to worry about where to fit the chair. If you can, I would also highly recommend taking your dog swimming, even if it means renting out an indoor pool somewhere. It may not improve your dog's overall situation, but if he's anything like Klaus, the weightlessness of being in the water, along with the sensation of his legs moving a little again while swimming, will likely put a smile on his face and make him feel whole again, if only for a short time. I know Klaus really loved being in the water, even as we got close to the very end. Good luck to you and Kai! I hope everything works out! If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask! I'll help any way that I can.

[@Northumberlandwoodlands]

@@MorningstarLifeTX so so sorry for your loss. Its not easy we lost our other gsd, Zola , last year aged 10 due to liver problems... Still hurts.. Kai is happy in himself but just now his hind legs don't work,,it's come on so fast he was walking only 6 weeks ago,but we did see trouble coming last year when he kept stumbling.. He has lost alot of weight on his back end which has made it too weak to walk..he is a king shepherd we think so he's big....Not sure if he's got what klaus had but I know a wheelchair will help.As I said he's still a happy dog but now cannt chase his ball......

[@MorningstarLifeTX]

@@Northumberlandwoodlands Kai's symptoms sound eerily similar to Klaus'. His issues started out with a dragging right rear foot when on longer hikes, along with the noticeable weight loss around the hips. We initially thought it was related to possible arthritis as Klaus was getting up in age. Had he made it to January, 2024, he would have been 13. Klaus' stumbling started in mid November, 2022. He was diagnosed with Degenerative Myelopathy the day before Thanksgiving, 2022, then that diagnosis was fully confirmed in mid December, 2022, with a DNA test from University of Missouri. I would highly recommend getting Kai into a chair to give him back some ability to be a dog again. If he does have DM, there is some relief in knowing that he isn't in pain, but the frustration due to a lack of ability to do the things he's always done in the past can be a bit of a spirit-breaker. Allowing him to take walks in the chair will bring that spirit back. We also used a harness that had a handle over the hips and a rolled up towel under the hips and in front of the rear legs definitely came in handy on the fly! These allowed us to help Klaus move around as he needed, for things like trips outside, to and from the car, to and from various rooms around the house, etc. We also rolled out runs of carpet from Lowes over our wood and tile floors in order to provide Klaus with some texture that would aid him with traction. Hopefully, I've provided some info that will help you and Kai through this journey. We lost both of our Shepherds this year, just 3 months apart, so I know very well how tough these things are. Stay positive and just keep loving Kai everyday, as much as you can. Yes, this part of the journey will be difficult and some of it will be messy, but to be honest, I wouldn't give up one second of any of it and would gladly go back and relive another day of it with Klaus if I only could. If Kai does turn out to have DM and you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to ask.

[@Northumberlandwoodlands]

@@MorningstarLifeTX thank you so much...Best wishes

[@MaVeRiCk77]

Amazing.

[@MorningstarLifeTX]

Thank you for watching! Klaus was a trooper to the end! Eventually, his DM got to the point to where he was struggling to get up at all and was robbing him of his quality of life, so my wife and I made the toughest decision of our lives and let him cross the Rainbow Bridge on 10/18/23. Klaus will always be my hero!

[@ogimia]

I just ordered one for my girl GSD, she has DM too. I keep wondering how will she poop and pee... how does it work for you?

[@MorningstarLifeTX]

On the Walkin'Wheels wheelchair, the "saddle" consists of 2 straps that are covered in thick neoprene tubing, along with a center neoprene/velcro pad that loops the two together. The straps each form a "D" shape with their respective side rail. The neoprene pad then loops over the center of both "D"s, pulling them together in the center, then velcros together. This allows you to adjust the width and pull of the saddle to suit your pup. Once set up, the two "D"s, now joined in the middle, make a curved "X", with the neoprene pad in the middle. When you help your pup into the chair, you'll insert each leg into it's corresponding "D" on each side, with her center resting on the neoprene pad. This leaves open space at the front and back, so that the pup can go potty without having to worry about it getting on the pup or chair. This also prevents the rear legs from being strapped into anything that might be constrictive. The pup's weight is evenly distributed between the pad in the middle and across the rear legs/hips, but still allows the rear legs to move. If you watch Klaus' rear legs closely in his videos, you'll see him still trying to walk with his rear legs. They can still move, but unfortunately, they just don't go where his brain is telling them to go anymore. I really feel for you and your GSD. DM sucks! Just do your best to stay positive and keep on loving that girl. While you may not be able to have the same adventures together that you had before, the chair will still allow your girl the mobility to be able to have different adventures with you now, and that's all they want. They want to be with us, and us with them. Good luck and give your girl a hug for me! If I could save every GSD out there, trust me. I would do it in half a heartbeat!

