Help me make our house doggie-ADA-friendly
Our dog is really really old. She's a medium sized 40 lb mutt somewhere between 16-17 years old, which is very old for a not-small dog. She has started having issues getting around the house, but the problem is that she doesn't THINK she has issues, so she can hurt herself. For example, our backyard is 3 steps down from a concrete exposed aggregate patio. Exposed aggregate is great for grip/not slipping...but not so great if you fall on it - you really scrape yourself up. The dog has been running up the steps and grossly misjudging, resulting in some pretty scary looking face-slams into the concrete exposed aggregate steps as she totally misses one, with the resulting bloody scrapes since her fur is not as thick as it used to be - this is probably the biggest thing. I'm not sure what to do about the steps - she is CAPABLE of getting up/down but NOT capable of making good decisions about her speed and distance. Cover the steps with a runner to soften the blow/reduce scrape injuries? Somehow put a ramp over the steps?
Inside the house she just mostly slips because we have wood floors. I know putting runners down is the easiest thing to do but has anyone tried a paw wax or lotion that does NOT leave residue on wood floors? I'd prefer not to throw runners everywhere because then they are actually a trip hazard for the elderly humans that also walk through our house...
She is such a sweet and very old dog and we're bracing ourselves to lose her and want to make sure she's as comfortable as possible.
