Home Assessment Checklist Download Home Assessment Checklist (PDF) Home Assessment Checklist 1. Are floor surfaces to which your dog has access inside the home non-slip? * Yes No Slippery floor surfaces include tiles, wood, and laminate in areas where your dog has regular access. Consideration must be given if some floor surfaces may be wet on a regular basis. ACTION REQUIRED: Please consider the following: • Placement of rugs along routes used by your dog • Mats placed at doorways, thresholds and adjacent to their bed • Limit access to problem areas if possible • Use well fitting dog ‘boots’ or anti-slip coatings • Keep foot fur trimmed and nails short 2. Can your dog easily go up and down stairs/steps to which they have access, inside and outside the house? * Yes No Steps include sets of steps, or single steps, both in and outside of the home. They may be too high, too narrow, too steep, slippery or too many. ‘Easily’ means without hesitation, loss of balance, pausing or increased effort or speed. ACTION REQUIRED: Please consider the following: • Use of a stair gate to restrict access to stairs • Ramps may be suitable for some steps • Carrying your dog up and down if safe to do so • Carpeting bare steps or using anti-slip tape • Use of a suitable harness/sling to assist your dog with balance and control 3. Are all thresholds easy to step over? * Yes No Thresholds are entrances and exits to the property and between rooms. They may be combined with steps. ‘Easy’ means without hesitation, loss of balance, pausing or increased effort or speed. ACTION REQUIRED: Please consider the following: • Use of a threshold ramp • Reducing the height of the step • Using rubber mats either side of the threshold • Using an alternative door 4. Are walkways clear of clutter and free from tight turns? * Yes No Cluttered walkways and tight turns require your dog to alter their posture to negotiate around them. This can unbalance them leading to slips, trips or falls. Walkways tend to lead to exits and entrances, which may be an area where excitable behaviour is exhibited, and thus an increased opportunity to lose balance and trip, slip or fall. ACTION REQUIRED: Please consider the following: • Use of a threshold ramp • Clearing passageways to provide a straight path for your dog to move along • Observe your dog moving and ensure that it has a wide enough turning circle • Provide non-slip mats at strategic exits, entrances and doorway 5. Can your dog get in and out of their padded dog bed easily, without help? * Yes No Can your dog negotiate the edge of their bed with ease? Does your dog find a comfortable position quickly? Does your dog slip on the floor as it climbs in or out? ACTION REQUIRED: Please consider the following: • Positioning. Ensure your dog has room to manoeuvre when getting in and out of the bed • Using a larger bed to allow more space for your dog to position themselves • Using a custom cut memory foam mattress on the floor instead of a basket • Chamfering the edges of a foam mattress to reduce the height of the step • Dycem or non slip tape under the bed to prevent it from moving • Non-slip mats outside the basket to prevent slips getting in or out 6. Can your dog change their position, or move in their bed, without difficulty? * Yes No Beds may be too soft, have an uneven and unpredictable surface, be too slippery, or have covers that are loose, which all can lead to trips, slips, twists or falls. ACTION REQUIRED: Please consider the following: • Using a foam or memory foam mattress • Ensuring that the bed is large enough for your dog to move in • Cutting a foam mattress or having a bed made to fit a suitable space • Using a duvet cover to enclose loose blankets and tucking it over the edges of the mattress • Using dycem under blankets to prevent them slipping 7. If this is their usual practice, is your dog able to get on and off the sofa? * Yes No “With ease” means without hesitation, and no sign of effort. The sofa may be too high, the sofa covering could be too slippery, the floor surfaces in front of the sofa may be too slippery for sufficient grip getting on and off. Adding height into negotiating an obstacle can lead to more serious slips and falls. ACTION REQUIRED: Please consider the following: • Restricting access to the sofa and providing a more accessible alternative • Reducing the height of the seat by removing a base cushion or removing castors • Providing a ramp or portable dog steps • Lifting your dog on and off the sofa if safe for yourself to do so • Ensuring that there is a non slip floor covering in front of the sofa • Covering slippery cushions with a less slippery secure alternative 8. If this is their usual practice, is your dog able to get on and off your bed safely? * Yes No The bed may be too high, the mattress too soft, the bedding may impede the mobility of your dog on the bed, or the floor surfaces surrounding the bed may be slippery. ‘Safely’ means no increased effort, no hesitation, no uncontrolled descent, no jarring movements. This is not encouraged if your dog is at risk of falling off the bed. ACTION REQUIRED: Please consider the following: • Using a lower bed or mattress on the floor • Use of a dog ramp or portable dog steps up to the bed • Lifting your dog on and off the bed if safe for you to do so 9. Is your dog safe from falling off the bed? * Yes No Your dog may sleep near to the edge of the bed and fall off the bed if they roll over. Your dog may lose their footing getting on or off the bed. Your dog may have fallen off the bed in the past. ACTION REQUIRED: Please consider the following: • Positioning the bed against the wall and using a footboard • Use of a child cot side once your dog is on the bed • Positioning the mattress on the floor 10. Can your dog comfortably stand at their bowl to eat or drink? * Yes No “Comfortably” means your dog does not have to adopt an adapted posture or a changed behaviour to enable access to the bowl. Discomfort