April 16, 2025 • 37 mins
When your dog’s mobility begins to decline, it can bring up worry, sadness, and a whole lot of questions. In this episode of Peace of Mind for Pet Parents, Gail Pope and Karen Wylie offer real-life tips to help you navigate this challenging stage of your pet’s journey.
Gail shares what she learned from supporting over 700 animals at BrightHaven Sanctuary, including how mobility challenges like arthritis, hip dysplasia, strokes, and obesity can be addressed through thoughtful changes and emotional presence. You’ll hear about ramps, wheelchairs, supportive bedding, and when to consider therapies like laser, acupuncture, or CBD.
You’re not alone. Let’s walk this path together—with love, empathy, and a whole lot of paw-sitive solutions.
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Learn More from BrightHaven Caregiver Academy For free resources, upcoming workshops, and a supportive community dedicated to navigating life with your aging or ill pet:
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Disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes and not a substitute for professional advice.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
Welcome to Peace of Mind for Pet Parents, the podcast by BrightHaven Caregiver Academy.
I'm Gail Pope.
And I'm Karen Wylie.
And together we're here to support you in navigating life with your aging or ill pets.
I. We know how deeply you care for your beloved companions, and we're here to offer guidance, understanding, and resources for this meaningful journey.
(00:25):
Each episode we'll explore topics that address the daily challenges, emotional realities, and choices you face as a pet parent helping you and your pets find peace, comfort, and joy.
Whether it's making sense of a new diagnosis, adjusting to changing needs, or simply seeking a place to feel understood, you're not alone.
(00:48):
Thank you for being here with us.
Karen Wylie (00:51):
Hello and welcome to another episode of Peace of Mind for Pet Parents.
I'm Karen Wylie.
Here today with my friend and partner, Gail Pope.
And we're going to be taking a look today at Mobility Issues in Dogs.
I'm sure some of the things that we'll talk about may also be relevant for cats, but our plan is to have another episode where we focus on cats very specifically.
(01:16):
In starting out the conversation, Gail, I guess there could be a few people who are listening or watching who don't know about your background with BrightHaven and the fact that you supported over 700 animals over 30 years time.
So your experience and your knowledge about this topic is a whole lot more than someone who's just had one or two experiences with their dogs.
(01:44):
Your perspective I think is very unusual, and I'm really glad we're going to take a look at this topic because I think what you know about this area and how it affects our beloved fore footers is pretty extraordinary.
In starting out, what are some of the situations where a lack of mobility becomes an issue?
(02:09):
Are there certain diseases where you're anticipating that it could become a factor?
Gail Pope (02:15):
Before, that's a good question.
Before I answer it though, you just brought up something— about the years and the experience and the knowledge and so forth.
I don't think I've ever
looked back and realized what I'd learned because, with the subject of mobility, it didn't occur to me as something that I needed to think about in everyday life because it was all about this dog, that dog, what their needs were.
(02:45):
It didn't define itself in my mind as, "Ooh, I need to think about how I can help his mobility." So I've never had knowledge under that heading, if that makes any sense.
Karen Wylie (02:55):
I remember that because, at times over the last year as we've been preparing.
Launching this podcast and some of the other courses and things that we're doing, we had this as a topic.
In my mind's eye, this is one of your sweet spots because you learned so much from each animal and then when another one would present with similar symptoms— you had all this experience to draw on, to take care of the one in front of you.
(03:24):
I know that's one of the things that's always so wonderful about how you approach things is that you stay very much in the now and what do they need today?
I think a lot of our listeners or anyone viewing us on YouTube might be interested in this conversation because their animal, their dog is just starting to show changes in their gait or something.
Gail Pope (03:46):
Mobility issues can be in the young, the middle aged, the aging, especially at end of life— large dogs, small dogs, middle-sized dogs.
And again, different diseases, accident, injury— that comes to mind too.
A big one, I think these days, I see it a lot in all size dogs.
(04:08):
I was going to say large dogs, but thinking about it, I see it in small ones too and that's obesity.
'cause it can become very difficult, particularly for a middle to large sized dog who has become so tubby it affects their gait.
And then as they start to age and they lose energy, or even when they're not aging, but as their energy decreases, they can't walk.
(04:35):
So I think that is a big one.
In modern times, arthritis — there are so many different kinds of joints and hip dysplasia and all of those kinds of things.
What else?
Neurological issues— that's a big one.
Anything like vestibular issues that affects balance.
(04:58):
Now you have a very difficult mobility thing 'cause it might come and go a little bit and you're on call all the time when you've got a dog who's stumbling, falling, and then they're okay for a while.
And then, I guess that brings the idea of seizures.
In my experience, seizures affect mobility but in that moment because generally I think they recover a lot faster anyway afterwards.
(05:21):
So, not too long.
What other types of illnesses have you seen?
I'm thinking about anything else.
Karen Wylie (05:31):
I've seen it with a stroke.
That's neurological as well.
It's not necessarily a gradual thing that you pick up on gradually, but rather an event that's a kind of a shock to your system that, "Oh gosh, got to do something about this."
Gail Pope (05:44):
Yes, I think there probably, I don't think I've associated this causing it before.
It's the mobility is it?
And that's what I'm addressing.
But Yes, as I reflect, there are so many different situations where mobility can be affected and
(06:05):
there are lots of different ways to deal with it.
It can be quite heartbreaking and it can also be exhilarating.
Like for instance, the day you get a wheelchair for a dog, whatever the size of the dog, and you pop them in the wheelchair and they stand there.
Then, you show them what happens and all of a sudden they're racing around the room.
(06:26):
They're just so excited.
I mean I love wheelchairs because in the first days that we had wheelchairs, we worked with a wonderful gentleman who built his own wheelchairs.
It is a business now.
It has grown and become very clear, but you can pretty much have two wheels, four wheels, whatever your animal needs, you can have it made especially for that.
(06:52):
So, I think they're amazing except for cats necessarily.
We'll talk about that another time.
In my experience, dogs are made for wheelchairs.
Cats not so much.
Karen Wylie (07:04):
Not so much.
As I mentioned to you, my experience is generally with the larger breeds of dogs, especially golden retrievers.
Every single one of them.
Generally I would be adopting them through the Golden Rescue that I worked with, that I volunteered with.
I'd get them middle aged or maybe I think eight was the oldest that I got one.
(07:26):
But every single one of them, it would start with the arthritis and the hip dysplasia, and needing to be really cautious about their weight, just like you're saying.
Gail Pope (07:37):
Yes.
Karen Wylie (07:38):
And I have never seen a large breed dog with a cart.
I've seen a lot of them in a wagon that you can pull where they're still enjoying their lives when you're taking them on a walk with you.
But I've never seen a large breed dog with a cart and it could be the whole body weight like you were talking about earlier.
(08:01):
Making sure that if they were obese, trying to get them down to a fighting weight that was a good weight for their frame.
So that there's less pressure on the joints.
My experience with the goldens, every single one of them as they got older, had the arthritis and mobility challenges.
Just thinking about our pet parents out there who might be listening to us, what are some of the earliest signs that they could look for?
(08:29):
That they could watch for?
That their dog's mobility might be changing?
Something that's like not an accident and not an event, what are some of the ways they show it's gradually happening?
Gail Pope (08:41):
I think grumpiness, a little bit of a change of character sometimes.
You don't necessarily see something, I think it manifests that way in humans too.
