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  1. #1
    twowhat? is offline Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
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    Default 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.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
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    Default

    Could you put a ramp in? That would be a fairly easy solution.

    More long term build a wooden platform over the concrete steps with less steep steps.


    Sent from my iPhone using Baby Bargains

  3. #3
    kdeunc is offline Sapphire level (2000+ posts)
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    Default

    We are going through some of the same issues in our house. You can buy ramps for dogs but she may not use it. We bought one for our English Mastiff puppy to be able to get in the back of our SUV. I thought it would also be a great option on the stairs for our 10 year old German Shepherd with hip issues. He is/was not a fan! It might be worth a try. You can also buy boots with rubber bottoms if she will keep those on her paws to help with slipping in the house. Good luck!
    Kelly

    DS 1 12-02
    DS 2 12-04
    DD 07-08

  4. #4
    Kestrel is offline Sapphire level (2000+ posts)
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    Default

    you can put a piece of carpet scrap as a runner on the stairs - it will pad some and give traction. It will get trashed being outside, but if you go to a carpet place, tell them what size to need, and that you don't care about color/pattern, you can generally get something super cheap.

    For the wood floors, no easy solution. We put in mats at the transition points and at the feeding area, but still have issues sometimes.

  5. #5
    urquie is offline Emerald level (3000+ posts)
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