How to Make a Dog Wheel Chair From a Human Wheel Chair

When a pet can no longer walk independently, it can be hard to know what to do. Pet-lovers may face the difficult decision of spending thousands of dollars on treatment or euthanasia before it is medically necessary. One alternative might be a customized canine wheelchair, however, this is a fairly expensive option, ranging anywhere from $250 to $500, as of 2010. There is a fourth option, which provides handicapped dogs with the benefits of research-supported custom-made wheelchairs, at a fraction of the cost for the owners. This simple and cost-effective alternative involves the construction of homemade canine wheelchairs with human wheelchair materials.

Things You'll Need

  • Human wheelchair
  • 2 Carabiners
  • 2 ¼" pins
  • 2 ¼" eye bolts with nuts
  • 2 Pieces of heavy walled conduit or bar
  • Dog harness
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Instructions

    • 1
      Human wheelchairs contain most of the materials that you will need

      Find and purchase a used wheelchair. These can be purchased for $20 to $30 (as of 2011) at many secondhand stores, hospitals or equipment retailers. Remove all unneeded wheelchair parts, including the cross brace (X-shaped bars beneath the chair), the canvas on the back of the chair (save this for later use as a replacement seat) and footrests.

    • 2

      Cut the cross brace off of the chair and replace it with the bar or piece of conduit. Either choose to bolt this into place by inserting two eye bolts and fastening them with nuts, or by welding the conduit to the underside of the chair.

    • 3

      Bolt or weld the other piece of conduit or bar horizontally at the top of the chair's handles for added support and stability.

    • 4

      Unscrew one side of the wheelchair's seat, where it is attached to the frame. Widen these holes by drilling so that they are large enough to accommodate eye bolts. Replace two of the screws with eye bolts.

    • 5

      Drill additional holes on the vertical side bars that adjust the height of the wheelchair. Drill these at 1 to 2 inch intervals to ensure that the seat height is adjustable to the height of your dog. Insert each carabiner into an eye bolt on either side of the chair.

    • 6

      Replace the seat, adjust it to the estimated height of your dog, then insert the pins to hold it in place. Drop the seat and allow dog to step into position. Fasten the carabiners back into eyebolts and attach harness to the sides of the chair to hold your dog in place.