In fact, mobility in humans and dogs, I think you can draw a lot of parallels.
I think in dogs, it's the gait very often.
(09:01):
Sometimes as you're walking, they're walking fine, but you'll notice they drag a paw and you can hear the nail on the ground.
Stumbling, limping, listing to one side or the other.
Just little things that you notice.
"Oh, did he trip then?" Oh, and you don't think about it.
But then you start to realize, "Hold on, now he's walking a little strange." The antenna goes up as you see those things.
(09:25):
Something else, when you see your dog spreading his paws to bend down to get a drink of water.
That's something that I always noticed.
Actually, even in cats too.
If their joints become stiff and the water bowl's on the floor, it's a bending.
They don't have the ability to bend.
So, how high do you need to bring it?
Just a little bit.
A little bit higher.
I know even now, I only have little dogs but I have one water bowl that is low to the ground— it's a few inches.
(09:54):
But a wonderful gadget that I can turn either way.
Then we have a bigger water bowl that is up higher in one room so they can choose.
I think that's something that we don't all notice instantly.
It's certainly something to watch.
Incontinence could be something and it isn't really incontinence but they need to go out to the bathroom but they don't quite make it.
(10:18):
I think that can often be mobility too, didn't get there in time.
That's another human failing, isn't it?
Karen Wylie (10:25):
I guess any aches and pains could be a reason too.
Where it's just more difficult to get out the door and up and down the stairs.
And that could affect bathroom habits as well.
I think a lot of what you were just describing in terms of dragging the nails or the toes are not the way they should be but instead they're buckling a little bit.
That can be either in the front legs or the hind legs.
(10:47):
I think that's important too, 'cause so often that the focus is on the hind quarters with the hip dysplasia and so forth.
But the upper body can also pose real mobility issues just like you're talking about in terms of their ability to bend down for food or water.
The shoulders, the neck— just arthritis happening in other places and not just the hips and the hind quarters.
(11:10):
I always had assumed it was the hind quarters until I started seeing differently.
Realizing it was a four limb issue.
I think what you're describing is really helpful.
So, how can these mobility challenges affect a dog's daily life?
Which of course then also affects the pet parent, the caregiver?
Gail Pope (11:32):
How can it affect their daily life?
Pretty much in everything— in eating, drinking, in just getting around the house, getting up and down steps, in their beds.
I have this vision of a little old lady and a little old dog and they're both experiencing all the same difficulties.
(11:52):
They really are.
I have a little old man at the moment, Andy, and he falls over.
He often falls over poor little devil and it doesn't seem to bother him.
He's very anxious and restless.
He's a sweet person.
He doesn't want help.
And I try to help him all the time with everything that I have to do and he's, " No, I can do this.
(12:13):
Oops.
I nearly fell over." The same with a human, sometimes the animal needs help.
So I think we have to be careful not to help when we are not needed.
That's great but for the most part, I think dogs really appreciate all you can do.
Especially, the beds and bedding obviously.
Generally it's a matter of bringing them down lower or for a big dog, it may be actually having it up higher.
(12:41):
Oh my gosh, years ago we had the most wonderful Doberman.
He was very old and he was very stiff.
He used to walk alongside our couch, look around, "Is this okay?" and then he'd just lean and that put him on the couch but he couldn't climb onto it.
He just lay and slid himself sideways.
I think you have to be aware of how tall they are, how small they are, what their favorite type of bed is and where you could put it so that they can just ease themselves into it and be comfortable.
Karen Wylie (13:12):
You've already started describing some of the things I was going to ask you about.
In terms of the practical solutions, the changes day to day, what are some of the simple changes that a pet parent could make around the house when they start seeing some mobility issues where they're beginning to understand that there are some changes happening for their dog?
Gail Pope (13:34):
I think ramps definitely come to mind.
Particularly if you've got, you open your back door to the garden and there's a step and it becomes difficult to go down.
Sometimes they bump their chin because they trip on the way down.
But if you can put in a ramp, then that really soothes that.
And again, if you've got a dog in a wheelchair, you're going to need ramps because there's going to be places they can't navigate.
(13:58):
A big one for me is Bed Steps.
Karen Wylie (14:01):
Okay.
Gail Pope (14:02):
Some dogs can manage them easily and some can't.
A bigger dog might want something with bigger steps that are only two.
So they can get onto this one, they can get onto that and then they can go to the bed.
Whereas smaller dogs want something that is a little more easy for them with more steps.
Karen Wylie (14:21):
Yes, as you mentioned that I thought of what I had for my cats.
They were several little steps but high too.
I can't imagine a medium or large breed dog, large size dog being comfortable with that at all.
It would have to be made very differently.
Gail Pope (14:38):
And again, I think all of these practical things are available easily online.
Karen Wylie (14:46):
Isn't that amazing?
I'm sure you have felt that way over the last few years.
It used to be finding a supplier of a cart or a sling or anything.
You would source these things out and then save those phone numbers or in the early years of the internet, save that URL.
(15:07):
Now it's like you can go on Amazon or other websites.
You can say you're looking for a sling for a small size dog or you can be very specific and you have so many options.
Really, it speaks to the need.
There are people out there looking to buy these supports for their animals so that they can continue to enjoy their lives as they age.
(15:29):
As you were talking about what to do for bedtime and going out in the yard, I think one thing I always suggest is that people literally get out a piece of paper and map out their house.
Map out if it's a multiple story house, do a separate one for each floor of the house and just really look at where there's any kind of step, where there's any kind of incline.
(15:53):
Just anticipate it, even if it's just starting.
"They know the back stairs are six stairs. I may not need a full ramp this week." Just start understanding that their babies may not be able to easily navigate the yard in the house like they used to.
Gail Pope (16:10):
Yes, I think it's watching your dog and seeing— getting a sense of where they go.
As things start to become difficult, you can get ahead of it.
So that when they do reach a point where they can't just jump to the bed, you've already made an adjustment to help.
You mentioned something a minute ago that I think is really important and that's slings.
(16:31):
Because I think the very first time I ever used one, I did so without thinking of it as a sling.
It was like, "He can't get himself up to go." This was a dog who had no issues with mobility, except he struggled to get his back end up.
Once he was up, he was walking.
And so I think it may have been a volunteer said to me, "Maybe if you use a towel or something like that and just hold him. You don't have to go out and buy something and you can walk with him and help him." So I think people don't necessarily think about all the ingenious things that you can work around that we can do without spending a fortune on the internet.
(17:09):
I think slings, particularly for big dogs as they begin to have problems that aren't really big problems other than it "Ooh, it hurts".
If you can be there, then you can help them.
And obviously, that becomes a bigger problem as time goes on.
Karen Wylie (17:27):
Yes, absolutely.
As you're describing that, thinking back to my goldens, I had five of them over the years that getting up, that obvious discomfort where they don't get up as quickly or as smoothly would be one of the first things.
I did use the nice bath sized towel to help them.
(17:47):
And it was amazing how much it would help for a very long time.
Gail Pope (17:51):
And the other part of that I discovered was a harness.
Once you've got the towel part done, however, now they're stumbling at the front end.
If you've got the sling and the harness, you can buy I think online like a harness for the rear end and they joined so that you can actually hold the front and the back so they can still walk.
(18:14):
You are supporting them.
Oh, that's wonderful.
That's wonderful.
Karen Wylie (18:19):
Yes, I wasn't aware of that.
