If your dog or cat were born with a congenital handicap, or if he becomes acutely paralyzed from spinal cord cancer or a slipped disc, you can get him a cart. Carts are designed to support your pet's back legs, provided that his front legs are normal and able to pull the cart around. This is most common in dachshunds, who have a long back and are more predisposed to a slipped disc and acute paralysis. We generally do not recommend riding in the cart with these dogs or having them carry groceries, however fun it may seem.
I didn't ethically believe in dog carts when I first started my vet career, as I felt they reduced a dogs quality of life. However, after putting my first patient in one (a young Shih Tzu that was hit by a car and had a broken back), I realized that with some environmental changes to the house (no stairs, only ramps), this dog did great! He tore around the hospital on recheck examinations and even the nurses were converted to believers. Since then, I do believe that some pets do well in carts. Hunting dogs - no; lazy couch potatoes - yes.
Material from "It's a Cat's World... You Just Live In It", available at Amazon.com. Copyright Justine Lee Veterinary Consulting, LLC. 2008.
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