Dog Ramps For Cars

This guide will prevent you from making a costly mistake. Many people think dog ramps are all the same and will spend money on the wrong one. This guide will tell you exactly what to look for for your individual needs. Hope this helps!

With so many dog ramps to choose from it can be a real dilemma to decide which ramp will best suit your requirements.
The main consideration with the current ramps are that the ramps which are long enough tend to be too heavy and those that are light enough are just too short. However we are pleased to report that finally Solvit products from USA have managed to produce a dog ramp that is extremely, light, very strong and stable and yet long enough to suit all vehicles up to 24" from the ground, including all hatchbacks, estate cars and mpv's.
As a company www.easyanimal.co.uk sells the widest range of dog ramps in the UK, and therefore they are well placed to comment on which maybe the most suitable dog ramp for you. Tim Berrisford a partner at Easy Animal says, 'This new Ultra Bi Fold dog ramp by Solvit is a fantastic development in the market as it is the lightest dog ramp available and it will quickly become the most popular dog ramp. Everyone is looking for a feather-light ramp that doesn't flex and retains its inherent strength. This new Solvit ramp only weighs 4.5lb and is so stable that it can easily support all dogs up to the large breeds carrying a load of up to 200lb. Many folding dog ramps flex when a dog of any weight climbs onto it but this new ramp by Solvit stays very rigid.'
A major selling feature of this ramp is the high sides to the ramp, this is especially important to dogs of a nervous nature or ones that have not used a dog ramp before. These high sides gives the dogs confidence and prevent them from slipping off. The ramp has an abrasive anti slip surface which works well in all weather conditions even when wet, and the ramp folds away very compactly so it stores easily in most vehicles.

So many people put off buying a dog ramp until quite late in the dog's life, maybe the onset of joint problems in the dog or maybe the owner gets a a bad back but finally they realise they can lift the dog no more. Normally there is always something that triggers this decision but in general people are under the general impression that this is something that happens later in a dogs life.

Our research has indicated to us that by then a lot of damage has been caused from dogs jumping down from and into the boots of cars. Certainly all the vets that we have spoken to go along with the school of thought that dog ramps should be used from very early in a dogs life to prevent these high impact injuries. As higher vehicles and 4 x 4's seem to become more popular on our roads so the chance of long term injury to dogs joints seems to increase. It is a fact that most people seem to think that dog ramps are only for getting the dogs up into the boot of a car, we believe that dog ramps should be used for entry to vehicles but even more importantly for the exiting of cars and this applies to all vehicles.

The most important factor when considering a ramp is to ensure that the incline is not too steep otherwise the dog is likely to wither refuse to use it or they might slip off and cause injury. The maximum incline should be no more than 30 degrees and ideally less than this between 20 -30 degrees. Therefore it is imperative that you take into consideration the height of your vehicle, obviously the higher the car the longer the ramp, All 4 x4's will require a ramp of at least 72" long, the Solvit deluxe telescopic ramp is perhaps the most suitable ramp for higher vehicles as not only is it long enough but it doesn't flex or bounce. Most dogs feel very confident on a stable ramp and this one is the most rigid of them all. For lower cars like hatchbacks, saloons and estates you can get away with a shorter ramp but be careful that this is not too short or again the incline could be too steep.

You will need to consider where the ramp attaches to the cars , most vehicles have a bumper and this is where the ramp locates onto, however if you do not have a bumper the the ramp will need to locate onto your boot opening. Surprisingly hatchbacks have quite a high boot rim and it is a common mistake to buy a dog ramp that is too short. Personally if your car is lower than a 4 x 4 I would recommend a ramp of at least 62" long this will give a nice gradual incline and your dog will thank you for it.

If you have never used a dog ramp before then you will need to be patient with your dog as they learn these new skills of using a dog ramp, some ramps have high side rails which act as a visual guide to the dog and this helps to give them confidence especially when coming down the ramp, it also has the added benefit that this prevents the dogs from sliding off and causing injury.

Everyone likes and wants a light ramp and the weight of a dog ramp is a major consideration when trying to decide which ramp will suit you. In the past people have produced heavy wooden constructed ramps which were superseded by PetGear who have produced ramps that are lighter but still just too heavy, there is no point buying a dog ramp if the owner is struggling to lift it. Fortunately Solvit have just started producing a feather light ramp at just 10lb (4.4kg), this Solvit Ultra Bi Fold dog ramp is the lightest ramp on the market and it should be considered by anyone looking at buying a ramp. This new development in dog ramp technology enables almost everyone to buy a light ramp knowing that it is also very strong and can carry very impressive loads unto 200lb (90kg).

If you are still struggling to decide which ramp to buy then you can always get totally free dog ramp advice from www.easyanimal.co.uk or by calling them on 0800 849 8844. Whatever you decide our advice is to do your research and make sure you choose the right ramp for you and your dog.