Walkabout for an Old Lady Lab

Hi Cathy,

Just as an update, Buttercup had her 17th birthday on March 18.  Her little hind-end is so skinny that her Walkabout slips down when I'm not holding onto it, but I'm mostly holding onto it all the time when it's on her anyway, so it does its job.  It's a great product.  

I've thought about the suspenders you mentioned, but she has some laryngeal paralysis and the vet doesn't recommend even a collar and leash, so they probably wouldn't work for us anyway.  I steer her around by pushing very gently on her shoulder and standing in the way of a direction I don't want her to go in. 

Here it is after it slipped-down a little when I stepped away to take the snapshot.

This was taken on this past Tuesday.

You may notice that I don't use the grip.  If she's down and I lift her up, I do it with two hands and keep the hand-hold straps apart so they pull straight up and gently set her down on her feet.   

She doesn't look so bad for an old girl, does she?  If you look closely at her front legs though, you can see where they were shaved for IV's.  She spent five days in the veterinary critical care facility here a month ago for a GI problem and pneumonia.  They called her "The Indestructible Buttercup" as they had pretty much told me the consensus among the team of vets was that she wasn't going to make it, but bounced back and came home a day after they told me that.

Anyway Cathy, I just wanted to thank you again for your help.  You've made life for both BC and me a lot easier.

Big Woofs!

Tony Stalls
Arlington, VA