Dog got sick, $1000 so far, more to go!

[Melensdad]

Ramp arrived. I stepped on it, and I weight just a shade over 200# and it flexed a bit too much to make me happy. Its clearly strong enough for Misha at 85# but I think for a 130# dog I'd want something a bit more sturdy.

Its also a bit narrow, I estimate it at roughly 24" wide.

Also, the tred surface is similar to a nail-file or emery cloth. I think it would be much better with a bit of carpeting on it because its just a bit too slick for a big unsteady dog. You can see from the photo that her toe nails were really trying to dig in and she still was slipping a bit, but some of it was also fighting against using the ramp. I will probably glue down some indoor/outdoor low pile carpeting to it to make it much more grippy for her. In fact, I think it would probably be pretty scary to use without a more grippy surface.

Misha does NOT like it. But that was not a surprise, she also does not like the ramp I made out the kitchen door. She uses it because it is much easier for her than struggling on the stairs.

My use for this ramp is for coming into/out of the SUV. I only put it on this patio step for her to get used to seeing it and occasionally using it. So far she walks around it up/down the step.

 

[FrancSevin]

I already have done that more than once.

An update on Lily, my sons doxie. She had to have 12 teeth pulled. There were abcesses and loss of bone. My vet said that she'd never seen such bad teeth. This is about nine months after a teeth cleaning. She wasn't sure that she'd be able to do everything that needed to be done. However Lily tolerated the procedure and Dr T was able to clean everything up.

When she got home she refused to leave their bed. They wanted her to sleep on the couch just in case of bleeding or other accidents. No way. They gave in and put plastic on the bed and covered it with blankets.

It will be two weeks before she can have anything other than soft food. My son brought her by yesterday and she was back to her old self. Lily wanted to go for a walk. She had me going at a fast walk.

Me too. My "free kitten" has cost over a grand at the age of two. Except for a tangle with another feral cat, ($600 at the vet) he has been relatively healthy.

That said, he has saved me some big bucks in roof, soffit and attic wiring repairs because since he joined the family the squirrels, birds and feral cats have avoided invading and eating our house.

They did eat my lawn mower over the winter and all of our plastic pots and garden tools. Don't buy one of those plastic sheds if you have a large population of squirrels. My neighbor lost his roof to squirrels this year.
Yes, they ate it.

 

[Doc]

Ramp arrived. I stepped on it, and I weight just a shade over 200# and it flexed a bit too much to make me happy. Its clearly strong enough for Misha at 85# but I think for a 130# dog I'd want something a bit more sturdy.

Its also a bit narrow, I estimate it at roughly 24" wide.

Also, the tred surface is similar to a nail-file or emery cloth. I think it would be much better with a bit of carpeting on it because its just a bit too slick for a big unsteady dog. You can see from the photo that her toe nails were really trying to dig in and she still was slipping a bit, but some of it was also fighting against using the ramp. I will probably glue down some indoor/outdoor low pile carpeting to it to make it much more grippy for her. In fact, I think it would probably be pretty scaring to use without a more grippy surface.

Misha does NOT like it. But that was not a surprise, she also does not like the ramp I made out the kitchen door. She uses it because it is much easier for her than struggling on the stairs.

My use for this ramp is for coming into/out of the SUV. I only put it on this patio step for her to get used to seeing it and occasionally using it. So far she walks around it up/down the step.

Thanks Bob.
I like the width of that one over the ones I saw on Amazon. They were 17 1/2 to 20". Comments said the walking area was actually 16" on the 17 1/2 one due to ridges on the side. Bailey would need wider. She had a bit of trouble with the stairs on the deck last night, but this was after our daughter and her dog visited and Bailey and Roxie played a little rough. It always gets to her hips. She turns 10 in May so I know it will get worse before better.
Thanks for the ramp review.

 

[Melensdad]

I better put a tape measure to mine. I guessed it at about 24" wide, but it may be narrower. I'll report back (probably tomorrow as I'm heading out for the evening)

 

[Melensdad]

Doc, my ramp is about 18" wide.

 

[Melensdad]

Well today we went to the vet's office for Misha's 8:00am blood test. It was the first time she used the folding ramp since I glued some carpet onto it. The top 2 sections of the 3 part folding ramp are the only 2 sections with carpet because I ran out of construction adhesive!!! But it worked great.

In past attempts Misha slipped on the top section of the ramp and panicked.

With the carpet glued to the top 2 sections she didn't slip when coming out of the back of the SUV and was able to walk down without a hitch. I think the ramp should come with carpet instead of the sand-paper like tred material, which is a total fail. But with carpet this ramp is a wonderful thing for an aging dog.

 

[EastTexFrank]

I'm glad that Misha has got used to the ramp. They are a Godsend. I got a folding one somewhat similar to yours from a friend to use with the van. It's the dog's van and they love to travel in it. He got it for his aging dog but had no need for it once the dog passed.

To get them used to it I put them on a short leash and walked them up and down it for a while. Once they got used to it, they loved it. In fact, once I opened the doors of the van they would sit there patiently until I got the ramp in place and then you better watch out because there was going to be a log jam of dogs trying to get up the thing.

 

[Melensdad]

Misha is sporting her Help Em Up harness while sticking her tongue out at the camera. I dunno why. She looks a bit skinny in the photo but I think that is camera angle. Her weight hovers between 81 and 85 pounds, so she is not losing weight/mass.

Damned expensive, $120 for the harness but it is very well made and very nicely designed.

The instructions say to take it off at night, which makes no sense to me. She has been wearing it 24/7 and has no complaints. I plan to alternate between this and her "glorified towel rear end lifter" in about 1 week intervals so she doesn't get any rubbing spots/sores but honestly I doubt she will.

 

[Melensdad]

Misha was happy to see us when w got home from our trip.

The lovely Mrs_Bob had not seen Misha for a full month and was very worried that she'd come home to a dog that was unable to walk. I have to admit I was pretty worried too, despite the fact that I was only gone for 2 weeks.

Misha was sound asleep and I think I scared her when I woke her, but we found a very happy dog who is still managing to get around.