Tips to keep dogs from slip-sliding away

In the past few months, my dog Keeper, who is about 11 years old, has developed a wobbly rear end as a result of neurological condition.

He slips and slides on our wood floors, goes splat on the tile as he leans over to drink out of his water bowl, and often falls to the side as he sways his way up the pet steps to the sofa, his favored resting spot. Sometimes he has problems scrambling back up when he slides into frog-dog position.

Because of his age and condition, Keeper is not the best candidate for surgery, so we're working on improving his environment to make it easier for him to get around.

But it's not only dogs like Keeper that have problems with slipping. It's all too easy for dogs with arthritis, hip dysplasia or neurological problems to injure themselves in a fall. If you have a senior dog or one with mobility issues, try these ideas:

We have several large area rugs as well as half a dozen or so throw rugs throughout the house. Nonskid rugs are great in homes with golden-age dogs that may become incontinent because of kidney disease or as a side effect of heart medication, to name just a couple of potential causes.

But with Keeper's new difficulty in getting around, we needed more. I went to HomeGoods and purchased five. My husband laid them out along Keeper's most frequent pathways: to the kitchen, to the bedroom and to the "man cave" that he and my husband share.

Yoga matting can be cut to size and is a popular and less expensive alternative to throw rugs. Both are easily cleaned.

We also purchased some nonslip rubber "grips" that fit over a dog's toenails to help prevent falls and improve traction. He's worn them for only a couple of days so far, but they seem to give him a little help on the slick floor. With a little more use, he may develop better ability to get around. A plus is that he doesn't seem to notice that he's wearing them, so he's not biting at them or otherwise trying to remove them.

Options we haven't tried yet are nonskid pads that adhere to the bottom of the paw, dog socks with nonskid bottoms and paw-grip sprays or balms that are meant to help improve traction on slick floors. Based on reviews, these items work great for some dogs, not so much for others.

We've tried socks or booties on previous dogs, and they never stayed on, but for dogs that don't mind them, they can work well. Some people wrap the paws in self-adhering fabric bandages such as Vet Wrap.

Paw-grip sprays get mixed reviews. For dogs with furry paws, such as spaniels, it may be necessary to reapply the spray frequently or to trim the fur on the bottom of the pads for best results. Simply trimming that fur can also help to improve traction.

Sometimes a ramp may work better than steps. We haven't acquired one yet, but I think it might be easier for Keeper to navigate than his pet stairs because it's difficult for him to lift his hind legs. He'd still run the risk of falling off when his rear wobbles, though. Most often, we lift him up or stand behind him as he walks up the steps so we can head off any falls.

If he becomes weaker, we'll consider a canine cart. But for now, he seems to be doing well in his new nonskid environment.