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We have a wonderful tripod 8-year-old Samoyed named Roscoe. He lost his right front leg to bone cancer in his paw two years ago. We adopted him as a rescue dog. He gets around fine on three legs — goes up and down stairs and uses a dog door to go outside.
He has a difficulty with sliding on the parts of our floors that don't have rugs. Are there any devices that might fit on his left front paw that would give him more traction when getting up, lying down and crossing over these areas? I have imagined devising some sort of suction pad paw covering for him.
Someone had suggested a bootie. But he is very protective of his remaining front leg and paw and does not like it to be messed with (understandably). A bootie might be annoying for him.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Shelley
I agree with you not to mess with any of his paws. Slip-proof the floorings is the safest. Consider placing carpet runners on the slippery surface where Roscoe goes to frequently.
Hi Shelley, thanks so much for joining us here at Tripawds!
We second Genie's thoughts...it's easier to slip proof floors than to force him to put stuff on his paws that he doesn't want on him. My pawrents tried booties for me but I was sooo miserable. Some dogs, like our friend Tazzie, don't mind at all. Tazzie's Mom uses a sock, and then puts on a bootie, which keeps the bootie from sliding around. Tazzie doesn't mind at all. But as for me, it was easier for my pawrents to add extra runners throughout the house than to watch me be miserable with a bootie on my paw.
Slippery floors can lead to an accident, which can in turn really mess with our heads and make us less enthusiastic about following our pack leader around. That could really affect our quality of life.
So do what you can to add traction to your floors, and I promise you, your pup will find a way to navigate them and keep on truckin'!
Good luck.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thanks for the feedback everyone! That's really what we are doing (putting down floor coverings) rather than messing with his paw. Just thought I'd see if anyone had ever done this with any success. As I said in my first post, his remaining front limb is very important and he is quite protective of it.
He's such a great dog. I plan to put up a picture of him soon.
🙂
Shelley
Has anyone tried any of the adhesive neoprene Paw Pads or paw waxes? They look like potentially good solutions, if they actually work and are reasonably cost effective.
We found the best traction solution on hardwood floors to be carpet runners.
Here are the product links Borzoid provided in the topic about Smokey coming home regarding paw traction ...
The 3 brands that I can find now are: Eight In One Excel Paw Wax , Shaws Paw Wax, and Tacky Paws. We’ve used them at dog shows when we have to run around on slick tile or cement flooring. They also condition the pads and keep them from cracking. Great stuff.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Yes, I'd seen two of those paw waxes for sale but the reviews ran the gamut from “crap” to “great!” and I was hoping some tripod owners had tried one of them. I'll put a review up here if I try any.
Our dog is doing just fine at home (it's been exactly 2 weeks since the amputation and his balance is great–he's even close to mastering the raised-leg pee), but the floors at the vet school are very slick tile, and I can tell it makes him nervous. I'm not afraid that he'll fall, really, I'd just like to minimize his stress while there as much as possible. Other than the floors, he actually seemed to be enjoying himself there–when I walked past him in the clinics, he almost didn't notice me, he was too busy hamming it up for the techs! The happier he is there, the better, since he's going to be seeing an awful lot of it over the next few months…
The happier the better indeed ... that makes us all happy. Thanks for the update!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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