©2000-2004, MaryAnne Teal. All rights reserved.
"Cart Dogs": Another View
by MaryAnne Teal
MaryAnne Teal shows Dachshunds and lives in Eagle River, AK.
I generally await every issue of your magazine with great anticipation, and I read it cover to cover not long after being retrieved from the mailbox. So, it was not long before I read with some interest the article by Harold Nedell in the July issue. While raising some thought-provoking points, I would like to correct some common misunderstandings about the quality of life of an average "cart dog," not to mention how someone might make a decision to own such a dog.
The two breeds most often having to use carts are Dachshunds and German Shepherds, for two different but equally debilitating spinal disorders. I will speak to the case of Dachshunds since I am most familiar with this breed and the incidences of Canine Intervertebral Disk Disease (CIDD). CIDD has an onset at between 2 and 5 years -- a very young dog, and presenting a different decision than the one faced by Mr. Nedell with an elderly dog. My own Dachshund (also my first dog) went "down" at the age of 2-1/2. She was otherwise healthy in every way. I don't believe that most owners that go the cart route do it with quite elderly animals. In fact, my own decision would have been very different if that was indeed the scenario.
Also, many vets give poor advice with regards to the potential for recovery of these animals. In our case, the odds of success were represented to us as being fairly high -- though I know now that the chances were actually quite slim. However, I find that there is no hard and fast rule, as I know many owners of cart dogs who were advised to euthanize their pet when, in fact, the dog was on its way to a complete recovery, using alternative therapies. Because of these reasons, many owners decide to "give it a go."
One of the pictures that was most vivid to me was Mr. Nedell's description of a dog which didn't know what to do when spotting a squirrel -- which therefor decreased the dog's quality of life. If that is the case, then he was seeing a dog which was simply not an "average" cart dog. The readers need to understand that these dogs (in most instances) really do not view themselves as "handicapped." That is a human condition and perception. Frankly, most of our ideas about how a dog must "feel" to be in a wheelchair are completely anthropomorphic.
I can assure you that most cart dogs know what to do when seeing that squirrel, and I have hauled my Dachsie out of many a perfectly coiffed flower bed that she has trampled in pursuit of her quarry. She is a Dachshund, first and foremost, with the required "courage to the point of rashness." She has chased a German Shepherd from our block, run a lure course, and still plays fetch with vigor and intensity. She moves faster now, on wheels, than she ever did when she was able bodied. She is not in any discomfort and most assuredly knows how to "be a dog."
As for quality of life, I hope to be reincarnated as this dog! Once we had made the decision to try to maintain her in a cart (with incontinence being an additional consideration), many lifestyle changes had to be made. Everything we do is with her comfort and well-being in mind. As a military family, our transfers are made by car so that she will not need to fly. The transfer from New York City to Kodiak, Alaska was quite an adventure. We had to learn to express her bladder, which is now part of our daily routine. Wooden furniture at our house is not very nice since the cart does quite a bit of damage during play. Ongoing minor medical issues mean frequent vet visits and consultations. When we do go somewhere that she cannot go, she must be kenneled at the vet because of her special care.
Why, you ask, would someone go to such lengths? Because, as long as her quality of life is good (and most cart dogs enjoy a good quality of life), she simply is not disposable. As long as we can afford to care for her and her quality of life is high, she should not become merely an "inconvenience" or "expense." And yes, she is very inconvenient and very expensive -- but that is not the point. It is really not much different from people who surrender their dog to the pound because they are moving and it would be too difficult or costly to take them along. Disposability is a major issue facing the dog world today, and the health of an animal (assuming a good quality of life) should not be a good reason for euthanization if the veterinary technology exists to maintain that animal in a reasonably normal way.
In 1994, the cart manufacturer that we were dealing with was producing approximately 100 carts each month. It is a non-invasive solution to a relatively common problem. Most young dogs adapt reasonably well to a cart. Owners maintain dogs which have become blind or deaf or who have epilepsy or thyroid problems all the time. They are managing a single problem with a dog through veterinary science. A cart makes it possible to manage hindquarter paralysis -- more visible perhaps, but not much different than daily medication for some other disorder. Inconvenient? Yes. Extraordinary? I think that may be in the eyes of the beholder.
Which brings me to another important point. Most cart dogs are not in the homes of people in the show community. They are extremely high maintenance animals, and most breeders and kennel owners would not keep such a dog. Should they be faulted for that? No. It's a fact of life. Could many of those dogs have a good quality of life (since that is our measure)? Of course. I believe that most cart dogs are in the homes of pet owners -- that one or two dog household where an individual dog can receive a maximum of attention and care.
Remember that at some point a breeder was responsible for the production of this dog. It is not the pet owner's fault that they were sold a dog with a genetic defect, whether it is CIDD, epilepsy, or cancer. Shouldn't we be happy that we have found a home where that dog gets the very best of care-rather than being a disposable inconvenience? Shouldn't we in the fancy try to support this effort, rather than judgmentally look down our noses and shaking our finger at them?
Now, I surely hope that owners of dogs which really do not have a good quality of life are receiving the correct veterinary advice with regard to the extension of the dogs' lives. It really lies in the hands of the vet to present the options with an eye to reality rather than "Wonderland," and does not view the owner as a bottomless checkbook.
In addition, the maintenance of these "special needs" animals by pet owners is providing many opportunities for continued research -- the paralysis studies at Purdue University spring to mind. While fanciers in some breeds are doing an excellent job of dealing with genetic disorders and pursuing research with the goal of elimination of those disorders, many are not. Many attempts at studying breed specific genetic defects are not successful in the show community, since no one wants to admit that the disorder is in "their line." Many of these dogs are euthanized and never become part of the body of research. Thank goodness that the average pet owner does not have that stigma, because it is frequently these owners that are allowing veterinary researchers to make inroads into some of these disorders. We (the show/breeding community) simply cannot afford to discourage them, but rather must unite with them towards this end.
My cart dog, Hildie, is nearly 12 years old now. I could never have imagined when we went down this road that she would last this long. She has been responsible for my interest and involvement in first competitive obedience (my second dog, a Sheltie, had to be absolutely obedient should I have a need to assist Hildie and is now a CDX) and then the world of conformation. I bought my two subsequent Dachshunds, one of which is now a champion and the other is major pointed, with an eye to structure and genetics, which I would not have had had it not been for Hildie. When I finally begin breeding Dachshunds, my goal will be to produce dogs which are sound, stable, and free from this horrible genetic disorder, as well as the other disorders which effect Dachshunds.
I expect that Hildie will not be with us much longer. A recent diagnosis of Cushing's Disease and a continued deterioration of her heart (like any old dog) will lead us to put her down sooner rather than later, I think. But she has had a full and rich life, and I defy anyone who has met her to tell me that she has not had a life with extraordinary quality.
I hope those who judge me for keeping my "cart dog" will take a minute to walk a mile in my shoes -- with my little dog rolling along beside.