[@ogimia]

@@MorningstarLifeTX Thank you so much! we got it and she loves it! easy to put on&off! and yes she does poop&pee with it no issues! Got her HALO too cause she is also blind. She is our sweetheart, third child! We never give up on her! she is 10.5 yrs old now! Lots love lotsa years

[@MorningstarLifeTX]

@@ogimia I apologize for the delayed response. I usually try to reply to comments as soon as they come in. I'm glad you and your pup are loving the wheelchair! I know it made a tremendous difference in Klaus' life as well as ours! I hope you have many more years to enjoy! Take care!

[@tedkay3750]

what do you have on her rear feet to keep from dragging her feet.

[@MorningstarLifeTX]

At this point, Klaus was still trying to move his rear feet, so I opted to put boots on his rear feet in order to protect them. I don't recall the brand name, but the ones I used had rubber on both the bottom and across the top of the toe ends, so when he dragged them, he wouldn't rub through the boot and into his toes. The chair did come with stirrups that attached across the rear bar that would support the rear legs and keep the feet off of the ground, but since his muscles were still trying to move the rear legs and feet some, I didn't want to discourage that in any way, so we did not use the stirrups at the time. Unfortunately, Klaus passed away on October 18th last year, but the chair did give us at least a few more good months together before his time finally came. He was my best friend. I will miss him forever.

[@tedkay3750]

@@MorningstarLifeTX i purchased the booties from amazon. it appears a little to late...my shepherd had a bad case of hip displasia had to put my beautiful 13 yr old down this morning...i'm truly heartbroken~~

[@Bacano115]

How is your dog doing? My dog has DM and is on his third stage scraping his paws on the ground.

[@MorningstarLifeTX]

Klaus is still able to get around with the help of his wheelchair. Unfortunately, we do continue to see the decline. He has lost a noticeable amount of weight in his rear legs, hips, and back. Most of the muscle in his back half has all atrophied from lack of use due to DM. He also is no longer trying to push with his back legs while in the chair. If you watch his videos closely, you can see him still moving his back legs back and forth when walking in the chair. While they weren't effective at all, you could still see that his brain was still telling the legs that they needed to move. Unfortunately, this has almost stopped now. His feet drag, without any sign of movement, over 90% of the time now. Klaus was not diagnosed with DM until he had almost completely lost the ability to walk on his hind legs. He had been dragging his rear right foot on longer walks for over a year, but our vet diagnosed this as arthritis due to his age. Klaus will be 13 in January. His DM was not diagnosed until the week before Thanksgiving, 2022, and it came on VERY quickly. He literally stopped walking and started scooting across the floor in the house over a 48 hour period. We took him to the vet the Saturday before Thanksgiving week and had him x-rayed. The vet said this looked like DM, but wanted us to see a neurologist to verify. We saw a neurologist the Wed before Thanksgiving and the diagnosis was officially made, with a DNA test pending. The DNA results came back a few weeks later, verifying that Klaus, indeed, had the DM recessive gene. The biggest advice I can offer is to keep your pup active as much as possible, but don't overdo it. Daily walks are essential in prolonging their life. If they're left to be sedentary, the muscles will deteriorate faster, shortening their life. If you can, do more than one walk per day, but make them short and natural. I'd definitely get some shoes, if you don't already have them, as the dragging will cause wounds on the feet, creating pain, and making the pup less likely to want to continue the walks. Be sure the shoes have protection on both the bottom and top as the dragging will worsen over time and will ultimately lead to abrasions on the knuckles and top of the feet. Also, if you have floors like hardwood, tile, or laminate, you may want to get some area rugs or stretches of carpet to lay out on common walkways. The smoother floors are very difficult for dogs to gain traction and will cause quite a bit of stumbling as they lose their ability to control the hind legs. The carpet will not only provide better traction, but will also give a little bit more padding for any falls, which are going to occur. When the time comes, the wheelchair will make things a little easier. Your walks can not only continue, but, once the pup gets used to the chair and realizes that they've regained some mobility, your walks will likely grow longer! It only took Klaus a few steps to realize what he'd gained in the wheelchair, and we were off and running again! His daily walks in the chair are still very much enjoyed and looked forward to, by both Klaus and I. Good luck! You and your dog are on a very difficult journey together, but if you stay positive and happy, your pup will read that from you and will continue to give it their all, leading to more enjoyable time together. If there's anything I can do to help, don't hesitate to ask. I'll offer any info I can.