That's a great idea.
Gail Pope (18:22):
The dogs that are even more totally immobilized I've never had one, but I have seen them advertised.
You can actually buy a lift like an electronic.
It sits over the bed and you press the button and it will lift them up.
Karen Wylie (18:35):
Oh my gosh.
Seriously, what a wonderful thing.
Wow.
I'm thinking of 120 pound goldens and all the other very large sized dogs that weigh a lot more than that.
That's really something.
Wow.
So you've mentioned raised bowls, the ramps, special beds, the harness, now the slings.
(18:57):
Are there any other really essential or helpful items that you feel make an immediate difference?
Do you feel like we've covered most of them?
Gail Pope (19:05):
I think maybe beds and bedding.
They don't come into it in the early stages, but I think as mobility decreases, it may be that incontinence creeps in a little bit or it doesn't.
They're not moving so fast and everything starts to loosen a little in the body.
I found that, again, if you've got a large, heavy dog lying in bed and he really doesn't want to get up and you need to change his bed.
(19:31):
It doesn't necessarily be incontinence.
It could have been dribbling and the bed sheets need changing.
So over the years, we started off by putting an incontinence sheet under a blanket.
Then we would add another incontinence sheet with another blanket underneath because it was easier to roll him over.
Rolled him back and he doesn't have to get up again.
(19:54):
Once you do have a dog who is maybe bedbound, it makes a huge difference.
You can actually layer under the backend and you can also layer under the front end so that you've got less huge blankets and things to wash.
That's really helpful.
Karen Wylie (20:13):
In areas that are still dry.
Gail Pope (20:15):
Yes, exactly.
Karen Wylie (20:16):
That you can move them too.
As you're describing this, I'm thinking about your Rosie a couple summers ago because I remember you describing how she basically would be mortified if she had an accident in her bed and how she was holding.
Then you struggling to get her outside yourself.
(20:37):
But I remember you describing the different kinds of bedding that you were setting up just in case she would let it go.
That's something from their perspective, how do they feel about it when we raised them, especially, I have often raised puppies and you spend so much time training them about house training, where to go potty and where not to.
(20:59):
Then as they age you're preparing for them to maybe have accidents and that's okay.
And yet in their point of view, it's not okay.
Just like that.
That's why I thought of Rosie.
Gail Pope (21:09):
Yes, Rosie used to wake me up.
Literally, she had her bed to the side of my bed and as mothers do, I would awake very often and look at her and she'd be up on her front end a little bit looking at me like,
"I need to go. I need to go." And I learned that I had to move really fast and eventually I got all the things that I needed close by my bed or close by between our beds.
(21:37):
So that when she started waking up in the morning, I was out of bed in a flash and I knew she wore her harness overnight because I wouldn't have had time to put it on.
Her towel was right there and I just had to get her up and stumble out in my night dress or pajamas in the cold or whatever it was because I didn't have time to do anything except literally get her up and out.
(22:02):
That's being a mother, isn't it?
Karen Wylie (22:03):
It is.
You do what you need to do and obviously, she knew exactly what look to have on her face to say, "Mommy, please."
Gail Pope (22:12):
Yes.
She was amazing.
She was able to hold herself for a very long time until she really did become bedbound.
And even then, I would get that look and it would be like, "You need to change my bed. Oh God, this is awful."
Karen Wylie (22:25):
Yes.
'cause I remember you describing that.
That's why I had to bring her up.
I thought that certainly, I remembered that story.
I was going to ask you if there were any stories you wanted to share about any particular dog where making just even one or two small changes made a real difference for them in their day-to-day life?
Here as you're describing what you were doing for Rosie along the way.
(22:47):
That meant a lot to her because she didn't want to have an accident.
That was something she was appalled by, if she did.
So you coming up with your layering method of the beding certainly helped for her.
Gail Pope (22:58):
Yes.
I don't know.
God, there must be hundreds of stories.
I am in my mind, I'm picturing little old chihuahuas racing up and down ramps indoors in their wheelchairs.
Karen Wylie (23:13):
We should mention for everyone that if they want to see any of these dogs racing around in their little carts the BrightHaven YouTube channel has just a few of those wonderful videos.
That people could watch and take a look at.
Gail Pope (23:27):
I think another thing that I mean it goes to incontinence but it is a practicality and it does tie in with mobility is, again, my two little old men that I've got here, 16 year olds never, ever had any potty training.
And they're both deaf and blind.
It's a problem that I haven't really quite figured out properly yet.
(23:49):
We seem to have got it fairly well done, but I think it really helps people to realize that, particularly for a male dog or a female dog, to just buy a belly band with a disposable diaper in it— saves worry.
Does he need to go out?
If you've got it protected, particularly if you've got carpeting.
(24:11):
It can be a real lifesaver.
They do the most amazing jeans and suspenders because theirs would just slide off the back.
So they both wear suspenders, they look very gentlemanly.
But I really think they're great and the pants for the girls.
And I think in all honesty, I think animals appreciate it because if they wet themselves may have happened in their bed as well.
(24:35):
Now that bed has to go and get washed.
So that brings you to a point of maybe if you don't use belly bands or pants, maybe a little layering in the bed, right?
Or the type of bed that you are not going to be able to put in the washing machine, or it's, it's really big.
You want to put an incontinence pad in it anyway, for a dog who doesn't really have a lot of problems, and then another blanket over the top so you can wash that blanket and replace that without having to worry about the whole bed.
Karen Wylie (25:07):
Gee, you sound like someone who's had a little bit of experience with these things.
Gail Pope (25:13):
Yes.
Laundry became a specialty.
Karen Wylie (25:16):
I'm afraid to ask how many loads a day you were doing at the sanctuary?
Gail Pope (25:21):
It varied a lot, at least somewhere between up to four to six at least.
Karen Wylie (25:26):
Oh my goodness.
Gail Pope (25:28):
It was always the first thing in the morning and again, it comes down to practicalities for mobility.
And this kind of goes to cats and dogs.
You think of litter boxes for cats, right?
But dogs who struggle with mobility, who may need help sometimes we developed a towel toilet.
It started off for cats but it extended to dogs because they got used to the fact that if they couldn't climb into the litter box, even if it had a very low side.
(25:55):
Some of them, I guess didn't even like litter but we found if we put an incontinence pad with a towel on it, they would use the towel.
We found some of the smaller dogs, I don't think the bigger ones ever did, but some of the smaller dogs, as they got older, they would squat down on the towel too.
Okay, so taking me to the laundry room, there were always the towel loads that went in once or twice a day too.
Karen Wylie (26:20):
Hygiene is important as is caring for your home and how the pet feels.
Like we're talking about Rosie earlier, where she would be mortified if she had an accident.
Let's talk a little bit about some of the alternative treatments that are available that might reduce pain, might increase mobility for dogs.
Gail Pope (26:45):
Okay.
Obviously you've got your conventional ideas first and your vet to help prescribe for pain and the frustrations of immobility.
But then we've also got cannabis products, which I found really helpful.
Especially laser therapy, we do a lot of laser work here now with these dogs and they enjoy it.
Karen Wylie (27:09):
Yes.
That's what I was thinking of Ollie and Andy.
Gail Pope (27:12):
And acupuncture.
What else?
I know Carol, who works for BrightHaven, she became very involved at one time and learned a lot about water therapy which can be so helpful.
