A Valuable Tip From Bandit.
This post is a throwback to an earlier post on the same topic (Upside of Pet Steps and Ramps), with some helpful added information.
All dogs in general are prone to disk disease in their backs just because of the way they’re built. Small dogs especially are at risk of injury to their spine because of their acrobatic flare. Add high bouncing and jumping activity to that, and now their legs are in danger, too. Torn cruciate ligaments are VERY common, especially in small dogs. Delicate ligaments in their legs, especially the back legs, are easily ripped from the strain and impact of high activity. They’re terribly painful for the animal, and can even leave him totally crippled. Sadly, torn cruciate ligaments can be repaired only by surgery. The cost to have the ligaments surgically repaired is in the THOUSANDS of dollars. That’s why people often ditch their pets at the pound instead — they can’t afford to save their pet’s quality of life. A very sad ending to a preventable injury.
This is my “Bed Head” Bandit? and he wants to share a very important message with you. Bandit is young and high energy. He jumps up on beds and sofas when he’s zooming the house during playtime, jumps in and out of the car, and jumps up at the door handle when he’s excited to go outside. Bandit is always in motion. This puts constant pressure and tremendous impact on his spine and legs. We give him daily glucosamine/chondroitin and turmeric supplements to keep his joints strong and inflammation low, which are critically important to his present and future orthopedic health; but there’s still more to be done.
Going The Extra “Step”
So we went shopping online for pet steps and ramps. There are lots out there to choose from, and some are exceptional pet products. But two significant factors kept popping up that we didn’t like about most of them: (1) the good ones are generally quite expensive; and (2) most of them, in any price range, are clubby and in the way. Yes, they say you can hide them conveniently underneath the sofa or bed, but then they’re not available for your pet to be using, are they. Duh. So we decided to keep looking.
See how nicely the footstools look in our house, unlike clunky pet ramps.
No Slip-Sliding Away.
If these footstools have a downside, it would be that they can slide around on smooth flooring. We have all tile flooring in our house, and it’s not an issue for Bandit when he’s launching himself off them. This photo (below) is perfectly timed to show Bandit launching himself from the footstool to the sofa without the footstool slipping out from under him.
But I can see where it could maybe be an issue for a larger dog, that the footstool could slide out from under him. This can be easily addressed by picking up some sticky-rubber adhesive foot pads at your hardware store that you can stick to the bottoms of the footstool feet. Poof — problem prevented.
And that’s all it took to add another level of protection to your beloved pet’s health. Way to Go! ?
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God Bless and Happy Pet Parenting!
With love and good wishes,
jeannie. ?
About jeannie: I’ve been pro-actively involved in pet rescue all of my life. I founded Milagro Senior Pet Refuge© (Phoenix) in 1998, and BareFootPets (TM) in 2008. Animal welfare has always been and will always be my heart’s work. If my only legacy is that I save a handful of precious souls that would not survive otherwise, I’m good with that.