dougf4 Posted November 13, 2011 Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 Our Jack is a rescue BC and we figure about 10+ years old now. Up til now he just sleeps on the floor (carpet). Lately, he is showing signs of stiffness with lots of stretching out of his hips in a kind of low to the floor stretching motion when he gets up. Anyway, it seems more than fair for us to treat him to a nice bed in hopes of helping him stave off as much discomfort as we can. Plus there is a new BC pup coming home in mid-December so we want to do something "special" for him before the lil' terror comes home to roost in his territory! Can someone recommend a particular style or even brand that they have some experience with? I'd like to buy one locally. We have WalMart (who doesn't - right? , Petco and a Petsmart within a short drive. Any and all help will be gratefully appreciated. I really enjoy the willingness for others to share and help others grow in this great on-line community! I am learning a ton. Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted November 13, 2011 Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 If there is a Costco that you can get to, they have dog blankets that are pretty cushy and wash easily. They've also got the foam beds, but I haven't tried those. The cost is very reasonable. You can also find them online at Costco.com. If you don't have a membership, maybe a friend does? At one point, for 3 dogs, we had about 13 of the blankets. We layer them in the colder weather, and Gibbs likes his double layered one quite a bit right now. Ruth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushdoggie Posted November 13, 2011 Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 My old dogs seem to really like memory foam over the other dog beds...they sought out the memory foam bed even when it was in the other room. I bought a memory foam bed topper and cut it up and either laid a layer on top of the existing beds cushion (under the cover) or replaced the inside with two layers of the memory foam. It was a fairly inexpensive way to upgrade a bunch of dog beds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ancient_Dog Posted November 13, 2011 Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 Our 3 guys love their LL Bean beds: See Beds Here The fill holds it shape a long time and is somewhat nested in the center. The mediums work fine for our crew which range from 40 to 53 lbs.They are a little pricey but there is a 10% off deal ending today (They will probably start another deal later in the week, they do it every year before Christmas). Also shipping is free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSnappy Posted November 13, 2011 Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 Good luck getting him to sleep in a bed! My almost-12 year old still refuses to sleep on anything other than the laminate, and I finally resorted to crating him at night with a luxuriously soft bed to sleep on so he *has* to be comfortable ;-) It has helped him a lot, but if it were up to him he'd still be laying on the cold laminate under my bed every night getting stiff and sore. Everything I put in Dex's crate gets pushed to the back for a pillow and he lays on the hard crate bottom. I dunno why these dogs insist on being so macho. All my female dogs, and my Aussies too, demand feather beds and peeled grapes and stuff like that ;-) The favourite napping bed in my house is a foam sheet one from Costco. They don't seem to like the ones filled with cotton, or foam "stuffing" or whatever quite as much, and I also prefer the foam sheet ones because they retain their geometric shape, which pleases me. RDM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligande Posted November 13, 2011 Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 Good luck getting him to sleep in a bed! My almost-12 year old still refuses to sleep on anything other than the laminate, and I finally resorted to crating him at night with a luxuriously soft bed to sleep on so he *has* to be comfortable ;-) It has helped him a lot, but if it were up to him he'd still be laying on the cold laminate under my bed every night getting stiff RDM We have a dog with same tastes in bedding, but when he was sick last winter we realized he liked to make a nest, so I made him a dog sized padded quilt, which as long as we place exactly where he chooses to sleep he will snuggle in. But the rest of the time he is into hardwood floor. I would recommend any memory foam bed, I was in a local close out store and they had some nice ones for under $30, I used to get my beds from BJs but they have changed from really nice foam to loose filled beds and I do not those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted November 13, 2011 Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 I have one 6" thick ortho bed that Jill, my 15 1/2 year old uses. My deceased dog, Boy, at age 15 or so also used that bed, but he prefered the "pillow top" version, which consisted of placing a round polyfiber filled bed on top of the orhto bed). The other dogs like the ortho bed as well, and they use it when Jill isn't in the house. I also have one memory foam bed that most of the dogs seem to like. Last year I bought some of the fleece-lined cup-shaped foam beds and those have been a big hit. Even the biggest dogs will try to squeeze into the smallest (cat-sized cup). It's pretty funny. Then there's always *my* bed. Some of the dogs do prefer the floor, and I just make sure I have thick blankets folded up in strategic locations for them (or those thick double-sided fleece beds; Willow actually has a stack of two of those that she sleeps on in my bedroom at night). Your options are many! I always make sure that whatever sort of beds I use they are either washable or have washable covers. J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root Beer Posted November 13, 2011 Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 Last Christmas, my brother gave