I love looking at some of the videos of the bigger dogs paddling and it's really good.
(27:32):
What else do we have?
They're doing a lot more work, I think these days with stem cell therapy too.
Karen Wylie (27:38):
Really?
So I'm totally ignorant about that.
That's very interesting.
Gail Pope (27:41):
Yes, I'm too, but I know that people have mentioned it to me.
Something that I think it's not so much amassing list of options, knowing about them, but it's more about watching your animal and being proactive.
"Ooh, I see this, what can I do?" Then, stepping back and looking at how would I help me?
It's not about what's developed for dogs, it's what's developed that we can use.
(28:06):
Sometimes I think as a caregiver, we take ourselves out and we're so focused on our animal.
We don't see the connection.
Karen Wylie (28:13):
You're so true.
Gail Pope (28:15):
You see your elderly people walking down the road and maybe they've got a stick, maybe they've got a walker.
Maybe they're in a wheelchair, maybe that wheelchair's electric and there are so many options.
You can go to a stroller.
Rosie had a stroller towards the end of her life when she couldn't walk at all and it was a lovely one and had a huge hood that went right down 'cause she didn't particularly want to be confined.
(28:41):
So we just turned the whole thing down.
So she was on like a cart and she loved it.
Karen Wylie (28:49):
With the little white grandpas get their laser therapy, do they get that every week or every other week?
Gail Pope (28:56):
It's every other week but I also have my own home laser.
So, whenever they're feeling amenable and I remember, I do that too.
I use it a lot for my cat as well, and he loves it.
He really enjoys it.
I think the worlds of homeopathy, acupuncture, Chinese medicine, they all help to bring us balance.
(29:19):
Sometimes I think with mobility, we may be too far away from a perfect balance but there's always something that we can do.
Karen Wylie (29:28):
Especially as you're saying, like you have your own laser that you can use at home.
It's not that it's always involves professional appointments.
Gail Pope (29:38):
Exactly and I was advised by a professional.
I must say I did go to the internet and have a look with, "Oh, it would be great to have a look." I had no clue.
What do I buy?
What am I looking for?
And I went to my chiropractor who works with laser therapy and she advised me what to buy, what would work well for an at-home use.
Karen Wylie (29:59):
Perfect.
Gail Pope (29:59):
It's really good.
Massage as well.
Massage and acupressure and flower essences and any types of medicines that help to reduce stress.
Again, come back to cannabis.
It's really good for the immune system to support stress and anxiety.
Karen Wylie (30:18):
Restoring that balance like you're talking about.
Gail Pope (30:20):
Yes, restoring that balance.
Karen Wylie (30:23):
At some point, I know with my goldens,
their mobility and continued loss of mobility became a quality of life concern.
Both for them and for us, in terms of physically what can we do because of all the stairs we had here in our mountain home.
(30:45):
So at what point, have you seen that with clients or what are your thoughts on that?
Did mobility ever become a deciding factor in making tough end of life decisions?
Gail Pope (31:01):
Yes.
I think what springs to mind there is a saying that sits in my mind quite often, and that is when the "Going gets tough, the tough get going." I think that's become over the years being led by the animal to a great extent.
But because you can't do something, you have to look at what you can do.
(31:23):
I think we found with many dogs, because they can't get up or because they can't do something.
Particularly, it doesn't mean that it's time to make any kind of decision.
And sometimes it may, it might very well.
I totally agree with that.
But for the most part, it's looking not at the disability but what are they able to do and how can we work with that to improve the quality of life.
Karen Wylie (31:49):
It's a change of mindset really.
A change of perspective there.
Gail Pope (31:53):
Yes, I think so.
I really do.
And again, it's almost a subject on its own but it all goes to quality of life at every stage of life.
It's not only the old and approaching end of life, it's young people or animals who have a disability.
We learn every day from that world how even the Olympics have shown us, because you have this one disability, you have many other abilities.
(32:23):
I think again it's working to balance, isn't it?
Karen Wylie (32:25):
And looking at the positive and changing the way you do look at things.
Is there something about the mobility issues that you think affects caregivers in a particular way?
Gail Pope (32:36):
Absolutely, everything affects the caregiver.
Dealing with a gradually decreasing mobility is hard on daily life.
It's hard on the time.
It's hard on the energy.
And it's perhaps hardest, I think, on the heart.
Seeing a person or an animal declining in their ability to move, which is what we are really talking about is painful in every way.
(33:05):
So I think we come back to something we talk about all the time— care for the caregiver.
It's just so important to take time to become grounded and to share with your animal your concerns.
Rather than worry, worry, worry.
We are humans that love to be in control because we've grown up being taught we are the control person.
(33:28):
But to let go of that a little bit, to share and care and be in the moment as much as possible.
Karen Wylie (33:36):
I've always found it difficult to look at my golden's eyes when they're experiencing the first signs of problem.
Whether the frustration, the surprise, they're not shocked yet, but you see them really begin to worry 'cause their body isn't doing what they could always count on it to do.
(33:57):
That would affect me almost more than anything.
I do what I needed to do physically for them but looking at their eyes and watching how they cope or don't.
Gail Pope (34:06):
That's where we hide our pain within us rather than sharing it with the animal.
They know us better than we know ourselves for the most part.
So doing it with them and talking to them helps us both.
It helps them to stop worrying about what's worrying us.
Karen Wylie (34:23):
It's true.
It's so true.
Yes, to do it together.
If we're going to worry, we can worry together.
Do you have any message of hope or comfort for pet parents who are just beginning to notice issues of mobility issues with their dog?
Gail Pope (34:40):
Hope and comfort.
Oh, wow.
Just knowing that it is a journey.
It's a loving journey that you are going to step forward in together and to know that your animal, your dog is in it to win it.
This is, I think, generally mobility issues for animals are more important to us than they are to them.
(35:03):
As long as we can deal with the practicality so we can help them the best.
Then we have to not focus on that part but focus on them being the best they can be.
I think it's juggling the human bond.
Hard isn't it?
Karen Wylie (35:19):
It is and the mindset issues again that we're talking about the balance.
Restoring balance both for our dog as well as ourselves and to realize that those adaptation and adjustments are likely to be in every day or every week type of, "Oh, that worked last week, but maybe this week I need to do this."
Gail Pope (35:40):
Exactly.
Karen Wylie (35:41):
But you also outlined a tremendous number of methods and ideas.
So there's no shortage of options for people to try.
If one thing doesn't work there's...
Gail Pope (35:54):
something else that might.
The bottom line, as we always say, don't we?
It's all about love.
Karen Wylie (36:01):
And that I'm going to guess is the way we're going to close, because I was going to say, if you could offer one key piece of advice to pet parents caring for dogs with mobility challenges, what would it be?
Gail Pope (36:13):
Yes, I would say it's all about love.
And all is well, just telling yourself it's okay.
All is well.
I'm doing my best and I'm doing it with love.
That's it.
Karen Wylie (36:24):
That's it.
That's a wonderful place for us to end this conversation.
Thank you, Gail, as always for an enjoyable conversation to both reflect on past experiences and to learn some wonderful new ideas.
And we thank you for being with us for this episode of Peace of Mind for Pet Parents, and we hope that you will be with us soon.
(36:46):
We'll also be recording an episode on Mobility for Cats and we'll see you next time.
Thanks for being with us.
Gail Pope (36:55):
Goodbye.
