Pets are often passengers in our daily life on the road or at home. They are great companions and are very much helpful for many of us. But many of the senior dogs, smaller dogs, less nimble dogs, or dogs with some sort of movement disability that can’t move about between different elevated levels of the ground, unlike healthiest dogs.
This brings one of the many helpful contraptions, like the pet ramp to aid your dog’s/pets betterment of their daily life. This is for them to move about from indoors and out of the home, as well as going up to the car seat, the back of the truck/ SUV.
But how to choose the correct pet ramp? What are the best pet ramps for houses or the best dog ramps for trucks?
This article helps you out with this dilemma.
Basic Pet Ramp Properties
Before you go out to buy a pet ramp for your pet, we need to understand the various properties of the ramp that suits your dogs and your daily needs.
Dimensions
Dimensions like length and width are the most fundamental part of your dog’s needs in a ramp. You have to understand that dogs are often better climbers than us because of their lowered height to the ground and four legs to count on, so they can handle steeper climbs. The obvious problem is how large your dog is? And what ailment does it have to need a ramp?
You need to know that dogs with health issues like hip dysplasia can’t climb as steep of a ramp. If you have an SUV or truck, you will need a longer ramp to make the climb less steep and less cumbersome for your pet. The width and height of your car need to be taken into consideration, too, because a larger dog needs a larger ramp and possibly longer, depending on the circumstances.
The ramp needs to be large enough to make sure the dog won’t have difficulties going up and down on it while having the flexibility in its use to fit snuggly in your car or home for later use without causing obstructions.
Construction
The materials that make up the pet ramp is very important for you and your dog’s needs. Most pet ramps are made up of lightweight and effectively strong materials like aluminum, plastic, or sometimes carbon. This makes it, so you don’t have to worry about carrying a heavy load on you to help out your dog move about. You need to consider how much load your ramp can take in maximum capacity, this is considering you have a large dog that is heavy or jittery to move about.
Some ramps also have side rails to help your dog fearless of climbing it. Many have safety straps to keep the ramp’s movement while it’s being transported or in use.
There will be maximum load capacity sighted in the websites or stores you will buy the ramps from.
Grip Ability Of The Ramp’s Surface
The next important thing to notice is the grip-ability of the ramp. Your dog needs to be able to move up and down the ramp without having to worry about sliding down. There are few variations of the surfaces you can expect on the ramps; among them are rubber, grip-tape, carpet, and simply indented plastic or metal.
It’s a no brainer to avoid the indented plastic or metal that have no other gripping materials on them; they can cause your dog to slide down out of carelessness and injure itself.
Carpet is the second cheapest option after the indented surface. These have a good grip but are a hassle to clean, plus you have to worry about ticks and mites taking residence in it and making your and your dog’s life a living hell. So, generally, it’s better to avoid carpet-like surfaces.
Next is rubber; these are very effective in gripping your dog to the ramp and is very simple to clean up. But the durability is a concern, as dogs have nails that can dig into the rubber and corrode it slowly over time. This all depends on how high quality the rubber is and what it’s made of.
Grip tape is by far has the most grip factor out of the materials mentioned, is durable, and they don’t add too much cost. They are quite sticky, and the grip tapes materials won’t latch onto the dog’s paws after getting off it unless it is a very low-quality grip-tape.
To Conclude
Pet ramps are lifesavers for dogs/pets with any impairment or disability. But consider the price and how often will you use the ramps before buying one to help you avoid over or under spending on your pet.
