The LOOBANI Sling That Got My Old Dog Up the Steps

Last January we got a stretch of ice I could not keep ahead of with salt. Duchess, my 9-year-old Labrador, got to the bottom of the three porch steps and stopped. She looked up at the door, then back at me, and her back legs just would not organize themselves. I am 61 and she is about 64 pounds. I had been lifting her, and my lower back was filing complaints. That morning I put a towel under her hindquarters and we made it up one step at a time. It worked, but a towel is a temporary answer.

I bought a LOOBANI rear support sling about ten months ago, size Large, and it has hung on a hook by the back door ever since. I am not going to tell you it fixed her hips. She was diagnosed with hip dysplasia and early arthritis at age 7. Our vet handles the diagnosis and the dosing. What the sling does is simpler: it lets me take some of her weight on the steps so she can keep using her legs instead of me carrying her. That is the whole job.

The sling is adjustable and lined with a soft, sheepskin-like material. I slip it under her hindquarters, take up the slack, and walk beside her. The first few times we practiced on the flat concrete in the pole barn, no steps, just a few feet forward and a stop. She was used to it in a few days. Dogs read your tension, so I kept my voice low and did not rush her. Now she stands still while I set it.

I did not buy this instead of the other things. Duchess has been on Cosequin Maximum Strength since the age-7 diagnosis, and we added salmon oil about a year ago, both on our vet's suggestion. She sleeps on an orthopedic bed in the living room. Eight months ago I added a folding ramp for the truck because lifting her into the back seat was getting old for both of us. The sling is the piece for the porch steps and icy ground.

The difference is not dramatic in a movie sense. It is the difference between a bad morning that ends with both of us frustrated and a bad morning that ends with her inside the kitchen and me drinking coffee. On good days she does the steps on her own and the sling stays on the hook. On cold mornings, after a long day, or when the ground is slick, I use it. Ten months in, that is the honest report.

What it does not do: it does not rebuild cartilage, it does not replace medication, and it does not make a dog who is in real pain comfortable. If your dog yelps or refuses to bear weight, that is a vet call, not a sling problem. It is a lift assist. You are still doing the work of walking beside your dog and paying attention.

The sling did not make her young again. It made a bad morning something we could get through without me lifting 64 pounds with my back.

My routine is boring and that is the point. Duchess sleeps downstairs. In the morning she goes out the back door, down the three steps, and across the yard. Coming back is the harder direction. I take the sling off the hook, fold it once, and keep it in my hand while she walks. If she starts to lag, I set it under her and take a little weight. At the door I shake it out and hang it back up. The LOOBANI sling is nylon, so mud brushes off, and the care tag says machine wash. I have washed it twice.

The truck is a separate problem. Duchess rides on the back seat of the crew cab, never loose in the bed. The ramp handles that. The sling is not for lifting her into the truck; it is for the steps and for helping her stand after she has been lying on the concrete in the pole barn. Mixing up the tools wastes time. Ramp for the truck, sling for the steps, bed for the night. That is the system.

Our vet did not sell me the sling or name a brand. He said the goal is to keep her moving without letting her get so sore that she stops. He also said to keep her lean, which is its own daily job. The sling fits that advice because it lets her use her own legs. If she were completely unable to bear weight, we would be talking about a different setup and a follow-up visit. I am not a vet. I am a guy with a bad back and a good dog.

One thing I would check before you buy: the weight range. The listing puts the Large at 15 to 30 kilograms. Duchess is right at the top of that. If your dog is heavier, call the company or ask your vet before you trust a sling to take the load. Also practice on flat ground first. Do not start on stairs with a dog that has never worn one. And keep the storage bag. It folds down small enough to hang by the door or toss in the truck.

What I'd Tell You If We Were Sitting at My Kitchen Table

I would tell you not to wait for a crisis. The first icy morning is a bad time to figure out how a sling works. Buy it, practice it on a Tuesday when nobody is in a hurry, and keep it where you can reach it with one hand. I would tell you to get the vet involved early, because hip dysplasia and arthritis are diagnoses, not guesses. I would tell you the sling is not a cure. It is a way to keep your dog moving and keep your own back intact while you do the other things. Duchess is 9. She still wants to go out to the barn with me. The sling is how we get down the steps and back up again. That is worth more to me than a dramatic story.