Thank you for joining us on Peace of Mind for Pet Parents.
We hope today's episode has offered you support and insight as you care for your aging or ill pets.
Remember, it's not just about the end.
It's about living well at every stage of life To continue your journey with us, explore more resources at BrightHaven Caregiver Academy's website— BrightPathforPets.com, where you'll find guides, assessments, and a caring community of pet parents like you.
(37:32):
Until next time, may you and your pets find comfort, connection, and peace in every moment.
Take care.
Welcome to Peace of Mind for Pet Parents, the podcast by BrightHaven Caregiver Academy.
I'm Gail Pope.
And I'm Karen Wylie.
And together we're here to support you in navigating life with your aging or ill pets.
I. We know how deeply you care for your beloved companions, and we're here to offer guidance, understanding, and resources for this meaningful journey.
(00:25):
Each episode we'll explore topics that address the daily challenges, emotional realities, and choices you face as a pet parent helping you and your pets find peace, comfort, and joy.
Whether it's making sense of a new diagnosis, adjusting to changing needs, or simply seeking a place to feel understood, you're not alone.
(00:48):
Thank you for being here with us.
Karen Wylie (00:51):
Hello and welcome to another episode of Peace of Mind for Pet Parents.
I'm Karen Wylie.
Here today with my friend and partner, Gail Pope.
And we're going to be taking a look today at Mobility Issues in Dogs.
I'm sure some of the things that we'll talk about may also be relevant for cats, but our plan is to have another episode where we focus on cats very specifically.
(01:16):
In starting out the conversation, Gail, I guess there could be a few people who are listening or watching who don't know about your background with BrightHaven and the fact that you supported over 700 animals over 30 years time.
So your experience and your knowledge about this topic is a whole lot more than someone who's just had one or two experiences with their dogs.
(01:44):
Your perspective I think is very unusual, and I'm really glad we're going to take a look at this topic because I think what you know about this area and how it affects our beloved fore footers is pretty extraordinary.
In starting out, what are some of the situations where a lack of mobility becomes an issue?
(02:09):
Are there certain diseases where you're anticipating that it could become a factor?
Gail Pope (02:15):
Before, that's a good question.
Before I answer it though, you just brought up something— about the years and the experience and the knowledge and so forth.
I don't think I've ever
looked back and realized what I'd learned because, with the subject of mobility, it didn't occur to me as something that I needed to think about in everyday life because it was all about this dog, that dog, what their needs were.
(02:45):
It didn't define itself in my mind as, "Ooh, I need to think about how I can help his mobility." So I've never had knowledge under that heading, if that makes any sense.
Karen Wylie (02:55):
I remember that because, at times over the last year as we've been preparing.
Launching this podcast and some of the other courses and things that we're doing, we had this as a topic.
In my mind's eye, this is one of your sweet spots because you learned so much from each animal and then when another one would present with similar symptoms— you had all this experience to draw on, to take care of the one in front of you.
(03:24):
I know that's one of the things that's always so wonderful about how you approach things is that you stay very much in the now and what do they need today?
I think a lot of our listeners or anyone viewing us on YouTube might be interested in this conversation because their animal, their dog is just starting to show changes in their gait or something.
Gail Pope (03:46):
Mobility issues can be in the young, the middle aged, the aging, especially at end of life— large dogs, small dogs, middle-sized dogs.
And again, different diseases, accident, injury— that comes to mind too.
A big one, I think these days, I see it a lot in all size dogs.
(04:08):
I was going to say large dogs, but thinking about it, I see it in small ones too and that's obesity.
'cause it can become very difficult, particularly for a middle to large sized dog who has become so tubby it affects their gait.
And then as they start to age and they lose energy, or even when they're not aging, but as their energy decreases, they can't walk.
(04:35):
So I think that is a big one.
In modern times, arthritis — there are so many different kinds of joints and hip dysplasia and all of those kinds of things.
What else?
Neurological issues— that's a big one.
Anything like vestibular issues that affects balance.
(04:58):
Now you have a very difficult mobility thing 'cause it might come and go a little bit and you're on call all the time when you've got a dog who's stumbling, falling, and then they're okay for a while.
And then, I guess that brings the idea of seizures.
In my experience, seizures affect mobility but in that moment because generally I think they recover a lot faster anyway afterwards.
(05:21):
So, not too long.
What other types of illnesses have you seen?
I'm thinking about anything else.
Karen Wylie (05:31):
I've seen it with a stroke.
That's neurological as well.
It's not necessarily a gradual thing that you pick up on gradually, but rather an event that's a kind of a shock to your system that, "Oh gosh, got to do something about this."
Gail Pope (05:44):
Yes, I think there probably, I don't think I've associated this causing it before.
It's the mobility is it?
And that's what I'm addressing.
But Yes, as I reflect, there are so many different situations where mobility can be affected and
(06:05):
there are lots of different ways to deal with it.
It can be quite heartbreaking and it can also be exhilarating.
Like for instance, the day you get a wheelchair for a dog, whatever the size of the dog, and you pop them in the wheelchair and they stand there.
Then, you show them what happens and all of a sudden they're racing around the room.
(06:26):
They're just so excited.
I mean I love wheelchairs because in the first days that we had wheelchairs, we worked with a wonderful gentleman who built his own wheelchairs.
It is a business now.
It has grown and become very clear, but you can pretty much have two wheels, four wheels, whatever your animal needs, you can have it made especially for that.
(06:52):
So, I think they're amazing except for cats necessarily.
We'll talk about that another time.
In my experience, dogs are made for wheelchairs.
Cats not so much.
Karen Wylie (07:04):
Not so much.
As I mentioned to you, my experience is generally with the larger breeds of dogs, especially golden retrievers.
Every single one of them.
Generally I would be adopting them through the Golden Rescue that I worked with, that I volunteered with.
I'd get them middle aged or maybe I think eight was the oldest that I got one.
(07:26):
But every single one of them, it would start with the arthritis and the hip dysplasia, and needing to be really cautious about their weight, just like you're saying.
Gail Pope (07:37):
Yes.
Karen Wylie (07:38):
And I have never seen a large breed dog with a cart.
I've seen a lot of them in a wagon that you can pull where they're still enjoying their lives when you're taking them on a walk with you.
But I've never seen a large breed dog with a cart and it could be the whole body weight like you were talking about earlier.
(08:01):
Making sure that if they were obese, trying to get them down to a fighting weight that was a good weight for their frame.
So that there's less pressure on the joints.
My experience with the goldens, every single one of them as they got older, had the arthritis and mobility challenges.
Just thinking about our pet parents out there who might be listening to us, what are some of the earliest signs that they could look for?
(08:29):
That they could watch for?
That their dog's mobility might be changing?
Something that's like not an accident and not an event, what are some of the ways they show it's gradually happening?
Gail Pope (08:41):
I think grumpiness, a little bit of a change of character sometimes.
You don't necessarily see something, I think it manifests that way in humans too.
In fact, mobility in humans and dogs, I think you can draw a lot of parallels.
I think in dogs, it's the gait very often.
(09:01):
Sometimes as you're walking, they're walking fine, but you'll notice they drag a paw and you can hear the nail on the ground.
Stumbling, limping, listing to one side or the other.
Just little things that you notice.
"Oh, did he trip then?" Oh, and you don't think about it.
But then you start to realize, "Hold on, now he's walking a little strange." The antenna goes up as you see those things.
