ramping for back problem

[Bob & Kathy]

anyone here ever build ramps off their deck after their dog has had back surgery? ours had his operation about a month & a half ago. he's walking really well, but we're advised not to let him climb stairs or jump anymore than 8" or so. any ideas on gettin these ramps built? angle, length, etc? thanks.

[Tanya]

Bob and Kathy,
We looked into ramps when Punkin's back went out. Here are a few web sites I found: http://www.bedderbacks.com and http://www.dogramp.com
Hope this helps!!
Tanya

[Mark]

Hi guys,

Sounds like Bro is still doing really well. Our deck has 2 sets of stairs. One really long flight to another deck down the hill and we simply installed gates for that one . . . and the other with only one step to the ground which has been OK for our girls.

I didn't have any ramp advice - just wanted to say Hi! Register and stay a while. http://dachsie.org/ubb/bounce.gif

Best regards,

Mark, Char, Duck Butter, Masse and Top Spin

[Penny's Aunt]

I didn't see it, but I heard of a family with a cocker with back problems, & they attached 12" pine boards to the left edge of their stairs (everyone was right-handed) with screws. They had cemented carpeting to the boards for traction.

I don't know how steep the stairs were, but they had to do something because the kids forgot to close the baby gate, & the dog insisted on going upstairs.

[Mrs.F]

Hi Bob & Kathy,
My husband built ramps for our dachsie - no back surgery thankfully, but we're hoping to prevent possible problems!
Anyway the ramp that he made from the lawn to our porch is very simple. He took a board 14" wide and covered it with carpet. Because we live in Maine and get lots of ice and snow he added narrow strips of lathe every 3 inches to give Penny a little added traction when it's slippery out. She is fairly petite - 10 pounds - so all he did was put 2 sturdy eye bolts in the end of the board that matched up with some sturdy L shaped hooks screwed into the porch.
As far as the angle goes the porch floor is 29 inches from the ground and the ramp is 48" long. It's been a while since my geometry classes but my son tells me that that's a 25 degree angle. When Penny was first learning to use the ramp we put a brick under the bottom edge to cut down a little on the slope but somewhere along the way we've gotten rid of the brick and she does fine.
Fergie also made a stand alone ramp to the couch. It's a little fancier (even has sides so that she won't fall off the edge when she's sleepy!) so if that's more what you're looking for I can ask him to email you his plans for that one.
Good luck - and we're all hoping for a speedy recovery for your little one!
Heidi