This post is being sponsored by Solvit Products. I am being compensated for sharing my review of Solvit’s UltraLite Bi-fold Pet Ramp. All that being said, my opinions are my own and I only share products with my readers that I use myself.
My dogs don’t ride in the car as much as they used to, but when Sampson did a partial tear of his right CCL, vet appointments became more frequent. We’d been using a Telescoping Ramp by Solvit that worked very well, but I was looking for something more light weight.
I was so excited to try the UltraLite Bi-Fold Pet Ramp from Solvit.
Let me just tell you HOW much I LOVE this ramp.
- The ramp folds in half, which makes it very compact in size. It fits easily in the back of the car when I’m not transporting Sampson and when he is in the car, it fits nicely on the floor of the passenger seat.
- The ramp is not heavy at all. In fact, it is so light and compact that I can easily carry it in one hand.
- Setting the ramp up is as simple as unfolding and positioning it.
Check it out.
A difference of opinion.
Sadly, Sampson did not share my opinion of the ramp. Although, I have to be honest and say, it could have been handler error, so please hear me out.
It started off fine. I opened the ramp up and left it on the floor for a couple of days, after which, I asked Sampson to walk across it, which he did with no issues. In fact, the first couple of times he used it he was fine.
Then on a day I took him up to the park, he fell while trying to get up the ramp. I didn’t panic, or freak out, I simply lifted him back up and he used the ramp to finish his climb back into the car. I thought maybe the pitch of the ramp was too steep for an 11 3/4 year old dog with arthritis and bad knees. I decided to try the ramp on the side of the car.
But I made a mistake.
As long as I’ve had Sampson, he’s always had the run of the back of the vehicle whenever he was in the car. A while back I won a seat cover from Jan at Wag N’ Woof Pets and I thought, I’ll put the seat cover on the back seat and use the ramp on the side of the of the car and everything will be fine.
Apparently I’ve never learned a damn thing about easing my dog into something new.
I can’t tell you if it was the ramp on the side of the car that was the issue, or being confined to the back seat. All I know is Sampson panted the entire way to his appointment, wouldn’t lie down at all (he sat the whole way there) and I had a hell of a time getting him out of the car.
In fact, I’m pretty sure I said a very bad curse word, very loudly in the parking lot of the vet hospital.
What went wrong?
The ramp didn’t work great on the side of my car, because of the way my car door opens. With me on one side of the ramp and the door on the other, I think it was too confining, plus the ramp was pitched a tiny bit to the side because of the narrow car door opening. I know if I had a car with a sliding door there would be no issue. The ramp would be at a moderate level of incline and there would be plenty of space on either side for Sampson to walk up it.
So there you have it, I found the perfect ramp for me, but it turns out it’s not the right ramp for Sampson.
But that doesn’t mean I won’t try him again with it, maybe in a few months when he’s feeling a bit stronger. Except next time, I’ll take my time easing him into a new ramp.
Do you use a ramp for your dog?
Don’t beat yourself up over the mistakes. Just wait a while and try again.
As for us? Shadow would probably benefit greatly from the use of a ramp. But I doubt she would feel safe using one to get out of the car, because of the pitch (as you mentioned). She and Callie always rode in the back seat, even when I had the Blazer. But they also both preferred (and Shadow still prefers) to get out under their own power. I used to have to sneak my arm under Callie’s abdomen to get her out of the car with the least possible amount of impact on her knees and hips. Now I park in the grass at home but I can’t do that at the park or the vet’s office. And inside the house? Remembering to use it would be our greatest challenge.
Cupcake loves the car so much that if she ever stops flying into the backseat like a bird, I will definitely try this lightweight ramp for her.
Katie isn’t up for traveling anymore, so she only goes in the car on a rare occasion. We couldn’t use a ramp as she falls over all the time and she would definitely fall off the ramp which would be bad, and I don’t know where we would store it in the car. I think it is awesome for many dogs and their humans to use, but not right for us. Katie isn’t eating much these days and has lost a lot of weight, so she is getting easier to lift now. We try to find a positive in all the negative she has going on.
I hate when the pets disagree with us on the perfect products! That happened to us with a fountain–I found one that was exactly what I was looking for in the price range I could afford and Barley turned her nose up at it after taking a couple sips and then Soth decided to use it as a urinal. We don’t have a ramp because Bar rides in the backseat and like your car, my doors don’t open very wide, so it would be hard to find the right one. Luckily, the floor of the car isn’t very different in height from the tables she jumps on in agility, so for now, we’re ok. When we’re not, we’re hoping her grandma will build her a stool to use like she did for Barley’s cousin 🙂
It took us over a year to get Leroy to use our ramp. The incline was a huge issue for him. Little by little we worked on it with him and now he’s a pro, but it didn’t come easy so I feel your pain.
I’m in the process of writing a post about how to teach your big dog to use a ramp because I’ve heard a lot of owners face this same problem.
Great video – love how near the end Sampson seems to be saying “let’s go!” I looked into ramps for Jeffie last year and this is the brand I thought looked the best. However, I take the dogs in our crew cab pu and just didn’t think any would really work. Instead I put a sling on Jeffie and helped lift him in and out.
I am sorry that you had “ramp issues”. We forget that change can be hard for our puppies. We have never used a ramp. I hope you can solve the problem.
Love your review. I forget sometimes that new things have to be eased in. They get used to a certain thing and don’t love change. Hope you find a good fit for both of you!!
It’s hard to tell he had a problem, your video was great and Sampson seemed so spot on. I am sure you will do fine and Sampson will get the hang of it.
It’s a lot to deal with – an injured dog, new equipment. Anything new around here is such a challenge, and I screw it all up a lot!
That ramp does look much easier to deal with than the telescoping ramp (which I’ve been bad about using, and haven’t seen since we moved!), but I can see where the incline looks much steeper (though Sampson made it look easy).
We were taking a quick ride the other day and decided at the last minute to take Luke. The back seat hadn’t been put down, and he did not seem happy about having to lie on the back seat (he might have been better if we’d at least put the sling seat cover in there). We weren’t going far but I definitely learned that he’s more comfortable when he feels more secure.
Sorry about the issues! Mine are all under 15lbs, so they either jump in or I just set them in, but I’m going to show my mom this. My parents have a 7 month old Mastiff, and at 95lbs, she’s getting too big to lift into the car!
I think perhaps the ramp is not long enough for the height of your vehicle which is why it is too steep a pitch. I can see why that pitch would be difficult for a senior dog with an injury. I also wonder how much weight that ramp would hold? It looks like a good ramp for a lower vehicle.
That ramp is a must have
Snorts,
Lily & Edward
So far haven’t needed a ramp (besides, I’m not nearly that smart I’d blow my back out first before using something that would help Sam AND me-dumb a$$ that I am). In the video Sampson didn’t seem to mind it too terribly much. Maybe that’s wishful thinking on my part. Good luck on continued improvement of his knew. As a dog mom, we do whatever we have to for our fur-kids and you showed your devotion and love for that sweet boy. 🙂