Do You Know What Can Happen With All That Cute Hopping Up And Down?

Invest in good pet steps. Why? Dogs love to jump up on the furniture and down again, or in and out of the car. It’s cute and seems harmless, but here’s something important to consider: your dog’s anterior cruciate ligaments can be very easily ruptured or torn by this seemingly innocent up-and-down play. Anterior cruciate ligaments (ACLs) are the connecting tissue between the major bones of dogs’ back legs. Once that tissue is damaged, the dog becomes lame and can even develop degenerative joint disease. Corrective surgery is available, at a VERY high cost. But there’s an easy way for you to help prevent that damage happening to your dog in the first place–teach her to use pet steps. Yep, easy as that.

Jonah – Poster Dog For The Importance Of Pet Steps.

That reminds me of Jonah. Jonah is Milagro Senior Pet Refuge’s greatest success story (http://www.milagropets.org/the-power-of-life-and-love/). When we rescued Jonah, he had a hundred health issues going on that all needed immediate fixing. In fact, the vet said he probably only had a couple of weeks left to live and didn’t see the point of us even bothering to rescue him. One of those issues was that his ACLs in both back legs were completely torn and he was crippled–unable to walk or stand or even sit upright. He could only lie there. Talk about no quality of life! It tore me up to see him this way. Fortunately, a very kind donor offered the funds to have Jonah’s ACLs surgically fixed. The surgery was well over $3,000. Most people can’t afford that, can you?

So you can see how Jonah ended up at the shelter. Happens every day. People start out planning the best life for their pets but, when things like this happen and they can’t afford to fix it, it’s the pet who suffers. He lost his health, so now he loses his home, his family, and all too often his life. It doesn’t need to be that way-–all it takes is for you to teach your dog to use pet steps and ramps early on while he’s young. This will reduce the risk of ACL injury and help to protect his quality of health and life.

Choose The Right Pet Steps.

Fortunately for Jonah, Milagro was able to intervene and get him the help he needed. But that’s not normally the case. So be mindful-–provide your pet the steps and ramps for climbing that will protect his joints and ACLs, and your pocketbook, and also his future as a healthy, happy member of your family. Be sure to shop for the right steps-–the step surfaces should be non-skid so her feet don’t slip off, and the bottom of the unit should be non-skid so it stays in place on the floor. Lastly, be sure the unit is good and heavy so it doesn’t slide out from under your pet when she’s running up or down it. I’ve even had good luck with heavy duty stepstools from Lowes. Use your imagination. Just ensure they’re sturdy, stable, and non-skid.

One last tip- if your pet is a little older, or a little on the small side, get a RAMP instead of steps. A ramp allows the pet to move more smoothly in her own stride rather trying to get up steps that may be too high or far apart for her. There are some really nice steps and ramps to be found on Amazon.  I’ve spotlighted for you below a couple of really nice ones. They both have carpeted surfaces to give your pet traction, so that greatly reduces the risk of your pet slipping off and getting hurt. They both are appealing to look at and won’t be an eye sore in your home. And both are compact enough in size so they don’t take up precious space. Both are great choices.

Whether you choose steps or ramp, this is a very smart investment in your pet’s health and safety.

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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.