Tips for dog ramp for senior dog

[Ilovealldogs]

I need to build a ramp off my deck for my senior dog (about 50 pounds) as she is starting to fall on the steps and she will not allow me to help her or assist her in any manner. My house is literally five feet off the ground, so I think the ramp will be pretty steep. Any tips or suggestions?

I know I'll need to put some sort of non-slippery carpeing or something on it too.

She has arthritis, hip dysplasia, spondylosis, and has had past surgeries on her knees. She can still walk okay, but I am afraid if she keeps falling, one of these days she is going to get hurt. I am worried that it will be too steep for her. I don't know how to determine what is too steep, etc.

[JeanKBBMMMAAN]

Bumping - I am not good at this kind of stuff!

ETA - I couldn't do a ramp so used the Ruffwear webmaster harness and was able to easily carry the dogs up and down the deck steps like luggage. I did ask my vet first because of the arthritis and stuff they had.

[Loneforce]

I would give daisy and lucky's mom a pm They just recently did this last year and may have some pointers.

[jocoyn]

Maybe you can experiment with some wood and start by propping it up on the first step, then the second etc until you find a good pitch she can easily maneuver. There are ADA guidelines for wheelchairs but they are designed for people self propelling a wheelchair.

[Cree]

We did this for my Alaskan Malamute when he was 11: The steps off the deck were only 2 1/2 feet wide and 8 inches high, so instead of changing those we took the 14 foot side of the deck and created 3- 4 inch high steps. Now Jake could walk up from the side or directly because the steps are about 2 1/2 feet deep, it's more like a couple of landings than steps. It actually looks really nice. Something to consider!

[doggiedad]

the ramp doesn't have to go straight down.
zig-zag it. have it go left then right. follow this
pattern to the ground. you gradually lower the ramp
as it takes it's lefts and rights.

[doggiedad]

the OP's house is 5' off of the ground.

Originally Posted by Cree

We did this for my Alaskan Malamute when he was 11: The steps off the deck were only 2 1/2 feet wide and 8 inches high, so instead of changing those we took the 14 foot side of the deck and created 3- 4 inch high steps. Now Jake could walk up from the side or directly because the steps are about 2 1/2 feet deep, it's more like a couple of landings than steps. It actually looks really nice. Something to consider!

[arycrest]

When I had my dog ramp built about 15 years ago, the guy who made it put a small space between each board, made it wide enough for me and a dog to walk down side by side (for seniors who need assistance walking), and didn't make the slope super steep. Living in FL I haven't had to worry about ice and snow on it, but it does get sandy which can get slippery, and it's easy to sweep off.

[LJsMom]

We found our ramp on CraigsList. It wasn't fun getting it home, but it was free. As Lady Jane got older, we made modifications to the incline.

[Daisy&Lucky's Mom]

We built one last spring for our Daisy. My husband and son did it w/ left over lumber. The incline is a little steep and we used adhesive traction pads I got at the hardware store. We covered it in carpet first(indoor outdoor) but it was way to slick. anyways a year later looks like crap but Lucky uses it. It is still sturdythough. We built on half the width of the steps that comes off our deck. I did a thread on Renovations for Daisy its not very informative as Im not a builder. This was our temporay fix . If I was doing it again i would want the incline to be less steep more like wheelchair ramp but that would lengthen it . We had it end into our gravel sidewalk path. We have snow rain ,and humidity often in te same week so weather is our concern. I would purchase treated lumber for the ramp parts instead for walkway and still use traction strips to give the dogs a steady pawhold.