and injury may result if the bowl slips away from your dog along the floor. Your dog’s feet slip whilst feeding/drinking, or choose to sit or lie down whilst accessing the bowl. This can be a sign of discomfort. Your dog may demonstrate difficulty by eating more slowly or more quickly. Your dog may show signs of pain or difficulty in reaching the bowl. ACTION REQUIRED: Please consider the following: • Raising the food bowl to the height of your dog’s shoulder • Using a shallow bowl • Dycem or non-slip tape under the food bowl to stop it moving • Ensuring that your dog stands on carpet or matting to eat • Placing the water bowl on a towel to mop up water spillages/splashes 11. If your dog uses a dog flap, can they enter and exit without difficulty? * Yes No Difficulty would be seen through their hesitation and struggle to lift their legs to step over the step, or to crouch to get through the flap. Choosing to access the door flap at a faster or slower pace than normal. They may slip/fall on either side of the flap. ACTION REQUIRED: Please consider the following: • Providing a different entrance/exit strategy • Providing a larger, lower, easier dog flap • Reducing the height of the step of the flap on either side of the door • Non-slip mat either side of the flap 12. Are external pathways clear, in good repair and non-slip? * Yes No Poor repair includes cracked paving stones, uneven surfaces, slippery tiles, mud or gravel or obstacles on the path. ACTION REQUIRED: Please consider the following: • Limiting access to hazardous areas • Repairing broken or uneven paving slabs • Covering damaged pathways in a suitable non- slip, level surface such as grass or artificial grass 13. Does your dog have easy, ‘non-hazardous’ access to an area of well-maintained grass for play? * Yes No “Well-maintained” areas mean trimmed grass or a stable surface which provides a low impact and non-slip surface to walk and balance on. This should be easy to access and without hazards or obstacles. ACTION REQUIRED: Please consider the following: • Ensure obstacle free and easily negotiable areas exist within your garden • Ensure these areas have a predictable surface • Keep grass cut short 14. Can your dog assume a stable posture to urinate and defecate in their chosen toilet zone? ‘ * Yes No “Stable posture” means they do not demonstrate an adapted posture, a lack of balance, wobbles or trembles on performing the posture, or complete avoidance of a previously displayed posture. ACTION REQUIRED: Please consider the following: • Keeping nails and foot fur trimmed • Ensuring that their ‘preferred’ toileting area is as level as possible • Using boots on hind limbs to improve friction with the ground • Use of a harness or sling to support 15. Does your dog display their usual level of confidence and stability when interacting with other dogs within or outside of the home? * Yes No “Level of confidence” means they behave with the same engagement and vigour. Signs of reluctance to play, avoidance of the other dog, cautious interaction, or complete lack of interaction would suggest a lack of confidence. ‘Stability’ means without losing balance, stumbling or falling. ACTION REQUIRED: Please consider the following: • Supervising interactions • Using awareness items to ensure other dog owners are aware of your dog’s condition such as labelled bandanas or leads • Limiting play to trusted friends! • Alternative activities 16. Can your dog get in and out of the car without additional help and with ease? * Yes No “Additional help” includes help that your dog has previously not needed. This may be lifting, supporting, or even increased encouragement. ‘With ease’ means without hesitation, loss of balance, or increased effort or speed. ACTION REQUIRED: Please consider the following: • Lifting your dog in and out if safe for you to do so • Using a portable ramp with a non-slip surface, or dog steps • Parking near a ‘natural’ step such as a raised pavement or embankment • Car boots without a ‘lip’ 17. Once in the car does your dog settle down comfortably? * Yes No “Comfortably” means without hesitation, without demonstration of discomfort vocally or physically, without reluctance to lie down, without facial expressions of fear such as repeated lip licking, panting, or rigid postures. ACTION REQUIRED: Please consider the following: • Padding out the boot or seat to give cushioning underneath and at the side of your dog • Rear seat hammocks to prevent risk of falling into the foot-well • Regular breaks to get out and walk when on longer journeys • Ensuring comfortable temperature in the vehicle • Harnesses are encouraged to prevent risk of injury to your dog and you if involved in a driving related accident The number of questions you ticked “Yes” to demonstrates how considered and adapted your dog’s environment is. If a question has been ticked with a “No” we would encourage you to consider our ‘ACTION REQUIRED’ advice, as well as seeking more information from our website. The more No’s that are ticked, the greater the likelihood that your dog is at risk of repeated “micro-trauma” due to slips and falls, which will lead to flares of their condition. Just as the choice of lifestyle and living conditions of humans can influence the effectiveness of management of our pain and disease progression, so the same applies to canines. Home adaptation is a key area where owners can make a valuable contribution to helping their dog live more comfortably with osteoarthritis. It is important to stress that when adapting the home environment to meet the needs of your dog, care needs to be taken to ensure that hazards are not created for the human occupants. While rugs on floors are helpful for dogs with mobility problems they are seen as a trip and falls risk for people with mobility issues. Please consider everyone in the home when making adaptations. Please enter your email address * Send to me via email If you are human, leave this field blank.