[@jasoneverley8164]

@@MorningstarLifeTX yeah beginning my. Dog Rupert is getting this. Making me very sad. I'm getting the stuff for his wheelchair tomorrow and vet Monday. Glad to see your boy up and going it at least gives me some hope.

[@MorningstarLifeTX]

@@jasoneverley8164 Stay positive and stay active, my friend! That's the best advice I can give. Your positivity will help to keep your Rupert's spirits up, which will help to prolong the good days. There are going to be some tough times. There are going to be some accidents. It's inevitable, especially as their mobility decreases. Just do your best to stay happy and enjoy every day as much as you can. That's all your dog wants is to enjoy time with you. Good luck to both you and Rupert!

[@Vee_VS]

Hi, my GSD just shows the signs of DM. Can you tell me what you feed your GSD so the DM not fast progressing? And how is your GSD doing now? Appreciate your response. Thank You.

[@MorningstarLifeTX]

I feed Klaus a scrambled egg in the morning, then chicken or turkey, mixed with some steamed vegetables at night. The veggies are usually broccoli, sliced carrots, and cauliflower. I may occasionally steam some brown rice for him as well, but very little. Maybe only 1/4 cup, at most. Most of his diet is protein. Unfortunately, I don't think diet changes will help much other than to make sure your dog is not overweight. From everything I have read and from our experiences with Klaus, the best thing to do is to keep your pup happy and moving without overworking him or her. If the dog is overweight, they will have a more difficult time staying as mobile as possible, which will likely lead to DM progressing quicker. We try to get a little bit of exercise in the morning, then we go out for our daily walk in the evening, once the temp cools down. It's 100 degrees F here during the day, so it's often close to 8pm here when we do go out in the evening. We try to walk 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile every evening, with Klaus setting the pace. He likes to stop and sniff things, which is good for him, so I let him sniff wherever he chooses. I try to occasionally get him to trot a little faster for short runs, but only as much as he feels up to doing. The park we go to has water fountains in a few places, so I make sure our route passes by at least 1 fountain so he stays hydrated. I highly recommend doing a genetic test with your dog to see if they are carrying the DM gene. Your vet can do the blood test and send it off or you can order a kit online and do a mouth swab and send it off to be tested. cgd.missouri.edu/?page_id=326 There are other problems that can have similar symptoms, so if you can rule out DM, you may find that what your dog has is treatable or manageable. The gene test will show 1 of 3 possibilities: None, meaning that the gene is not present at all. This is ideal because it cannot be DM. Carrier, which means that the dog has the gene from only one of the parents. There is a lower likelihood that the dog would have symptoms from DM if they are only Carrier status, but it doesn't mean they won't have any problems. Klaus was only Carrier status and is experiencing the signs. The last status is At Risk. This means the dog has the gene from both parents. There is a high likelihood of DM symptoms in this status, but even then, it's not 100%. There are dogs that can test At Risk and never experience DM symptoms. Unfortunately, Klaus is still declining, though the decline is slow right now. With DM, it's hard to tell. I've read where some only made it a few months, with others lasting much longer. The typical statement from the vets and neurologists we've seen is that, for most dogs, the lifespan is less than a year after diagnosis. Klaus was diagnosed in November, 2022, so we're coming up on a year very quickly. Klaus has lost all usable control of his hind legs now. He's lost a significant amount of muscle mass. It's noticeable to everyone who has been around my boys. Klaus weighed over 100 lbs a few years ago and is down to just 66.5 lbs as of last week. He still eats happily and we still do our walks, but I think we're probably pretty close to the end. I've been told incontinence is an issue as DM progresses up the spine, but luckily, Klaus hasn't had too many issues with that. We keep to our routine and I think that helps him control when and how often he needs to go. It's all about quality of life. I just try to do what's best for him everyday. If you do find that your dog has DM, just make the most of every day and try to keep them happy. DM isn't painful, but your dog will likely get frustrated as they lose control of their rear legs. Just do your best to keep them moving as much as possible and spend as much time as you can with them. This keeps them happy and their spirits up, which I believe keeps them around for longer. Good luck and I hope for the best for both you and your dog! Jeff