Fudge Posted July 9, 2007 Share Posted July 9, 2007 My little red fawn girl, Hope will be 13 in September. She is doing great physically but I can see a little weakness in the hindend.....just this past week she has slipped several times coming down the carpeted stairs. I'm not sure if it is the hindend weakness or that her paw pads seem to be REALLY smooth. I wish my feet were that smooth She runs up the stairs with no problems. She does walkies with no problem but I noticed if we stand chatting with a neighbor for a period of time her hindend starts to droop so we get going home. Her eyesight is not as good as it used to be....it does look like she has a difficult time seeing coming down the steps and at night. I'm afraid she will slip and really hurt herself coming down the stairs. She loves to sleep on my bed when I'm not home and look out the window so I hesitate gating off the upstairs. I've purchased Tacky Fingers to give a try on her paw pads but I'm not sure that will do anything since it doesn't seem to stay tacky on my fingers for very long. Any one with experience or advise? I have not had her on glucosamine because she has been so spry and I'm not sure that helps with the hindend weakness anyways (could it be spinal stenosis) or just slippery paws and is there anyway to roughen up the paws without pain? Thanks for any ideas or advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest meandmygreys Posted July 9, 2007 Share Posted July 9, 2007 Her rear end is getting wobbly.most likely due to her age catching up with her..I had to build a ramp for mine...I'd watch her or els she'll do a header down the stairs.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ola Posted July 9, 2007 Share Posted July 9, 2007 How about gating her upstairs, instead of gating the upstairs off? Or does she need access to the downstairs while you're gone? Since your stairs are already carpeted, I'm not sure if there is anything else that you could put down to give her more traction...sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fudge Posted July 9, 2007 Author Share Posted July 9, 2007 Maybe I'll try gating her and Zoe downstairs while I'm not home....Hope will be pouting for sure but I do not want any headers down the stairs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest meandmygreys Posted July 9, 2007 Share Posted July 9, 2007 Her rear end is getting wobbly.most likely due to her age catching up with her..I had to build a ramp for mine...I'd watch her or els she'll do a header down the stairs.. I am speaking from experience..I had to build one down the back stairs to the ground so Bonnie could go out to potty...she took a header from the top stair one day and that was enough for me !! I would maybe gate her downstairs if I could. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fudge Posted July 9, 2007 Author Share Posted July 9, 2007 Her rear end is getting wobbly.most likely due to her age catching up with her..I had to build a ramp for mine...I'd watch her or els she'll do a header down the stairs.. I am speaking from experience..I had to build one down the back stairs to the ground so Bonnie could go out to potty...she took a header from the top stair one day and that was enough for me !! I would maybe gate her downstairs if I could. You don't mean a ramp for a whole flight of stairs?!!! Thank goodness there is only one step to the outside front and back for her to navigate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greytlady94 Posted July 9, 2007 Share Posted July 9, 2007 Maybe I'll try gating her and Zoe downstairs while I'm not home....Hope will be pouting for sure but I do not want any headers down the stairs That's probably a really good idea. Area rugs to make her pathways would help a lot too. Quote Greyhound angels at the bridge- Casey, Charlie, Maggie, Molly, Renie, Lucy & Teddy. Beagle angels Peanut and Charlie. And to all the 4 legged Bridge souls who have touched my heart, thank you. When a greyhound looks into you eyes it seems they touch your very soul. "A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more then he loves himself". Josh Billings Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LynnM Posted July 9, 2007 Share Posted July 9, 2007 (edited) First off, wide angle vision seems to be the first thing to go in a LOT of older dogs. Even though doorways are "right in front" of the dog, they can be intimidating, particularly if the dog is going through an opening from light to dark or vice versa. If there is a light in your stairwell or at the top of the steps, replace the bulb with the brightest wattage that the socket will accept. There are some compact fluorescent bulbs out there that are phenomenally bright. I have them in my bedroom- got them when I had a foster who needed daily care that required good light (IV's, fluids, splint changes, etc) and they've come in handy for lots of fosters since. Her pads are smooth because she's an inside dog accustomed to soft surfaces (carpet inside, grass/sand outside). There's nothing wrong with it, it's just the way it is. Make sure her nails are short (I know it's easy to let toenails go on old dogs.... I'm guilty of letting Joplin's get over-long sometimes). Short nails make the biggest difference when it comes to traction. Encourage her to "slow down"... work with her on stairs sort of like you were teaching them for the first time- hand on collar and all that. Take her up the steps at a slow pace. If she is pulling, tell her "slow down". Practice ad nauseum.... It'll be good exercise for her. If she knows any obedience commands or tricks (sit, down, catch, whatever), practice those and make it fun... even teach her a new one or two. Keeping her sharp mentally is important. Go on gentle leash walks, if you don't already. Exercise is important, even for older hounds. I love to hike, and even my 12 year old is capable of some of the short 1-1.5 mile loop trails that are around town. Trails will also help toughen her pads back up a little bit. Old dogs do lose muscle... it's part of aging. I hate that Joplin isn't the muscular dog that he was even 2 years ago, but he's still a VERY young 12 year old. I try to keep him as active as is safe for him. Activity also helps stave off cognitive impairment issues that do happen with the very elderly. You mentioned that you haven't been supplementing with glucosamine, etc... if it was my dog, I'd start (I'm no supplement nut, but glucosamine/chondroitin does seem to have real effect), and possibly a high quality antioxidant supplement that has Vitamins A, C, E and Choline for retaining mental function. Lynn Edited July 9, 2007 by LynnM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fudge Posted July 9, 2007 Author Share Posted July 9, 2007 Wow! Thanks Lynn and everyone for all the info. We are doing the exercise part, I'll tell you Hope has more energy than Zoe my 7 year old. We usually walk one to two miles a day except in the heat on sidewalks and macadem...so I'm not sure why her paws are so smooth. I didn't even think about the lighting, I will make adjustments; and I'm printing your post to go down the list to do including the glucosamine and vitamins (for me too ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahicks51 Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 It'll probably come off too fast for practical use, but "paw wax" can make the pads less prone to slipping: http://www.handsnpaws.com/product/DOHLTH370101 Quote Coco (Maze Cocodrillo) Minerva (Kid's Snipper) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fudge Posted July 10, 2007 Author Share Posted July 10, 2007 It'll probably come off too fast for practical use, but "paw wax" can make the pads less prone to slipping: http://www.handsnpaws.com/product/DOHLTH370101 I tried that and unfortunately it comes off very fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fudge Posted July 10, 2007 Author Share Posted July 10, 2007 (edited) I did pick up one of those new energy saving fluorescent lights 25 watts equals 100 watts! for the bottom of the stairs. Her nails are trimmed. We did some tricks last night and this morning to keep the brain stimulated. I've watching her come down the stairs and telling her to slow down and she is (when I am watching). But then her front legs slide of the stair step and she almost fell It feels like a 100 degrees here in PA today so no long walkies today but we will play in the yard late tonight. Investigated vitamins and glucosamine and found out that choline is lethicin? (sp?)....I'm not sure what brand or what to get yet. Plus, I vacuumed and ruffed up the carpet nap on the stairs for Hope to have more traction. Rubber carpets on floor at bottom of stairs. I have not gated them downstairs yet. So, I basically spent all this morning before work getting the house ready for Hope so she doesn't fall....I LOVE that Girl!!!!! Edited July 10, 2007 by Fudge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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