Our pets are part of our family, and there’s nothing worse than seeing your furry friend suffer from an illness or injury. Milce Cankovik Kadejevic experienced this when her dog, Bak, crushed a spinal disk. Belgrade veterinarians advised Kadejevic to euthanize Bak, but she knew there had to be another way.
That’s when she heard about Dragan Dimitrijevic, who creates wheelchairs for animals with disabilities.
Dimitrijevic’s first wheelchair was made for his dog, Mica, after she suffered from a spinal injury. Using small wheels, plastic pipes and old belts, the wheelchair worked, and Mica was back to playing in the park in no time! Although the invention was homemade from used materials, word spread quickly among dog lovers in Serbia, and it didn’t take long before Dimitrijevic was taking orders for his wheelchair concept.
Turning a Passion into a Business
Over the past three years, Dimitrijevic has produced about 80 wheelchairs for dogs and cats with physical disabilities. He has turned his passion for animals into a small business, serving many happy customers and their pets in Serbia and other Balkan countries. “I have a soft spot for dogs,” Dimitrijevic told The Associated Press. “A wheelchair is not a cure, but it enables them to run, sniff, do all the things other dogs normally do.”
Veterinarian Dragan Bacic agrees and explains that wheelchairs for pets will help animals get the exercise they need while preventing any further or additional injuries when they go outside. Dimitrijevic has a consultation with a veterinarian for each wheelchair that is made so he can adapt it to fit the individual pet and the nature of his or her injuries.
Pet Mobility in the US
Here in the US, there of plenty of options in regards to mobility assistance for pets. Ranging from wheel carts to walkers, pets are able to enjoy all kinds of play with a chair that specifically fits their needs. So, whether your pet is going for a walk in the park in Minneapolis or jumping in one of your wheelchair vans for a road trip, they’ll be able to do it easily, without any pain or movement restrictions.
Do you have a pet that uses mobility assistance equipment? How has it improved their way of life? Share your story or a picture with us in a comment below!