A Guide to Dog Rear Wheels


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The dog rear wheels offer the gift of mobility to many dogs that would have been left helpless because of disease, spinal injuries, paralysis, or old age. The popularity of these wheelchairs for dogs has grown in the past couple of years and now there is more than one industry leader that designs and makes these carts.
Dog wheelchairs have become commonplace nowadays and the Internet is full of adorable videos of pets running around in their custom designed dog rear wheels. If your dog has a condition that prevents them using his back legs, putting your dog on rear wheels can develop their quality of life by providing a new found mobility.

Today, there are on market five top dog rear wheels manufacturers to choose from. Each of them is a quality brand that really cares about the well-being and health of your pet. Each of them understands well the animals’ biomechanics so their dog rear wheels are built to properly move your pet’s body.

Dog wheelchair categories

There are three main designs of dog wheelchairs you can basically choose from. Each of them serves a specific purpose in assisting dogs with different types of limb weakness or paralysis:

Rear support wheelchair – is the most common dog wheelchair. It features a saddle for the dog’s pelvis, two wheels in the rear, and a harness to keep the dog strapped in. The dog uses the muscles on their upper torso and front legs to walk around. This type of dog wheelchair is suitable for dogs that have good strength in the rest of their body, but paralysis or hind end weakness in their back legs.
Front support wheelchair – provides support to the chest of a dog. Because the wheels are on the front end, it looks like a backward wheelchair. The dogs push themselves around by using their back limbs. Front wheel support wheels are the best solution for dogs who have difficulties using their front limbs due to injury, birth defect, or amputation.
Quad cart or full support wheelchair – it features two wheels in the back of the cart and two wheels in the front, with support for dog’s torso in the middle. This design that may look like a little bed on wheels provides support for all four limbs of pet that is unable to stand or move around on their own.

The top dog rear wheels companies

K9 Carts

This is the first manufacturer of dog rear wheels in the U.S. Orthopedic veterinary surgeon, Dr. Parkes, created their design back in the year 1961, after he recognized a need for dog rear wheels in his practice. At present time, the company is run by Barbara Parkes. She has already been in this business for more than 40 years. In order to meet the needs of a dog’s disability, each K9 cart is built individually. They build full support and rear support carts that are biomechanically correct, durable and lightweight. In addition, the company offers a Rent-to-Own-Program and a Rental Program.

HandicappedPets.com

This company provides a very popular dog wheelchair due to its great design and qualities. The cart is well balanced, lightweight, and reliable. This is a fully adjustable dog wheelchair that can expand in height, width and length so it can adjust when your dog is growing. You can select from a large size, medium and mini version cart that adjusts with snap-in wheels and simple snap buttons in order to fit your dog.

The wheelchair folds flat for storage and transport and it can be used on any dog. These dog wheels can be ordered in full support or rear support designs and they are moderately priced. The company also offers custom carts for dogs that weigh more than 170lbs or less than 6lbs. Custom wheelchairs are offered in full support, front and rear designs. HandciappedPets.com also provides a Rent-to-Own Program.

Eddie’s Wheels

This company is owned by Leslie and Eddie Grinnell. For more than 20 years, they make a dedicated team that is specialized on building custom dog carts. They customize dog wheelchairs in order to meet the individual needs of each pet’s disability. Their carts are sturdy and can be used for on and off-road play, providing pets the possibility to enjoy a good quality life. For their design that features a weightless harness and comfortable saddle, the company has won several awards. Their custom wheelchairs are built in full support, front wheel and rear wheel designs.