Basset Hounds Forum banner

Carrying Basset upstairs

9K views 9 replies 7 participants last post by  PollyEster 
#1 · (Edited)
Good Evening! I'm new to the forum and am in desperate need of your advice!

What is the best way to carry my 77pound basset up the stairs?

We live in a 2 story house, and I need to figure out a way to get my darling boy upstairs when we go to bed. He's injured his knee, which may require surgery.

Keeping him on the main floor by himself right now isn't an option, as he would freak out if left by himself. He has his own twin bed next to mine, and has slept with me since he was a puppy (now 5 1/2 yrs).

We've been sleeping on our sofa on our main floor for the past week. It's perfectly comfortable, but I do miss my bed!

I could use both a long term and short term solution. If his injury doesn't require surgery, I still would like to minimize his trips up/down the stairs in hopes of keeping his joints healthy for a long time.
Thanks so much!
 
#3 ·
Yes! Ok, that is a great idea. Thank you! I've been so wrapped up trying to find some sort of doggie lift (like those chair lifts that run up the wall) that I overlooked a simpler solution such as you suggest.
One concern I have is that I'm a breast cancer survivor and don't have a lot of upper body strength right now, but I think I could rig up a sturdy blanket with loops to for my daugther and I to get him up the stairs.
Thanks for your suggestion.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Going up isn't usually as much of a no-no as coming down BUT if he has a cruciate ? problem, obviously he really needs to be on one level completely. Can you take it in turns sleeping down with him, at least until there's an improvement, or after surgery?

I recently bought a purpose made sling for Frankie - we have somebody here in the UK who makes them to order. It has big loops which means it can be slung under the dog, with long enough loops to be able to lift the dog easily. When we had a lad go off his back legs however, years ago, we just used a thick towel as a sling to help him get outside - but NOT involving stairs!

The other thing we did for Frankie, and for the 3 steps from the back door to outside, was to buy a short ramp so he didn't need to use the steps at all. That would depend on your stairs! And we bought another for the back of the car. We had to buy some sticky carpet pads for both as the surface of the ramps, which admittedly was rough to give traction, was too rough - like sandpaper - which 'himself' didn't like on bit. In fact it took a short while before he'd use the outside ramp at all, even if he had as a puppy!! He's a whooz with anything new however. With the longer car ramp, we do have to keep a hand on his backside to help him move forward. Worth considering but I honestly think you would do best to keep him off the stairs completely - being on them might have caused his problem in the first place ....? Bassets and stairs/steps don't always mix.

Here is the one I bought from Ebay .... it just so happenes this has a Whippet pictured. There are others on Ebay

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dog-Mobil...055664?hash=item463de3e2f0:g:9NkAAOSwwo1XeYSW
 
#5 ·
Thank you both for the wonderful ideas. I agree he needs to stay off the stairs completely, which is why I'm trying to figure out how to make modifications to my home.
I see the sling you bought, and something like that would work. I looked up human lift blankets, too, which have a multiple loop design. Unfortunately, our house is nothing but stairs: stairs from the street, stairs up to the bedrooms, stairs down to the tv room.
(It's a small Dutch Colonial style.) I even looked into selling our home to move to a single level for him, but real estate has gotten so expensive where we live that I can't afford anything and wouldn't solve our immediate issues anyway.
To make things more challenging, my big guy refuses to be helpful when trying to help him. He just stands there looking at me with a "what the heck are you trying to do to me?" type look, so the towel sling was met with complete annoyance on his part.

I do appreciate your taking time to answer my call for help.
 
#7 ·
Been sleeping on the floor downstairs for 10 months now (L.O.L), remaining boy had never cried or minded being left, BUT since his cousin died early April of last year he cries & cries if alone at night.
So many problems, one of which colitis can ravage him & bought on by stress, I dream of returning to my bed but know that when I do it'll also be a very sad day! Good Luck.
P.S. Hate age & the passing of years as I used to be able to carry him up & down stairs.
 
#9 ·
Re: the colitis.....Ester has had horrible bouts of upset, and was constantly on Flagel to calm her gut....I finally went on Amazon and bought some probiotics, gave her half a dose at first, and it has been almost two months now with NO upsets, she is sleeping better and is much happier. You might want to give some and see if it helps?
 
#10 ·
Vecti...Ester used to get the bloody/mucus stools and the vet did a check and found outrageous bacterial counts, and gave her antibiotics to counter....the Flagyl is an anti-bacterial as well. At one point when she was relatively "stable" I started the probiotics and she has not been off them or on antibiotics since. I STOPPED the antibiotics because they kill the good bacteria in the gut as well as the bad. She has advanced arthritis in her spine as well as a tumor in the bone in her gum line that she gets tramadol and meloxicam for, but except for THAT she is a happy camper and doing well....do try stopping the antibiotics and ramping up the probiotics. The ones I use are called "Probiotic Miracle" and I think they ARE.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top