Its been one year since Buckeye lost his front leg to cancer and officially became a Tripawd. He's 15 years old and already had arthritis in his hind legs from blowing out both of his "ACLs" throughout his life even before he had his amputation. We knew it would be a rough road to recovery for him considering his age and condition, but he came through like a champ, and his mood has actually been better since the amputation than it was before. Unfortunately, now things have gotten really bad with his mobility. Because of the arthritis in his rear knees, and now in his back, he can't go more than maybe 20 steps (actually more like 20 hops) without getting tired. Because of the issues with his hind legs he can't get into a sitting position (he does this very slow, painful looking lowering into a laying position instead). He slowly starts bending his legs, like they are too weak to hold him up, when he is standing at his bowl to eat or drink and often leans against the wall or loses his balance and falls into his food or water dish. His lone front leg seems tired from carrying most of the weight, and his back legs are getting skinnier and skinnier. I took him into the vet for a "quality of life exam" because I was so worried about him. He obviously has quite a bit of trouble walking, has a touch of senility, is deaf, and is partly blind at this point as well. I was 99% sure the vet was going to say I should put him down (I was crying everyday leading up to that appointment), BUT much to my delight the vet said that old Buckeye has a strong heart, great sounding lungs, still enjoys food and clearly loves his people! He reassured me that Buckeye is NOT in a severe amount of pain, but did increase his pain meds to include Tramadol.

Soooo, since it seems like my baby has no intention of leaving this world any time soon, I am really wondering if he would benefit from a wheelchair !?? Is that what they are even called for dogs? The 2 problems are that (1) I have no idea what kind would be good. Do I get one for front legs since he is missing his front leg, or do I get one for back legs since his are so weak? (2) I don't have the financial means to get him a wheel chair . They seem really expensive for a decent one, but I don't really know what all the options are out there for them anyway.

Does anyone have any experience with getting their Tripawd a wheelchair ? Are there any programs or charities to help cover the costs? Is a wheelchair even something that would be helpful for him? I know he isn't going to last another 10 years or anything, but I want to make every day that he has left as enjoyable for him as I possibly can. He clearly WANTS to be moving around and following us and having some fun, and he sure tries. I just really wish I could help him to do it more easily and with less pain. I NEED YOUR WISDOM AND SUGGESTIONS!!