My go-to strategy for dealing with any kind of crisis is to swing into planning mode. What aspects of this situation can I control? I suspect it drives John crazy – everyone has their own system, and ours are quite different – but it works for me.
When we got Lukey’s official diagnosis and the amputation was on the books, I dug into research. What equipment did we need? What changes or adjustments did we need in the house (another post for another day… wood floors + amputee? not so good.)? What could I do to make this even an inch easier for him?
The first two were no-brainers: a ramp and a harness. And we were so lucky that John’s sweet mom sent us both as gifts! I’ll share more about the harness later, but today I want to focus on the ramp.
Enter, the Solvit telescoping pet ramp! Ta da!
This guy has been a life saver. Lucas isn’t a small dog, and lifting him in and out of the car isn’t something that either of us would enjoy, especially because he has a vet appointment every single week for the next three months.
Here’s the one we got: Solvit 62320 Deluxe XL Telescoping Pet Ramp
It’s wider than their standard one, which I actually debated, but I’m thrilled that we chose that because he’s not so great about hopping up and down in a straight line. The extra inches give him a little bit of space to weave.
It is pretty heavy–right around 20 pounds. I’m getting used to setting it up and taking it down, but the weight does make it cumbersome. Since it’s so long, the incline at its full extension is very gradual. That was the ultimate selling point for me. There are others out there that are smaller and more lightweight, but the incline was far too steep.
Ultimately, I don’t think you could get the length for the gradual incline, plus the ability to collapse it, plus the sturdiness to support a big guy like Lucas in a lighter model. I do know that they have a brand-new tri-fold version that’s a little more compact and probably easier to open and close, but it wouldn’t give the extra depth we wanted.
We’ve been super happy with it, but in the end… we’re not the real customer! What does the big guy think?
Lucas and the Solvit telescoping ramp from Maggie Marton on Vimeo.
Honestly, we didn’t really train him to it (we probably should have). We just lured him up and down with a treat a couple times, and that was that. He’s gotten used to waiting for me to set it up before he climbs down, though I do always assist him with his harness.
I am SO grateful that there are products like this on the market. It makes life so much easier. We decided to train the other two to use the ramp, too, because it’ll be easier on their joints (especially Em’s) and we’ll be prepared in case of injury or something else down the line.
But, guess what?!?!?
Thanks to the generosity of the folks at Solvit, one of YOU has the opportunity to win a pet ramp for your dog!
This is a Rafflecopter giveaway. The widget should load below in a few seconds, or if you’re reading this via email or through a feed, you’ll probably have to click the link.
Thank you so much, Solvit, for your generosity in offering this giveaway!! I know whoever wins it is one lucky dog!
*These links are Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase anything from Amazon after clicking these links, it won’t cost you anything extra, but we get a tiny commission that used to go toward hosting and serving this site – but now offsets the cost of cancer treatments. Sigh. Thanks for supporting OMD!
A pet ramp can be a life saver for dogs and hoomans!
Your Pals,
Murphy & Stanley
I think Mom could use something like this. The big lug labs won’t be able to jump into the pickup forever, and a ramp could help Loki get into the boat from the shore on his own. (As opposed to attempting to lift his 120 pound self.)
Awesome!! Lucas is just my hero. He should do an ad for Solvit. We had a 110 pound rescue dog that near the end of her senior years / illness she needed help into the SUV — backing up to a snow drift helped in the winter months(!), but as a short person I also found a large sturdy cooler next to the car would do in a pinch — she could use it as a stepping stool. Now this ramp of course would be the uber solution! [no pun intended]
Awesome photo of Lucas with that smile on his face! Love it!! 🙂
It would mean so much to me if I won. My friend has taken her English mastiff to 10 vets, the last being Cornell… and she has no option but to amputate a front leg. This could really help him get around and mean a lot to her.
It is so great that there are products like this out there to help you with the challenges you’ve been facing. I’d love a ramp since all of our dogs have joint issues, and Cricket is the only one that is easy to pick up and put in our SUV.
It is a blessing to see dog owners treat their animals with a profound love and respect. Dogs are a truly devoted species this world could simply not do without.
This is really great for elderly animals. It was awesome you gave readers the chance to win one.
Dumb question, but how do we find out who won …? 🙂
Not a dumb question at all! I emailed the winner but forgot to tell the widget to post their name. Thanks so, so much for the prompt!!