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Why is my 4-year-old dog slipping and having trouble walking?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | 4 years old

My dog is 4 years old, he is young. Recently we've noticed that he has picked up odd behaviour. When he is walking in the kitchen he will slip, from the other room we can hear him slipping and clawing at the floor. He also walks backwards, sometimes he stays in the kitchen and cries. In bad situations we have to walk him to another room, because he won't do it by himself. He has no medical problems. However we dont know his parents, or any medical history surrounding them. He Is a mixed breed

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1 Answer

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Answered By Megan, DVM, CVA

Veterinarian

Published on January 13th, 2018

Well Max is probably the cutest dog I have seen all day! He could be slipping for long nails or poor joints. He is young but if he has joint issues, he could have arthritis at a young age and a hard time getting his grip on slick floors. I would consider putting him on a joint supplement. I like either dasuquin or flexadin UC-II. Make sure his nails are cut to where they are just touch the floor / even with his paw pads. The vet will be able to help you with this. Finally, I would consider getting him some “Dr. Buzby’s Toe Grips”. You can order these online. These work great to help give them traction. Also, I would confer taking him in for a thorough orthopedic exam. Your vet can even do X-rays to see the joints if there are any concerning problem areas. I hope this helps!

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