Suggest some shoes for my dog.......

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poiuytrewq

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Ok, not as mad as it sounds honestly!

I have a dog who has a fore leg deformity. He has been very well checked by a highly recommended vet and he confirmed pup's in no pain what so ever and that he was totally comfortable with me keeping him and in fact would feel uncomfortable at putting such a happy and in general healthy dog too sleep.

He's now 10 months and doing awesomely, he gets around fine albeit a bit odd looking but he manages and plays etc like a normal puppy would (too a degree)
He comes to work with me in the morning and in the afternoon he spends time in the house while im doing stuff. I try and keep the dogs out of the lounge which is the only room carpeted during the daytime.
We have laminate in the kitchen and slate in the conservatory and hall way. The slate is fine but as im in the kitchen much of the time this is where he wants to be.
His front legs jut out forwards so naturally on a slippery surface he slides forwards and down and ends up lying down. His rear end is 100% so he then tried to get himself going again and ends up like a play puppy stance- front legs flat out in front of him whilst his rears are running at a hundred miles an hour!
Its the only time he struggles with his condition and im currently covering the kitchen floor in duvets so he has a footing! The more he tries the worse it seems to get.
What he really needs is some sort of grip on his front pads but like what? Can anyone think of something that might help please?
 
How about speaking to a saddler? They might be able to make something up that would fit easily to his paws and stay in place. Then you could glue a rubbery type material to give grip.
 
How about some cheap rug runners on the laminate, rather than boots on the dog? Laminate can be so smooth it might be really hard to get anything that is going to give a really good grip, tbh. You can get carpet runners with rubber backing in our local Morrisons for £7 a shot though.
 
poiuytrewq said:
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Its the only time he struggles with his condition and im currently covering the kitchen floor in duvets so he has a footing! The more he tries the worse it seems to get.

What he really needs is some sort of grip on his front pads but like what? Can anyone think of something that might help please?
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To save your puppy's sense of self worth, and others from laughing, which would be cruel, then I'd source good quality (not from the dog's perspective, but as you already have slate, so the standards may just as well be maintained), kitchen quality carpet tiles.

Personally, I couldn't bear to watch a dog struggle, but then as it's not my dog, so it's not my choice.

Alec.
 
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Rubber backed vetbed or the plastic mesh stuff sold to stop things slipping - cheap if you buy the under rug version.

I can't see how duvets help stiop him slipping even if they soften the landing.
 
Alec Swan said:
To save your puppies sense of self worth, and others from laughing, which would be cruel, then I'd source good quality (not from the dog's perspective, but as you already have slate, so the standards may just as well be maintained), kitchen quality carpet tiles.

Personally, I couldn't bear to watch a dog struggle, but then as it's not my dog, so it's not my choice.

Alec.
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The above would be my first choice....otherwise try paw wax.
 
What's paw wax?
The duvets are not slippery, he can run around normally on anything other than laminate, he doesn't fall over- I may not have explained it very well sorry but he wouldn't fall and need cushioning. It was more an idea I tried as both dogs had duvets in their beds so I spread them out so he wasn't on the laminate.
Alec, I am the first not to let an animal suffer but if you could see how happy he is and how playful you would agree he's not suffering.
I made the vet apt to put him down but in the week I waited (to see a certain vet) he improved so much and continued to do so.
If a person had a strange gait we'd not shoot them!
 
My old lad had a set of GripTrex Bark N Boots as per the post above - I got them for going over rough terrain and after he got a massive shard of glass in a paw once as some scummy folks by us had been breaking beer bottles everywhere.

As it turned out one leg was slightly skinnier than the other, and one of them used to come off when he ran - but that aside they were pretty good for walking and gave excellent grip on tricky surfaces.

I guess you could try them, or put down a cheap rug!
 
There are some rugged ones out there, some even look like a pair of human trainers!
I made a set for a client a few years back and I used 2 new £3 car floor mats cut up, sewed in a lining to stop the rubber from rubbing the dog's leg, added velcro to do it up with, sewed 2 halves together (outside faces together) and then turned inside out and you have a pair of dog boots. Hard to sew on a machine though (even my big industrial machines) and not a job I'd do again.
Oz
 
I am intrigued...do neither of his forelegs work? Yet the vet thinks he will lead a happy helthy life? Odd. I hope he never tries to cock his leg to wee!
 
I have a jrtx with very bowed front legs, he can't go for long walks (over a mile) but other than that he's a really happy boisterous dog :) He should have had his legs straightened as a pup but no-one bothered and by the time I had him it was too late. I like the look of the paws dog boot as they seem very light and non-intrusive. Would swimming help your pup? Good luck, he's a lucky boy to have found you!
 
Thanks Maisie! I think swimming might help him yes, he will never be normal but the change in the last few months is huge as he's been building up muscle which he had so little of.
I'm waiting for the weather to warm up a bit then will take him to swim - he did jump in our garden pond a while ago so think he'd enjoy it ;)
Do you find people can be a bit funny at first about him?
 
I think swimming would be excellent for him, my daughter's horse injured a hind leg tendon and we left him at an equine pool livery for 6 weeks and it really helped the leg to heal and strengthen. I would have tried it for my dog but he had been like it for too long and anyway he can go from zero to 60 mph in about about10 seconds :) it's just long walks he finds difficult. I actually bought a buggy for him at the beginning as I also have a lurcher so needed to walk quite a long way :-O I think a few people found me pushing this quite amusing but were very polite about it and frankly it never bothered me. I don't use it so much now as I go on shorter walks. I would say as long as your dog is not in pain he has as much right to life as a Cruft's champion ! I find that people are very sympathetic and interested about Harley's funny little legs and don't laugh at him. Perhaps getting some runners as already suggested would make it easier for him to get around. Hope you have fun together he certainly sounds as if he has a lovely home and that is the most important thing!
 
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