Ramps
My dog, Dock, has some difficulty getting into my car. He can put his forelegs up on the seat, but needs me to hoist his rear legs in. It's awkward and probably painful for Dock. My vet suggested that I buy a ramp. I bought the skinniest ramp I could find. I have a fairly small car, and the ramp is too wide to fit when the back doors are open (they don't open all the way). It does fit in the front door, but I don't think Dock should ride in front, even with a harness. Any suggestions for a ramp that works with smaller cars? My car is a Nisson Juke. |
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| How wide is the ramp you have? |
| Dawn, The ramp is 20" wide, but I have discovered some that are narrower. In the reviews, people complain that the narrower ramps are too skinny for bigger dogs, but Dock really needs some help getting into the car. I've been boosting his hind quarters up to help him get in. Sometimes it's goes more smoothly than others. I'm open for recommendations from people. Thanks! Cathy and Dock |
| no ramp advice, but was wondering how Docks health has been lately? |
| Hi Cathy We have this one for Newfoundland, it is 17 3/4 inches wide. We have had it 4 1/2 years, handle has broken but otherwise still works great. It has a non slip surface and slides open. http://www.orvis.com/p/super-lightweight-pet-ramps/3713 And http://www.petclassics.com/Folding-Dog-Ramps/6-foot-long-outdoor-folding-dog-ramp.25.html We have the standard size. You might be able to get it cheaper on other sites, I just checked google images and picked the first site that had the one we have. Tanja |
| Thanks, MontyQ! I was uncertain as to whether the narrower ramps were wide enough, and you have answered that question. I really appreciate that. mable4ever, Dock's health is erratic. Thanks for asking. He went to see a specialist about his possible Evans Syndrome diagnosis, and it looks like that is probably what he has. The specialist added an additional medication that is commonly prescribed to work with the prednisone to battle the anemia. There is some speculation that the heartworms may be causing the anemia, but until his blood count is sufficiently high, he cannot survive the heartworm treatment. So we keep treating the anemia in hopes of getting his blood count up. We've also been to the vet every day (so far) this week since Wednesday. The specialist appointment was Wednesday, then on Thursday another issue arose that caused us to have to be there Thursday, Friday, and Saturday for laser treatments. Dock went out to pee in a raging thunderstorm, so I took his leggings off to put in the dryer afterwards, and noticed that the elbow he'd had the fleshy growth removed from was bleeding. He is now taking antibiotics and getting laser treatments for that. We go back to the vet Monday to have it checked out, then we have more bloodwork done on Friday to see how Dock is responding to the new medication protocol. Thanks for asking. On a more positive side note, Dock had his first trip to the beach tonight. He loved it! Temps here have been lower since we've been having lots of rain, so I took him just for 15 or 20 minutes earlier this evening when things were cooler. |
Poor baby. He is going through so much. Bless you for being such a wonderful Mom. I am sure he knows how much you love him by your endless efforts to make him feel better.  Glad he got to visit the beach and had fun. Please keep us posted on how he is doing. He is such a sweet boy.Prayers and hugs to you both.  |
| Thanks mabel4ever. He is a sweet, sweet dog. I am lucky to have him. |
| I loaned out my ramp,so I can't measure it. But it came with my Dog Friendly package in my Honda Element. It is less than 20 inches, but seems wide enough to be safe. I'll see if I can research it online. I understand the trouble you are having getting it in the more narrow back seat door opening. Back to edit - There is this one: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... atid=19154 Also on the Element site, it showed someone (with a large dog) setting the ramp up onto the seat, instead of on the more narrow doorway/floor area. That might be an option too. |
| Thanks, Dawn. I took the one that was too wide back to the store and got the narrowest one I could find. It's 16" wide, but it is still too wide to fit through the door or up on the seat. I can put the back seats down and put the ramp up through the back hatch. The only problem with that is there is less head room for Dock with the seats down. I think it is the best solution, though. |
cardrey wrote: Thanks, Dawn. I took the one that was too wide back to the store and got the narrowest one I could find. It's 16" wide, but it is still too wide to fit through the door or up on the seat. I can put the back seats down and put the ramp up through the back hatch. The only problem with that is there is less head room for Dock with the seats down. I think it is the best solution, though. Do you have split seat backs in your car? I had a hatchback that had a split, and it was 1/3, 2/3. If I put the smaller 1/3 part down, it served as access to the rest of the back seat - the bigger part. But thank goodness for hatchbacks! |
