Protect Your Dog's Health With Dog Ramps And Stairs

Dogs suffer a remarkable number of injuries from jumping off of furniture and out of cars. These injuries can include broken legs, pulled muscles, arthritis, knee problems, back injuries and permanent joint damage. Any dog can be injured if they are jumping from a height that is too great for their body to handle. Breeds that have short legs and long spines are especially prone to injury.

Puppies, elderly dogs, overweight dogs and those that are injured or infirm are at additional risk from what might not usually seem like too great of a height. Puppies are still developing and their joints and muscles aren't prepared to handle the shock of impact when they jump down. Later in life, elderly dogs suffer injuries due to deteriorating joints and more brittle bones. Dogs that are already injured or infirm may re-injure themselves, open stitches or cause other damage by jumping.

Unfortunately dogs will not necessarily see the danger and avoid a jump that could injure them. That is what makes it imperative that we provide and train our pets to use dog ramps and dog stairs.

You may want to watch your dog for a day to consider how and where ramps may be necessary for your dog. Some common places inside the home include couches, chairs and beds. It is equally important to ensure that you have a ramp or stairs provided for your pet to enter and exit your vehicle. This is possibly the greatest concern in protecting pets who are older or injured that may be accustomed to jumping in and out of a vehicle.

There are a variety of options in both style and materials for dog ramps and stairs. While this might seem like a simple purchase, there are several factors that should be considered in choosing a dog ramp or stairs.

Strength: How much weight can the stairs/ramp handle? Most ramps will specify a recommended weight. It is important to adhere to this, if not the ramp may be unstable and bounce. Best case this might scare your dog, worst case your dog could slip and fall.

Width: Make sure that the ramp is wide enough to accommodate your dog's normal stride. You don't want to force your dog to walk up or down on a balance beam.

Length: The ramp needs to be long enough to provide an easy rise for your dog to walk up or down. If the ramp is too short the angle may be too steep.

Tread: The tread should be easy for your dog to grip. If the ramp will be used outside (even entering and exiting a vehicle) it is important that the tread be weatherproof to ensure that your dog doesn't slip.

Portability: If this is not a permanent ramp, how easy is it to use? How heavy is it (can you lift it easily). Is there a carrying handle? Does it have latches to hold the pieces in place during transport?

Anchors: How is the ramp attached to your vehicle, furniture, etc. Does it require permanent changes? Does the ramp have rubber feet or something to keep it from shifting?

Cleaning: Can the ramp or stairs be cleaned? Find out ahead of time what it will entail, something that can't be easily cared for can quickly become a problem.

It is very easy to overlook the need for a dog ramp. This is unfortunate given the amount of pain and suffering your dog might have to endure due to the impact of a single jump. This is easily avoided by responsibly training your dog to use a ramp instead of jumping off of things.