I can’t believe that my 9 year old dog Maddie already has chronic arthritis in her knees and can no longer climb the stairs at night to sleep in our room. (although she gave an incredible chase to a flock of wild turkeys in Vermont last weekend – came back acting like a 2 yr. old, so excited and proud of herself!)
I’ve taken her to our vet, orthopedic specialists and natural healers for help. Many days she’s hobbling on 3 legs and it breaks my heart. I’m still searching for the right remedy, but in the meantime decided to train her to use a ramp for my CRV before her aging vision and other faculties make it harder for her to figure it out. I bought an easy to use light weight ramp that folds in half, with an anti-skid surface.
She looked at me with a “You gotta be kidding me!” expression when I first set it up. “But Mad,” I said “nine times out of ten you bang your knee on the way up, and that can’t be helping the situation.” Out came the treats, and then up went Maddie, and down went Maddie. Then Josie chimes in, “Hey, I can do that, too! Give me a treat and I’ll show you”. It was mini-agility class for them. Now they’ll go up and down it without treats, but heck – most of the time I give them one anyway.
It was very smart of Joanne to train both her dogs now. In fact it would be great if owners would train their dogs to use ramps at an early age because hip dysplasia, knee injuries, back problems, and shoulder issues are some of the conditions that can make either jumping up or down harmful to a dog of any size. Having a ramp in place and the dog taught to use it for furniture access is also a great precaution. A ramp can also spare your back from lifting a sick or injured dog in and out of cars or furniture.
The best time to teach a dog to use the ramp is when the dog is well and could get by without the ramp. This removes pain from the training, greatly reduces the risk of fear, and makes the whole process easier and more fun. But, if you have not taught your dog to use a ramp and now the dog needs one, join the club.This is the situation most people find themselves in, but hey, we’re only human!
I helped Cosmo, my friends’ golden retriever w. The same issue. The right doses of the right nutritional supplements had him going up & down stairs in about 3 weeks….visit me @ the Manchester Parkade Health Shoppe 860.646.8178 for the formula!
I’m coming to see you, Erika! I don’t know why I didn’t think to check in with you first 😉 Thanks so much….