The Haute Wheels is the latest in a growing collection of dogs wheelchairs that has been specifically designed for dogs who need a little help leading the active life they deserve.
Investing in the Haute Wheels is a great way to provide your dog with the mobility they need, without having to sacrifice their comfort or safety. The wheelchair is made from high-quality materials and construction, so you can be sure that it will last long and provide your dog with the support they need.
If you are looking for a way to help your dog move around more easily, then the Haute Wheels Dog Wheelchair is definitely worth considering. It is a well-made product that rivals some of the other dog carts we’ve reviewed, from better known brands such as Walkin Wheels or Best Friend Mobility.
How does this particular model compare? Let’s take a look in our full Haute Wheels Review!
Haute Wheels Review: Best Dog Wheelchair Design?
The Haute Wheels dog wheelchair is created to help dogs regain their mobility and freedom after suffering surgeries, degenerative conditions, advanced age, or injuries.
To this end, Haute Wheels comes in 7 fully adjustable sizes, ensuring that almost every breed, from toy dogs to giant breeds, get the help they need to move around.
The Haute Wheels appears to be the first iteration of dog wheelchairs made by the company; however, it has the features to rival other dog wheelchair manufacturers. It certainly looks the part, too.
With a modern design and high quality finish, this is one of the best looking dog wheelchair designs we’ve seen so far.
More importantly though – it can have a transformative effect on your best friend’s quality of life.
The design is light enough to encourage a full range of movement from your dog. It’s not a weighty burden (as some cheaper or DIY wheelchairs tend to be). That stems from the lightweight aluminium frames that add minimal excess weight, whilst still providing a durable and resilient support base.
Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons:
Pros
- Padded lifting and leading leash features enable you to use different types of harnesses with Haute Wheels.
- The lightweight aluminum frame is super durable and built to last.
- The stirrups are removable to enable either dogs with fully paralyzed hind legs or weakened legs to use this dog wheelchair.
- Haute Wheels can be seamlessly and quickly assembled or disassembled thanks to its modular design.
- The Large and X-large dog wheelchairs provide additional stabilization pieces to ensure the dog wheelchair can withstand the additional weight.
Cons
- The X-Large dog wheelchair can weigh 12.40 pounds, which might be too large for some owners to carry around.
- It can take a while to familiarise yourself with the process of getting your dog in and out of the Haute Wheels design.
Things to Consider Before Buying Haute Wheels
Having an immobile dog can be a frustrating experience, especially when the dog used to be extremely active. Fortunately, a dog wheelchair can help support the dog enabling them to become active again.
However, before you think about purchasing a dog wheelchair, there are some things you need to consider.
Will It Fit Through Door Frames?
The first thing to consider is if your dog will be able to go through the doorway with the Haute Wheels.
This shouldn’t be an issue for the most part, although it might require a bit of maneuvering on your dog’s part. One way to help your dog with this it considers the dimensions of the Haute Wheels while also measuring the door frame.
How Will My Dog Relieve Himself In The Wheelchair?
Before you purchase a dog wheelchair, you will also have to consider if the wheelchair enables your dog to do its business or if it hinders it.
Not every dog wheelchair is designed like Haute Wheels, which provides a feature that lets your dog poop and pee with minimal or no mess. The rear harness is a reinforced channel that provides urinary direction and support for male dogs.
The Haute Wheels is very well designed for comfort breaks.
How Long Can The Haute Wheels Be Used For?
You also have to consider if you intend to have your dog in the wheelchair for an extended period. Dogs are active all the time, and they will require periods of rest where they simply lay down. If you don’t want to constantly remove the dog wheelchair for your dog to sit down, you will need to ensure you get one that provides this feature.
The Haute Wheels dog wheelchair doesn’t have this feature as it is an active wheelchair, meaning that it can only be used when your dog is active. To ensure your dog doesn’t spend too much time in the wheelchair, you should consider providing it a break for about 20 minutes for every 1 hour of active use.
When considering this, you should remember that the amount of time your dog stays in the wheelchair might differ from other dogs.
What Type of Support Does My Dog Need?
Haute Wheels is a rear support dog wheelchair.
Before you get a dog wheelchair, you will need to consider the type of support your dog requires. For example, if your dog has limited to no mobility in its hind legs, then a rear support dog wheelchair is best for it. You can also use a rear support dog wheelchair for a dog that requires more help moving its hind legs.
With this in mind, you should note that some dog wheelchairs come with stirrups in which you can put your dog’s legs in. If your dog still has a bit of movement in its hind limbs, then the stirrups are unnecessary.
The Haute Wheels dog wheelchair comes with detachable stirrups.
If your dog has lost the use of its hind limbs, you can put them in the stirrup to prevent injury when using the wheelchair.
How Long Will It Take For A Dog To Adjust To A Wheelchair?
You should also consider the length of time it might take for your dog to become acclimated to the Haute Wheels. Some dogs seem to take to the wheelchair almost instantly, others will do so over a few days.
A good design certainly helps, and the Haute Wheels does a much better job with comfort than the majority of commercial dog wheelchairs.
Nevertheless, some dogs take even longer to get comfortable with these devices.
You have to understand that this is a process you cannot rush. A way to help is to simply practice, praise, and be patient when aiding your dog to get comfortable with the dog wheelchair.
Before getting a dog wheelchair, you should know that having a dog in a wheelchair is not the same as having an able-bodied dog. This means you should never leave your dog unattended while in the Haute Wheels. When your dog is left unattended, it could trip over an object or become caught on something, which can, in turn, result in injury.
You should also note that just because your dog is in a wheelchair doesn’t mean it cannot play with other dogs. One of the benefits of the Haute Wheels dog wheelchair is that it can enable your dog to socialize again.
You should note that other dogs might require some time to get used to wheelchair walks, so you should observe your dog’s interaction. Nevertheless, the dogs will become comfortable seeing and smelling the dog wheelchair in no time.
How The Haute Wheels Is Designed For Comfort
Comfort appears to be one of the watchwords when Haute Wheels created this dog wheelchair.
The Haute Wheels dog wheelchair comes with a comfortable padded rear and front harness. The lightweight aluminum frame offers durable and flexible mobility for dogs of all sizes.
The belly belt that provides spinal and stomach support is padded to ensure your dog remains comfortable while in the wheelchair.
Considering there is a wide variation in dimensions even in the same breed, the Haute Wheels has adjustable wheel struts and frames, which let you fit the height, length, and width to your dog’s specifications.
It’s clear that a lot of time has gone in to making this one of the most intuitive wheelchairs on the market.
Removable foot straps enable dogs with paralyzed rear limbs to use the Haute Wheels dog wheelchair without injury from dragging their limbs.
Again, thanks to its design, you can seamlessly disassemble this wheelchair. It has a flat pack design for convenient travel or storage – all made portable thanks to the additional carrying case.
Is The Haute Wheels Worth It?
Our mantra is that an active dog is a happy dog.
When it comes to encouraging activity in older dogs, the Haute Wheels does a fantastic job.
This dog wheelchair helps your dog move around unaided and comes with features that provide much needed comfort – perfect if you are nervous about ensuring your pup transitions smoothly to using a pet wheelchair.
The considerate design ensures that your dog can eliminate without any problems even while in the wheelchair. Adjustable stirrups are included, helping keep any paralyzed rear limbs from further damage while in motion.
Overall, this is a well thought out design that is sure to bring happiness to a lot of dogs and owners. Thumbs up!