Getting a giant breed of dog to the vet when it can’t walk or has a leg injury and can’t balance can be a horrible problem, especially if the dog owner lives alone or is alone at the time. As a result of a similar scenario, I designed and found a manufacturer for two products that can assist the owners of giant breeds in transporting their injured dogs.

We provided each of our vets with the both products for Christmas a few years ago, and they loved them. One of our vets was here for a surgical procedure a few weeks ago and asked about the products. He said they had really been invaluable on numerous occasions.
 

Walking Assist (Semi Ambulatory)

   This sling is about 5 inches by 24 inches with a thirteen inch long loop at each end. It is designed to comfortably support either the front or the rear of a giant breed.

   If a dog goes down in rear, just slip the sling under the belly just in front of the hips and you can stabilize him with the sling to get him to the car and into the vet’s office. If a dog has a front leg injury or function problem, just slip the sling under the belly just behind the front legs to support and stabilize him for movement to the vehicle or into the vet’s office.

     This sling can be used by one or two people. The straps are long enough to permit them to be brought together over the dog if a single person is assisting. If there are two people assisting, one can work each side of the dog.

This sling can also be used during breeding. It can be placed under the bitches belly toward the tuck up after the dog and bitch are tied to prevent her from sitting.

Stretcher (Full Body Sling)

   This sling is designed to be used when a dog is down and can’t walk at all. The sling has a weight capacity of over 300 pounds. It is off-white in color and can be safely bleached. This sling can be used by from one to four people to lift and move the dog. When not in use, the sling can be folded (folds to about the same size as a large bath towel), and the poles can be stored anywhere (they are 4 feet long).

     The sling is designed for use with either poles or straps. The poles are inserted into the side seams. There are two grip sites on each side of the sling with cut outs for hand to pole contact when lifting. Each grip site also features a looped strap for lifting, so that the sling can be used without the poles.

  If the owner is alone and can’t get assistance, the dog can be rolled onto the sling; the poles can be inserted; and then the owner can drag the dog to the car. Once at the car, the poles can be removed and the straps are used to get the dog into the vehicle. If the owner has assistance, each person can take one side of the sling to move the dog. If there are several people, then each person can work a grip site.

   If the dog requires surgery, it can be lifted onto the surgery table with the sling, and the sling can be left under the dog during the procedure. The poles will weigh the sides down so that the sling will hang off of each side of the surgery table, out of the veterinarian’s way. After surgery, the sling can be utilized to lift the dog off of the table and place him on the floor. The sling can be bleached to remove blood stains and to generally sanitize it.