| I have been reading this all along and didn't suggest this sooner because I'm not sure it will apply BUT you are going through so much grief so maybe you can adjust what I do a little...... I drive an SUV with yeah I can't think of the actual name of them(running boards) now because I cuss them out every time they "deploy!" I open the door and out they come. Great if your a person but if you are Skye (65lbs) they scare you to death and they are very slippery on the nails. She has no health problems but they could cause a few because she is on the larger size. Plus she can't jump she would have to go to the floor and she can't fit on the floor she is too big soooo to my point. I bought her a bench. For all the same reasons you are talking about. I wanted to use the front door of my truck and fast not have it be such an epic. The bench is handmade and was supposed to be used for a child. It is padded and cloth on top and wooden every where else. It has a part on the bottom I can put my feet on to keep it sturdy, obviously it's rather tall but nothing too tall or it would defeat the purpose. If it's rainy, I bring a towel. I toss it in the back when we go. I found it on Etsy. I don't know if you know what that is. I'm sure any "crafty" kind of person could make one. Again, Skye has no health issues. I just thought maybe if I gave you another completely different idea maybe you could come up with a different strategy. |
| Thanks. I bought a thinner ramp, but it wouldn't fit the backseat either. It would fit leading into my hatch, with the seats down. Dock went up it once successfully, then was reluctant to go up it again. I tried to lure him with treats, but he slipped off several times. Because he now has a wound on his elbow (it is from a previous surgery, and has opened up again), I don't want to cause him any further injury. We've had to go to the vet to have his bandage changed every day for awhile, which means getting in and out of the car every day. I'm frustrated because I think getting in and out of the car is not helping his wound get better. So, I've ordered the widest, longest (and sadly, most expensive) ramp I can find in hopes that he will go up it into the hatch of my car. I can put the back seats down, and he can ride in the car. He has less head room, but it's okay. He just has to lay down instead of sitting up. Sonny, Skye & Steel, can you describe the bench you use? I'm not sure what you are talking about, but it sounds like it might be a solution. |
| So I did some measuring and some comparing to my truck in the hopes it would help a little. I think I will end up having to have another one made for Steel when I can't lift him anymore! My dogs get too excited to go bye-bye ride in the car for me to open the entire rear of my SUV for a ramp and it is way to far off the ground for the big ones to jump without injury. First of all in case you don't know Etsy is similar to Ebay except mostly handmade crafty people making the products. That is where I purchased it. Most of the time the people making the things are very accommodating and will make adjustments to their products. Also, depending on the item are very reasonably priced. I think the bench was maybe $60? The part you really care about....It is a little over a foot tall including the padding. It is just below my running boards so she steps over the slippery. It fits just into my front door frame which is about 20 in long the door has to be open quite a bit but not all the way, this is good in case someone is parked next to you. If this happens you may have to pick another door depending on how close they parked. She uses it like she is walking up stairs so her feet are never all on it at the same time. The padding allows her to feel stable and the brace on the bottom allows me to keep it from teetering. She steps into the floor and then up to the seat. I grab the bench and put it in the back. All of this can be changed to fit your/Dock's needs and your vehicle I am sure. I am not construction crafty but I don't imagine it would be too hard to make. I do most of my searching in the mornings...I will look on Etsy myself today and tomorrow and see if I can come up with anything. Skye's is old, I'm guessing she is no longer making them but maybe someone else is. |
| Thanks! If the ramp I ordered recently doesn't work for us, then this is my next step. I appreciate your help. |
| The third time was a charm. This ramp works, and Dock will go up it with no hesitation. |
| Glad you found a ramp that works. Hope this week has been better for you and Dock. How is his elbow doing? Able to reduce any of his meds yet? I was just sitting here thinking about you both. |
Yayyyy!  Hopefully you are getting a little more rest and Dock is feeling a little better too! Thinking about you both. |
| You all are so nice to ask how Dock's doing. The infection in his elbow appears to be gone, but we're going to do another 2 weeks of antibiotics to be sure. The elbow is healing "as slow as molasses," as my vet says, but it is healing. Since Dock does have thyroid and anemia issues, slow healing is to be expected. We're making progress---we were going to the vet to get his elbow bandaged every day, and now we only have to go on Sunday, Wednesdays, and Fridays. A few of the medications have been dropped. We'll probably lose a couple more in two weeks after the new round of antibiotics are done. In spite of all this, Dock remains happy. He's a great dog. To get Dock's bandage changed, I go to my local vet as much as possible, but sometimes I have to go to the after hours hospital. My local vet tech decided to make a little smiley face to go on Dock's bandage Saturday, and she unknowingly launched a bandage war. The vet tech at the hospital decorated the bandage with the letters of Dock's name and hearts. Now every time we get the bandage changed there is some kind of new bandage art. |
| Does your vet offer laser treatments for pain and faster healing? I've heard it has great results. |
| So glad things are better this week. Bandage wars. Too funny. Everybody loves Dock!!! |
| Guest, We did do some laser treatments initially, and they did seem to help. I'm not sure why we're not doing them right now mable4ever, You are right. Everybody that meets him, loves Dock. My neighbor who volunteers at a hospital said he should be trained to visit hospitals. If we ever got his health stable, I would consider it. |
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