Please make accommodations in your house to your senior pooch: put down throw carpets or runners wherever there are long stretches of slippery floor or corners your dog slips around.
Just as we worry that old people will fall and hurt themselves, old dogs can do the same. Their balance is not what it once was, and their hind ends are often a bit weak or wobbly, so their back legs can slip out from under them. Think of how shocking and frightening it feels if you’ve ever fallen on an icy surface when your legs flew out from beneath you. For a senior dog who isn’t steady on her feet it can be dismaying to feel unsure of her footing, and painful when she falls, causing short term or long term lameness problems or even a fracture. The nicest thing you can do for your senior dog to keep her steady on her pins is to eliminate all the slippery corners and straightaways with area rugs.
This is Sophie. She’s a certified hardwood floor traction tester. Not much traction here. 12/10 she’ll have to report it #SeniorPupSaturday pic.twitter.com/jh6zzqNkDO
— WeRateDogs® (@dog_rates) December 12, 2020
Years ago when my aging Blue Weimaraner, Billy Blue, fell twice in a long hardwood hallway, he refused to go down it anymore! He would stand at the edge of my bedroom door where there was a carpet and whine and cry, staring down the long scary hallway.
I went to Overstock.com and bought a long runner carpet. He was so grateful to be able to navigate the house safely. My current Blue Weimaraner, Maisie (also a rescue --- why do people buy Blue Weims and then discard them to shelters??) has recently fallen so badly that her back legs splayed out and she had a hard time getting up.
Her veterinary chiropractor said this was dangerous with her repaired ACL’s and disc problems and avoiding a fall was essential. Just as I did with Billy Blue years ago, I immediately went to Overstock.com and was able to pick out throw rugs for four different areas that were her nemesis. I don’t know how they do it, but you can filter exactly the size, shape, coloring and material of carpets to shop online. The carpets are wonderfully reasonable and run from $25 up --- with or without underpads --- that arrive without shipping costs in mere days. Your old dog will thank you --- and your house will get a minor makeover, too!