There are changes you have to make when your Great Dane goes from having 3 legs and a spare to only 3 legs. My intension to document it all during the process fell by the wayside as I became immersed in the process of helping K’Ehleyr heal from the amputation of her front leg as well as the ongoing cancer treatments. Now that all of that is in the past I’m reminded of the things we did to help her get on with her life.
One of the first things we needed to tackle was how is she going to get in and out of our truck? A vet-tech and my husband lifted her in when we picked her up after surgery but I needed to be able to get her in and out myself. Even with 6 pounds of leg gone she was still well over 110 pounds. not to mention her “I can do it myself” attitude. So I set to building her a dog ramp on a budget of $0 with material we had laying around.
Ramp Materials and Tools
- wood
- non-slip cover
- something to attach the cover with
- saw
- hammer or screw driver
Pretty straightforward right? It’s never that simple, at least not for me trying to make due with what I have on hand. A solid piece of plywood is best but what I had was long and skinny so my solid piece was two narrow pieces attached side-by-side. To attach the two pieces together and add stability to the ramp, I used a series of wood pieces across the back of the ramp.
Sizing and assembling
If you are making a custom ramp you might as well go all the way right?. I measured the truck door to figure out how wide and long to make it. It is also important that it not be too steep but then it starts getting longer. Since you want the ramp to be portable it can’t be too big. Hinges are an option but when the dog is over 110 lbs. and the fact that I’m not a carpenter, I decided I didn’t want to create a weak point. An alternative solution to lowering the slope of the ramp is to raise the end in contact with the ground. In other words, I put a block on the end so there was a small step to get on the ramp. I also ended up cutting a notch on one side so that it fit the truck door better.
What to cover it with
After much hammering and testing I had a ramp that she would just slide off of as she tried to walk up it. I had originally considered using the small supports as steps but I decided a carpet would be better on her feet. Our first Dane, Selar, had arthritis in her hips and needed carpets on all our laminate flooring to not slip and fall. So I had an old hallway runner carpet we were no longer using in the house. Cut that up and slap it on, easy peasy. Nope. That turned out to be harder than I thought, mostly because I didn’t have the right tools. Staple gun didn’t hold the carpet, small nails failed as well, they were too small.
To avoid stabbing yourself every time you grab the ramp you want short nails with a large head. Better yet, carpet tack strips might be a great idea or glue, I wish I thought of that two years ago. I eventually got it secure enough to not come off when K’Ehleyr walked up it.
Not pretty but it worked
OK, I admit it may not be the best dog ramp around but it worked till she decided she would go back to jumping in on her own. Like I said earlier, she had a “I can do it myself” (also known as stubborn) attitude.
My mistakes were mostly due to a lack of planning and not using the right tools. If I were to do this again I would:
- Use 1 solid piece of thick wood
- Use industrial strength glue to attach the carpet
- adjusted both corners of the top so it fits on either side of the truck
If you want to make your own ramp then I hope you learn from my mistakes and don’t end up spending an entire day on what should be a couple hour project.
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