Boots or socks for traction - Page 1

I'm looking for suggestions on brands of booties or socks to put on my 11 year old shepherd Bravo for stability and traction in the house on wood floors.  We now have wood floors throughout and he is struggling.  He has arthritis as well as a progressive neurological issue that's probably DM.  He nearly fell down the stairs last night after I thought I had rigged things so that he would stay sleeping downstairs. He determinedly got around it and made it half way up before losing his balance and slipping back down.  Poor guy.  I hate to have to put up gates for now and thought maybe no slip socks or boots would do the trick with a support harness.  I would really appreciate any suggestions.  Thanks!

For our old boy, Thor, we used booties (Muttluks) and put carpet runners through the main travel areas. One thing to keep in mind, you can't leave the boots on all the time or their poor paws get very moist and sweaty. I don't think the boots did a great job, but they helped a little. Adding the carpet/rugs helped most.

I use these boots for hiking, great traction - .http://www.backcountryk9.com/Products/Ruffwear-Grip-Trex.  You can buy them as a set of four or individually.  

Good luck with your old guy.

I've tried a lot of different brands, and for my money, I've had the best results with Pawtectors brand dog booties. Completely waterproof, and they provided my senior dogs with excellent traction on slick-surfaced floors of wood, tile & vinyl, as well as sure footing on ice. They also hold up very well to usage, though I didn't have cause to use them on concrete sidewalks which I expect would accelerate the rate of wear. 

If you're looking for something that can be worn by the dog full-time, though, the booties aren't going to be the answer. I haven't tried these Paw-Pads Self-Adhesive Traction Pads yet, though I'm thinking of ordering a set to see how well they work for my 100# senior dog who has a tendency to try and run across the kitchen floor and then can't stop quick enough to avoid jamming his paws into the heels of my bare feet...

That said, even the best traction isn't going to help correct balance deficits, so it sounds like you're going to need to become enamoured of gates to block off your stairs, in Bravo's best interest--you'll never forgive yourself if you try to avoid using them only to have your fella fall down a flight and injure himself in even the very least of degrees. There are plenty of gate options that are pass-through versions now, with a locking mechanism to keep clever dogs from figuring out how to open them. Such gates kept my seniors from attempting stairs on valor rather than ability, to ensure they were on them only when I was there assisting them with the support harness.

Sorry to hear your boy is having neuro compromise; has cauda equina or one or more herniated disks been ruled out as possible sources of those problems? It's not uncommon for any senior GSD that develops neurologic decline affecting the hindquarters to be automatically assigned a diagnosis of DM, which of course offers few options to do anything more than try to slow the progresssion; whereas cauda equina or herniated disks can be successfully aleviated surgically, giving an affected dog additional years of activity even in the face of age-related arthritic changes. Worth consideration, whether it's a five year old or a ten year old dog.

Hope this is of some help.

Thank you eveyone for the feedback.  I found some no slip socks at the pet store that work okay.  Stairs were still rough even with those and my support though, so I'm going to gate it off.  I definitely don't want him hurting himself.   Hexe, how does the vet test for cauda equina or herniated disk?  He had bloodwork and a thorough exam, but the vet said it looked like probably DM and I didn't want to pay a bunch of money for tests with no change in treatment.  I'll look into cauda equina though.  He's due for another check up fairly soon.  I'll be sure to bring those up.  Thanks!

Least expensive and invasive diagnostic option is basic x-rays of the spine; more definitive but clearly MUCH more expensive, and much more invasive and risky, would be an MRI, which the last time I had reason to check a cost on that I was quoted USD$3000.  That said, if you're near a vet school that has a neuro specialist, or there's such a specialist in the area [the vet school in my state doesn't presently have a neuro vet, because the last ones left to open their own practices], it would be worth the cost of a consult and basic exam with spinal x-rays. I think you may be surprised to find the fees for either location would be much more reasonable than you'd expect--and for a neuro diagnosis, it's best to have it come from someone who specializes in just that part of the field.