(09:25):
Something else, when you see your dog spreading his paws to bend down to get a drink of water.
That's something that I always noticed.
Actually, even in cats too.
If their joints become stiff and the water bowl's on the floor, it's a bending.
They don't have the ability to bend.
So, how high do you need to bring it?
Just a little bit.
A little bit higher.
I know even now, I only have little dogs but I have one water bowl that is low to the ground— it's a few inches.
(09:54):
But a wonderful gadget that I can turn either way.
Then we have a bigger water bowl that is up higher in one room so they can choose.
I think that's something that we don't all notice instantly.
It's certainly something to watch.
Incontinence could be something and it isn't really incontinence but they need to go out to the bathroom but they don't quite make it.
(10:18):
I think that can often be mobility too, didn't get there in time.
That's another human failing, isn't it?
Karen Wylie (10:25):
I guess any aches and pains could be a reason too.
Where it's just more difficult to get out the door and up and down the stairs.
And that could affect bathroom habits as well.
I think a lot of what you were just describing in terms of dragging the nails or the toes are not the way they should be but instead they're buckling a little bit.
That can be either in the front legs or the hind legs.
(10:47):
I think that's important too, 'cause so often that the focus is on the hind quarters with the hip dysplasia and so forth.
But the upper body can also pose real mobility issues just like you're talking about in terms of their ability to bend down for food or water.
The shoulders, the neck— just arthritis happening in other places and not just the hips and the hind quarters.
(11:10):
I always had assumed it was the hind quarters until I started seeing differently.
Realizing it was a four limb issue.
I think what you're describing is really helpful.
So, how can these mobility challenges affect a dog's daily life?
Which of course then also affects the pet parent, the caregiver?
Gail Pope (11:32):
How can it affect their daily life?
Pretty much in everything— in eating, drinking, in just getting around the house, getting up and down steps, in their beds.
I have this vision of a little old lady and a little old dog and they're both experiencing all the same difficulties.
(11:52):
They really are.
I have a little old man at the moment, Andy, and he falls over.
He often falls over poor little devil and it doesn't seem to bother him.
He's very anxious and restless.
He's a sweet person.
He doesn't want help.
And I try to help him all the time with everything that I have to do and he's, " No, I can do this.
(12:13):
Oops.
I nearly fell over." The same with a human, sometimes the animal needs help.
So I think we have to be careful not to help when we are not needed.
That's great but for the most part, I think dogs really appreciate all you can do.
Especially, the beds and bedding obviously.
Generally it's a matter of bringing them down lower or for a big dog, it may be actually having it up higher.
(12:41):
Oh my gosh, years ago we had the most wonderful Doberman.
He was very old and he was very stiff.
He used to walk alongside our couch, look around, "Is this okay?" and then he'd just lean and that put him on the couch but he couldn't climb onto it.
He just lay and slid himself sideways.
I think you have to be aware of how tall they are, how small they are, what their favorite type of bed is and where you could put it so that they can just ease themselves into it and be comfortable.
Karen Wylie (13:12):
You've already started describing some of the things I was going to ask you about.
In terms of the practical solutions, the changes day to day, what are some of the simple changes that a pet parent could make around the house when they start seeing some mobility issues where they're beginning to understand that there are some changes happening for their dog?
Gail Pope (13:34):
I think ramps definitely come to mind.
Particularly if you've got, you open your back door to the garden and there's a step and it becomes difficult to go down.
Sometimes they bump their chin because they trip on the way down.
But if you can put in a ramp, then that really soothes that.
And again, if you've got a dog in a wheelchair, you're going to need ramps because there's going to be places they can't navigate.
(13:58):
A big one for me is Bed Steps.
Karen Wylie (14:01):
Okay.
Gail Pope (14:02):
Some dogs can manage them easily and some can't.
A bigger dog might want something with bigger steps that are only two.
So they can get onto this one, they can get onto that and then they can go to the bed.
Whereas smaller dogs want something that is a little more easy for them with more steps.
Karen Wylie (14:21):
Yes, as you mentioned that I thought of what I had for my cats.
They were several little steps but high too.
I can't imagine a medium or large breed dog, large size dog being comfortable with that at all.
It would have to be made very differently.
Gail Pope (14:38):
And again, I think all of these practical things are available easily online.
Karen Wylie (14:46):
Isn't that amazing?
I'm sure you have felt that way over the last few years.
It used to be finding a supplier of a cart or a sling or anything.
You would source these things out and then save those phone numbers or in the early years of the internet, save that URL.
(15:07):
Now it's like you can go on Amazon or other websites.
You can say you're looking for a sling for a small size dog or you can be very specific and you have so many options.
Really, it speaks to the need.
There are people out there looking to buy these supports for their animals so that they can continue to enjoy their lives as they age.
(15:29):
As you were talking about what to do for bedtime and going out in the yard, I think one thing I always suggest is that people literally get out a piece of paper and map out their house.
Map out if it's a multiple story house, do a separate one for each floor of the house and just really look at where there's any kind of step, where there's any kind of incline.
(15:53):
Just anticipate it, even if it's just starting.
"They know the back stairs are six stairs. I may not need a full ramp this week." Just start understanding that their babies may not be able to easily navigate the yard in the house like they used to.
Gail Pope (16:10):
Yes, I think it's watching your dog and seeing— getting a sense of where they go.
As things start to become difficult, you can get ahead of it.
So that when they do reach a point where they can't just jump to the bed, you've already made an adjustment to help.
You mentioned something a minute ago that I think is really important and that's slings.
(16:31):
Because I think the very first time I ever used one, I did so without thinking of it as a sling.
It was like, "He can't get himself up to go." This was a dog who had no issues with mobility, except he struggled to get his back end up.
Once he was up, he was walking.
And so I think it may have been a volunteer said to me, "Maybe if you use a towel or something like that and just hold him. You don't have to go out and buy something and you can walk with him and help him." So I think people don't necessarily think about all the ingenious things that you can work around that we can do without spending a fortune on the internet.
(17:09):
I think slings, particularly for big dogs as they begin to have problems that aren't really big problems other than it "Ooh, it hurts".
If you can be there, then you can help them.
And obviously, that becomes a bigger problem as time goes on.
Karen Wylie (17:27):
Yes, absolutely.
As you're describing that, thinking back to my goldens, I had five of them over the years that getting up, that obvious discomfort where they don't get up as quickly or as smoothly would be one of the first things.
I did use the nice bath sized towel to help them.
(17:47):
And it was amazing how much it would help for a very long time.
Gail Pope (17:51):
And the other part of that I discovered was a harness.
Once you've got the towel part done, however, now they're stumbling at the front end.
If you've got the sling and the harness, you can buy I think online like a harness for the rear end and they joined so that you can actually hold the front and the back so they can still walk.
(18:14):
You are supporting them.
Oh, that's wonderful.
That's wonderful.
Karen Wylie (18:19):
Yes, I wasn't aware of that.
That's a great idea.
Gail Pope (18:22):
The dogs that are even more totally immobilized I've never had one, but I have seen them advertised.
You can actually buy a lift like an electronic.
It sits over the bed and you press the button and it will lift them up.
Karen Wylie (18:35):
Oh my gosh.
Seriously, what a wonderful thing.
Wow.
I'm thinking of 120 pound goldens and all the other very large sized dogs that weigh a lot more than that.
That's really something.
