my dogs paw pads have glazed over and he is slipping on the

Actually, arthritis very commonly causes dogs to slide on the floor - it's the most common reason for this problem! It is painful for the dog to reposition his foot to prevent sliding, so he can't do it fast enough and his feet slip.

Now, that said, I know a lot of agility people and dog show people who use “Paw Pads” and seem to like it. I think it just depends on the dog whether they will tolerate them. It must feel odd!

Here is a link to what I mean:

http://www.puppylovepawpads.com/

http://pupgearcorporation.com/Products/Paw-Pads

http://www.smartpakcanine.com/ProductClass.aspx?productClassId=6035

http://www.amazon.com/Paw-Pads-Self-Adhesive-Traction/dp/B002CEQM18

It's good that you have trimmed the hair between his pads, as that may improve traction too.

And, as you probably know, one of the best ways to reduce this risk is to put rubber-backed rugs across such floors and guide the dog along the safe route until the dog learns it. You'll likely find the humans prefer walking on the rugs, too.

However, I do feel that the best solution to this problem would be to address his likely arthritis.

My experience has been that if we treat for arthritis, the dog doesn't slip any more as he is not painful and will quickly correct his feet when the start to slip. I have found that the slipping is a SYMPTOM of arthritis. Also, most dogs will get quite hard, slick feet at they age, but not all will slip on the floor.

What is most likely for your boy is that he is developing Degenerative Joint Disease of the coxofemoral joints (hip arthritis),which is unfortunately something that Goldens are very prone to. Most Goldens have some degree of hip dysplasia. Those that are severely affected have symptoms as young as 1 year of age.

Those that are mildly affected don't show symptoms until 6-9 years of age. I am highly suspicious that this is what is happening with your dog.

If he came in to the clinic to see me, I would perform a thorough musculo-skeletal exam on him, which would certainly include flexing and extending his hip joints to check for pain and feel for crepitus (a grinding, crunching feeling when moving the leg in the hip joint). I might suggest x-rays of the hips to be able to see exactly what is going on in there. And if everything supported DJD in the hips I would talk to you about treatment.

My treatment plan for early DJD is as follows:

1. Be lean!

Every extra pound that a dog carries on sore joints just makes the problem worse. So, the single most effective thing you can do to help a dog with sore joints is to make sure he is slim - even a little bit on the skinny side of normal. It is just going to make him so much younger!

Check to see how much he weighed when he was 2 years old. Has he gained since then?

2. Try glucosamine.

This supplement is very safe, and is helpful in the majority of dogs. It usually takes 6-8 weeks on this supplement to see improvement.

Doses I use are:

250-500mg for 10-25lb.
500mg-1000mg for25-50lb.(NNN) NNN-NNNNg for 50-100lbs.
1,000mg-2,000mg for over 100 lbs.

I suggest these amounts be given 3 times daily for 2 months, then drop to twice daily thereafter.

Here are some links:

http://www.glucosamine-arthritis.org/glucosamine/glucosamine-product-guide.html

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=0&cat=1276&articleid=1176

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?articleid=670

3. Improve muscle mass with swimming. If your dog likes to swim this is such a great exercise because it builds up the muscles around the joint, which stabilizes them, but causes none of the strain in the joints that running does.

4. Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids

These are very helpful!

With my arthritic dog patients, I put them on a dietary source of essential fatty acids (Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids) daily added to the food. Your vet would be able to provide these for you. These do not provide instant relief, but help to decrease inflammation in the body. Again, it takes about 8 weeks to see improvement.

Some brands are DermCaps and EFA-Z
http://www.1800petmeds.com/Derm+Caps-prod10062.html
http://www.vetrxdirect.com/product/view/ALLERDERM-EFA-Z-PLUS

5. Turmeric (curcumin)

Yes, this is the spice that you purchase at your grocery store! Make sure it is fresh. You can purchase empty capsules from a pharmacy and put the turmeric in them, or you can mix it in with some tasty canned food or human baby food in meat flavours (make sure there are no onions or onion powder in the baby food).

