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Finding the right Bed for an older dog
Author: Vebo Pet Supplies Date Posted:29 October 2024
As your dog get older, have you started noticing they struggle to get out of bed? or looking a bit stiff & awkward after getting up?
If the answer is yes, then you may want to look into getting a more supportive orthopedic bed for your dog's joints. Every dog ages differently, but it's pretty common for dogs over 10 years of ago to start losing strength in their back legs and knees. Overweight dogs as well as stocky breeds will likely make things a bit worse and their legs may go even faster, so you may even consider upgrading your dog bed after they turn 7 or 8 to make sure they are getting good support on their joints.
What to look for when you are choosing an orthopedic dog bed?
The number 1 most important thing when it comes to choosing an orthopedic dog bed is how much weight the bed can support before you start to sink to the floor. Older joints like to be well supported and off the ground, so you want the foam inside the bed to be thick and dense enough so your dog is "floating" on it. You want the foam to mould to the shape of your dog's body, but not too soft where the dog sinks too much into the bed (imagine you throw an old man into a kids ball pit), then it will require a lot of effort to get up. These days you will find many brands offering orthopedic memory foam dog beds that can easily support the weight of a person.
Besides a good supportive foam inside the bed, you also want the dog to stay ON the bed properly and not dangle its head off the edges. So beds with a proper built-in head rest (see below) can help to help to support your dog's head and keep it in a ideal sleeping positon and not roll off the sides.
Just bare in mind that Australia can get pretty warm / cold, so ideally you want a bed that is cool in the summer and warm in winter. Such thing unfortunately doesn't really exist, so the best thing you can do besides buying multiple beds is finding one where you can change covers according to the season!
Lastly, you want a bed that is easy to clean. A lot of cheaper beds don't come with a washable cover and you don't want to chuck a piece of memory foam into the washing mahcine. So look for one with a removable cover (see picture below) and if possible, one with a waterproof inner liner as well, because older dogs can become a little incontinent at some stage. (For dogs that are more full on incontinent, it's probably more manageable to use dog nappies)