Wow.
So you've mentioned raised bowls, the ramps, special beds, the harness, now the slings.
(18:57):
Are there any other really essential or helpful items that you feel make an immediate difference?
Do you feel like we've covered most of them?
Gail Pope (19:05):
I think maybe beds and bedding.
They don't come into it in the early stages, but I think as mobility decreases, it may be that incontinence creeps in a little bit or it doesn't.
They're not moving so fast and everything starts to loosen a little in the body.
I found that, again, if you've got a large, heavy dog lying in bed and he really doesn't want to get up and you need to change his bed.
(19:31):
It doesn't necessarily be incontinence.
It could have been dribbling and the bed sheets need changing.
So over the years, we started off by putting an incontinence sheet under a blanket.
Then we would add another incontinence sheet with another blanket underneath because it was easier to roll him over.
Rolled him back and he doesn't have to get up again.
(19:54):
Once you do have a dog who is maybe bedbound, it makes a huge difference.
You can actually layer under the backend and you can also layer under the front end so that you've got less huge blankets and things to wash.
That's really helpful.
Karen Wylie (20:13):
In areas that are still dry.
Gail Pope (20:15):
Yes, exactly.
Karen Wylie (20:16):
That you can move them too.
As you're describing this, I'm thinking about your Rosie a couple summers ago because I remember you describing how she basically would be mortified if she had an accident in her bed and how she was holding.
Then you struggling to get her outside yourself.
(20:37):
But I remember you describing the different kinds of bedding that you were setting up just in case she would let it go.
That's something from their perspective, how do they feel about it when we raised them, especially, I have often raised puppies and you spend so much time training them about house training, where to go potty and where not to.
(20:59):
Then as they age you're preparing for them to maybe have accidents and that's okay.
And yet in their point of view, it's not okay.
Just like that.
That's why I thought of Rosie.
Gail Pope (21:09):
Yes, Rosie used to wake me up.
Literally, she had her bed to the side of my bed and as mothers do, I would awake very often and look at her and she'd be up on her front end a little bit looking at me like,
"I need to go. I need to go." And I learned that I had to move really fast and eventually I got all the things that I needed close by my bed or close by between our beds.
(21:37):
So that when she started waking up in the morning, I was out of bed in a flash and I knew she wore her harness overnight because I wouldn't have had time to put it on.
Her towel was right there and I just had to get her up and stumble out in my night dress or pajamas in the cold or whatever it was because I didn't have time to do anything except literally get her up and out.
(22:02):
That's being a mother, isn't it?
Karen Wylie (22:03):
It is.
You do what you need to do and obviously, she knew exactly what look to have on her face to say, "Mommy, please."
Gail Pope (22:12):
Yes.
She was amazing.
She was able to hold herself for a very long time until she really did become bedbound.
And even then, I would get that look and it would be like, "You need to change my bed. Oh God, this is awful."
Karen Wylie (22:25):
Yes.
'cause I remember you describing that.
That's why I had to bring her up.
I thought that certainly, I remembered that story.
I was going to ask you if there were any stories you wanted to share about any particular dog where making just even one or two small changes made a real difference for them in their day-to-day life?
Here as you're describing what you were doing for Rosie along the way.
(22:47):
That meant a lot to her because she didn't want to have an accident.
That was something she was appalled by, if she did.
So you coming up with your layering method of the beding certainly helped for her.
Gail Pope (22:58):
Yes.
I don't know.
God, there must be hundreds of stories.
I am in my mind, I'm picturing little old chihuahuas racing up and down ramps indoors in their wheelchairs.
Karen Wylie (23:13):
We should mention for everyone that if they want to see any of these dogs racing around in their little carts the BrightHaven YouTube channel has just a few of those wonderful videos.
That people could watch and take a look at.
Gail Pope (23:27):
I think another thing that I mean it goes to incontinence but it is a practicality and it does tie in with mobility is, again, my two little old men that I've got here, 16 year olds never, ever had any potty training.
And they're both deaf and blind.
It's a problem that I haven't really quite figured out properly yet.
(23:49):
We seem to have got it fairly well done, but I think it really helps people to realize that, particularly for a male dog or a female dog, to just buy a belly band with a disposable diaper in it— saves worry.
Does he need to go out?
If you've got it protected, particularly if you've got carpeting.
(24:11):
It can be a real lifesaver.
They do the most amazing jeans and suspenders because theirs would just slide off the back.
So they both wear suspenders, they look very gentlemanly.
But I really think they're great and the pants for the girls.
And I think in all honesty, I think animals appreciate it because if they wet themselves may have happened in their bed as well.
(24:35):
Now that bed has to go and get washed.
So that brings you to a point of maybe if you don't use belly bands or pants, maybe a little layering in the bed, right?
Or the type of bed that you are not going to be able to put in the washing machine, or it's, it's really big.
You want to put an incontinence pad in it anyway, for a dog who doesn't really have a lot of problems, and then another blanket over the top so you can wash that blanket and replace that without having to worry about the whole bed.
Karen Wylie (25:07):
Gee, you sound like someone who's had a little bit of experience with these things.
Gail Pope (25:13):
Yes.
Laundry became a specialty.
Karen Wylie (25:16):
I'm afraid to ask how many loads a day you were doing at the sanctuary?
Gail Pope (25:21):
It varied a lot, at least somewhere between up to four to six at least.
Karen Wylie (25:26):
Oh my goodness.
Gail Pope (25:28):
It was always the first thing in the morning and again, it comes down to practicalities for mobility.
And this kind of goes to cats and dogs.
You think of litter boxes for cats, right?
But dogs who struggle with mobility, who may need help sometimes we developed a towel toilet.
It started off for cats but it extended to dogs because they got used to the fact that if they couldn't climb into the litter box, even if it had a very low side.
(25:55):
Some of them, I guess didn't even like litter but we found if we put an incontinence pad with a towel on it, they would use the towel.
We found some of the smaller dogs, I don't think the bigger ones ever did, but some of the smaller dogs, as they got older, they would squat down on the towel too.
Okay, so taking me to the laundry room, there were always the towel loads that went in once or twice a day too.
Karen Wylie (26:20):
Hygiene is important as is caring for your home and how the pet feels.
Like we're talking about Rosie earlier, where she would be mortified if she had an accident.
Let's talk a little bit about some of the alternative treatments that are available that might reduce pain, might increase mobility for dogs.
Gail Pope (26:45):
Okay.
Obviously you've got your conventional ideas first and your vet to help prescribe for pain and the frustrations of immobility.
But then we've also got cannabis products, which I found really helpful.
Especially laser therapy, we do a lot of laser work here now with these dogs and they enjoy it.
Karen Wylie (27:09):
Yes.
That's what I was thinking of Ollie and Andy.
Gail Pope (27:12):
And acupuncture.
What else?
I know Carol, who works for BrightHaven, she became very involved at one time and learned a lot about water therapy which can be so helpful.
I love looking at some of the videos of the bigger dogs paddling and it's really good.
(27:32):
What else do we have?
They're doing a lot more work, I think these days with stem cell therapy too.
Karen Wylie (27:38):
Really?
So I'm totally ignorant about that.
That's very interesting.
Gail Pope (27:41):
Yes, I'm too, but I know that people have mentioned it to me.
Something that I think it's not so much amassing list of options, knowing about them, but it's more about watching your animal and being proactive.