The dose is 1 tsp given once daily for a large dog. Many humans take this to help with arthritis, and it seems to be very helpful for pets, too!

6. Consider prescription medications.

Your veterinarian has a selection of very effective and safe medications to treat the pain and inflammation of arthritis.

Some common nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that might be prescribed are:
Rimadyl:http://www.petplace.com/drug-library/carprofen-rimadyl-novox/page1.aspx
Metacam - http://www.petplace.com/drug-library/meloxicam-metacam/page1.aspx
Etogesic - http://www.petplace.com/drug-library/etodolac-etogesic/page1.aspx

Deramaxx - http://www.petplace.com/drug-library/deracoxib-deramaxx/page1.aspx

Other options to consider are:
Tramadol - http://www.petplace.com/drug-library/tramadol-hydrochloride-ultram/page1.aspx
Gabapentin (which can be given together with Tramadol) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabapentin

7 Cartrophen - This injectible drug is a polysulfated glycosaminoglycan (p-gag) and I have used it in hundreds of patients. I have never had one vomit! In an exhaustive study of 70 000 dogs, exactly TWO dogs vomited, and one had diarrhea upon injection. I have found improvement in about 80% of dog that have been on this medication and strongly recommend it.

More about it here:

http://www.drugs.com/vet/cartrophen-vet-can.html

http://www.arthritis.au.com/htm/vet_01.htm

8. Also, many people with joint pain report that a warm compress is soothing, and your dog may appreciate that too.

You can do this by making a wet towel compress. Place a small wet towel, folded into a zip-lok bag (unzipped!) and heat for about 2 minutes in the microwave. Remove and press all the air out. Make sure it is not too hot! You may want to put another towel around it, and then gently place over your dog's sore area.

9 Provide your dog with a padded bed large enough to stretch out on so he can sleep in luxury!

10. To help your dog to get up the stairs at night, I would recommend using a "sling" that you can make yourself.

Take a long bath towel, and fold it 3 or 4 times lengthwise, so that you have a long and thin shape. Put this under his belly, as far back as possible, so it is under his hips. Now, bring the ends up over his back so that you can hold the ends above him. With this, you can lift almost all his weight by using this sling, and thus really help him up the stairs. He can walk himself, with you right beside him taking his weight on the sling to help him. This is a really good way to help him up stairs or up into the car - or any time he has to go UP!

Alternatively, you could consider the “Bottoms Up” leash to help him with stairs, and on slippery areas outside:

http://www.bottomsupleash.com/?gclid=CJb21ZzyhZ4CFQk75QodxBcWoQ

11. You may be able to give some aspirin (as long as he has no history of kidney problems, stomach problems and is not on other medications) for SHORT TERM relief.

Please use Buffered Aspirin if you have it, and give it with a piece of bread or something low-fat to eat, not on an empty stomach. Enteric coated aspirin is not well absorbed by dogs, so this is not recommended.

Here are links that tell you about it, with precautions and dose:
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=0&articleid=1379
http://www.petplace.com/drug-library/acetylsalicylic-acid-aspirin/page1.aspx

With patients that I have examined, I advise people to use this at most twice daily for 3 days as it can cause stomach ulcers if used longer.

For further information about hip dysplasia, I will give you these links: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1916

http://www.sniksnak.com/doghealth/chd.html

http://www.workingdogs.com/vchipdysplasia.htm

For further information about arthritis I will give you these links:
http://www.placervillevet.com/arthritis.htm
http://www.canismajor.com/dog/arthrit.html
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=537

I hope that this helps and is not information overload for you!

If this has been helpful, please accept my answer and leave feedback. If you need more information, just click on reply and I will be here to provide it.

The above is given for information only. Although I am a licensed veterinarian, I cannot legally prescribe medicines or diagnose your pet's condition without performing a physical exam. If you have concerns about your pet I would strongly advise contacting your regular veterinarian.

Best wishes to you and to your dog!

Fiona

Expert:	Dr.Fiona
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Dog Veterinarian

Small animal medicine and surgery - 16 years experience in BC, California and Ontario

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