"Ooh, I see this, what can I do?" Then, stepping back and looking at how would I help me?
It's not about what's developed for dogs, it's what's developed that we can use.
(28:06):
Sometimes I think as a caregiver, we take ourselves out and we're so focused on our animal.
We don't see the connection.
Karen Wylie (28:13):
You're so true.
Gail Pope (28:15):
You see your elderly people walking down the road and maybe they've got a stick, maybe they've got a walker.
Maybe they're in a wheelchair, maybe that wheelchair's electric and there are so many options.
You can go to a stroller.
Rosie had a stroller towards the end of her life when she couldn't walk at all and it was a lovely one and had a huge hood that went right down 'cause she didn't particularly want to be confined.
(28:41):
So we just turned the whole thing down.
So she was on like a cart and she loved it.
Karen Wylie (28:49):
With the little white grandpas get their laser therapy, do they get that every week or every other week?
Gail Pope (28:56):
It's every other week but I also have my own home laser.
So, whenever they're feeling amenable and I remember, I do that too.
I use it a lot for my cat as well, and he loves it.
He really enjoys it.
I think the worlds of homeopathy, acupuncture, Chinese medicine, they all help to bring us balance.
(29:19):
Sometimes I think with mobility, we may be too far away from a perfect balance but there's always something that we can do.
Karen Wylie (29:28):
Especially as you're saying, like you have your own laser that you can use at home.
It's not that it's always involves professional appointments.
Gail Pope (29:38):
Exactly and I was advised by a professional.
I must say I did go to the internet and have a look with, "Oh, it would be great to have a look." I had no clue.
What do I buy?
What am I looking for?
And I went to my chiropractor who works with laser therapy and she advised me what to buy, what would work well for an at-home use.
Karen Wylie (29:59):
Perfect.
Gail Pope (29:59):
It's really good.
Massage as well.
Massage and acupressure and flower essences and any types of medicines that help to reduce stress.
Again, come back to cannabis.
It's really good for the immune system to support stress and anxiety.
Karen Wylie (30:18):
Restoring that balance like you're talking about.
Gail Pope (30:20):
Yes, restoring that balance.
Karen Wylie (30:23):
At some point, I know with my goldens,
their mobility and continued loss of mobility became a quality of life concern.
Both for them and for us, in terms of physically what can we do because of all the stairs we had here in our mountain home.
(30:45):
So at what point, have you seen that with clients or what are your thoughts on that?
Did mobility ever become a deciding factor in making tough end of life decisions?
Gail Pope (31:01):
Yes.
I think what springs to mind there is a saying that sits in my mind quite often, and that is when the "Going gets tough, the tough get going." I think that's become over the years being led by the animal to a great extent.
But because you can't do something, you have to look at what you can do.
(31:23):
I think we found with many dogs, because they can't get up or because they can't do something.
Particularly, it doesn't mean that it's time to make any kind of decision.
And sometimes it may, it might very well.
I totally agree with that.
But for the most part, it's looking not at the disability but what are they able to do and how can we work with that to improve the quality of life.
Karen Wylie (31:49):
It's a change of mindset really.
A change of perspective there.
Gail Pope (31:53):
Yes, I think so.
I really do.
And again, it's almost a subject on its own but it all goes to quality of life at every stage of life.
It's not only the old and approaching end of life, it's young people or animals who have a disability.
We learn every day from that world how even the Olympics have shown us, because you have this one disability, you have many other abilities.
(32:23):
I think again it's working to balance, isn't it?
Karen Wylie (32:25):
And looking at the positive and changing the way you do look at things.
Is there something about the mobility issues that you think affects caregivers in a particular way?
Gail Pope (32:36):
Absolutely, everything affects the caregiver.
Dealing with a gradually decreasing mobility is hard on daily life.
It's hard on the time.
It's hard on the energy.
And it's perhaps hardest, I think, on the heart.
Seeing a person or an animal declining in their ability to move, which is what we are really talking about is painful in every way.
(33:05):
So I think we come back to something we talk about all the time— care for the caregiver.
It's just so important to take time to become grounded and to share with your animal your concerns.
Rather than worry, worry, worry.
We are humans that love to be in control because we've grown up being taught we are the control person.
(33:28):
But to let go of that a little bit, to share and care and be in the moment as much as possible.
Karen Wylie (33:36):
I've always found it difficult to look at my golden's eyes when they're experiencing the first signs of problem.
Whether the frustration, the surprise, they're not shocked yet, but you see them really begin to worry 'cause their body isn't doing what they could always count on it to do.
(33:57):
That would affect me almost more than anything.
I do what I needed to do physically for them but looking at their eyes and watching how they cope or don't.
Gail Pope (34:06):
That's where we hide our pain within us rather than sharing it with the animal.
They know us better than we know ourselves for the most part.
So doing it with them and talking to them helps us both.
It helps them to stop worrying about what's worrying us.
Karen Wylie (34:23):
It's true.
It's so true.
Yes, to do it together.
If we're going to worry, we can worry together.
Do you have any message of hope or comfort for pet parents who are just beginning to notice issues of mobility issues with their dog?
Gail Pope (34:40):
Hope and comfort.
Oh, wow.
Just knowing that it is a journey.
It's a loving journey that you are going to step forward in together and to know that your animal, your dog is in it to win it.
This is, I think, generally mobility issues for animals are more important to us than they are to them.
(35:03):
As long as we can deal with the practicality so we can help them the best.
Then we have to not focus on that part but focus on them being the best they can be.
I think it's juggling the human bond.
Hard isn't it?
Karen Wylie (35:19):
It is and the mindset issues again that we're talking about the balance.
Restoring balance both for our dog as well as ourselves and to realize that those adaptation and adjustments are likely to be in every day or every week type of, "Oh, that worked last week, but maybe this week I need to do this."
Gail Pope (35:40):
Exactly.
Karen Wylie (35:41):
But you also outlined a tremendous number of methods and ideas.
So there's no shortage of options for people to try.
If one thing doesn't work there's...
Gail Pope (35:54):
something else that might.
The bottom line, as we always say, don't we?
It's all about love.
Karen Wylie (36:01):
And that I'm going to guess is the way we're going to close, because I was going to say, if you could offer one key piece of advice to pet parents caring for dogs with mobility challenges, what would it be?
Gail Pope (36:13):
Yes, I would say it's all about love.
And all is well, just telling yourself it's okay.
All is well.
I'm doing my best and I'm doing it with love.
That's it.
Karen Wylie (36:24):
That's it.
That's a wonderful place for us to end this conversation.
Thank you, Gail, as always for an enjoyable conversation to both reflect on past experiences and to learn some wonderful new ideas.
And we thank you for being with us for this episode of Peace of Mind for Pet Parents, and we hope that you will be with us soon.
(36:46):
We'll also be recording an episode on Mobility for Cats and we'll see you next time.
Thanks for being with us.
Gail Pope (36:55):
Goodbye.
Thank you for joining us on Peace of Mind for Pet Parents.
We hope today's episode has offered you support and insight as you care for your aging or ill pets.
Remember, it's not just about the end.
It's about living well at every stage of life To continue your journey with us, explore more resources at BrightHaven Caregiver Academy's website— BrightPathforPets.com, where you'll find guides, assessments, and a caring community of pet parents like you.
(37:32):
Until next time, may you and your pets find comfort, connection, and peace in every moment.
Take care.
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