me a gift card to Petco and I finally got Speedy an ortho bed. He loves it. Sleeps on it every night in the fall, winter, and spring. He still prefers the carpet in the summer. Not sure if it is memory foam, but it is a nice foam with a really nice cover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcv-border Posted November 14, 2011 Report Share Posted November 14, 2011 My last dog (just made it to 16 years before she developed kidney issues) always slept on the floor until she was about 8. Then she liked a blanket or towel thrown on the floor. Once she hit about 13 or so, I found out about the Kuranda bed. (I am sure you can buy them through the internet.) She really liked it as she took to it right away. Way back then , I don't think that memory foam was as readily available as it is today so I put a piece of egg-shell foam on top of the Kuranda. (The foam was covered with fabric.) Because the Kuranda bed is about 6 inches off the floor, it is easier for an older dog to get into, and especially out of, since they don't have to rise up from the floor. It is very well made. I still have the bed from 10 years ago, and it looks as good as new. I will soon be retrieving it from the storage room to see if my 13+ year old dog will use it. I will try the memory foam pad on it. (Hopefully my cats won't hog it as they have every other bed in the house at one time or another.) Jovi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragoon 45 Posted November 14, 2011 Report Share Posted November 14, 2011 My older male loves a bed called a Koolbed. It has a heavy vinyl covering over a memory foam mattress. You fill the memory foam with water. It is a cool place to lay in the summer heat and actually warms up fairly well in the winter. I have two of these now and both my guys share the big one during the day and Cody sleeps on a smaller one at night while the young one sleeps in his crate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tuxedodog Posted November 14, 2011 Report Share Posted November 14, 2011 I bought some foam egg-crate type crate pads at petsmart, they are fairly economical and the dogs, and cats love them. They aren't very thick, so the dogs didn't have to "get up" onto anything. The best part is that you can wash both the cover and the insert. My rescue Pyr/GSD thought she went to heaven. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougf4 Posted November 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2011 WOW! Thank you one and all for your thoughts and input on proper bed ideas for our pal Jack. Jack likes to stretch out fully on his side when he sleeps so I think a large rectangular foam bed of some sort is in order. I'll definitely make sure it has a zipper so that we can replace the fill material should it flatten out over time. I like the thought of an elevated bed and may attempt to build one in the future. I found some great plans for doing so on the internet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arf2184 Posted November 16, 2011 Report Share Posted November 16, 2011 I second the Kuranda beds (http://kuranda.com/). They aren't cheap, but they're made to last and Bear says they are well worth the comfort. Bear has hip problems and mild arthritis. The pillow type beds helped (Costco ones held up the best and were cheap), but it wasn't until I got a Kuranda cot for him that I really saw a big improvement with his joint stiffness. When we first got the Kuranda bed, I let him choose. After he slept on the new Kuranda cot once, he wouldn't go back to his old 'big pillow' bed unless the cot wasn't in the room. I don't know why, but being off the floor helps him A LOT. The Costco 'pillow' beds have been outside in the dog house for two years and both Meg and Bear have their own Kuranda cot. I have blanket on each cot bed for extra cushion and easy winter cleaning (in the summer I take the whole bed out and hose it off). Meg's daycamp has cot-type beds too and the dogs use them a lot (even though the whole place has rubber flooring). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rave Posted November 17, 2011 Report Share Posted November 17, 2011 Hands down - memory foam orthopedic bed. All old dogs I know agree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Star Posted November 18, 2011 Report Share Posted November 18, 2011 My boss has always used baby crib mattresses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Good Shepherd Posted November 18, 2011 Report Share Posted November 18, 2011 I am all jealous:) My old guy Spyder would rather eat/destroy his bed then sleep on it , I am going to see about truck size mudflaps to use as cushions. Any other ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted November 18, 2011 Report Share Posted November 18, 2011 The mats that grocery store checkers stand on, and assembly line workers. They have a little give in them, but they're pretty tough. You can get them at Office Depot around here. They're good sized and might work out for two crates. Ruth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
appyridr Posted November 18, 2011 Report Share Posted November 18, 2011 I just bought some memory foam bath mats from Costco; 2' X 3' fit perfectly into that size wire crate. They have a rubber backing so won't slip. So far dogs seem to like them. $14.99 ea. I also buy blankets from Value Village for a couple bucks ea. Usually cut them in half & fold up for a nice comfy bed. They are washable or cheap enough to toss out. Lani Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougf4 Posted November 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 19, 2011 As I was reading all the posts for alternate materials such as a crib mattress, the "Tim The Taylor Tool Man" in me kicked in with a brain squeeze... I just stepped out into the garage to look at a scrap piece of rigid foam insulation that is about 2 1/2" thick. It can be bought in thicker sheets. I placed it on the floor and put all my weight on it along my forearm and it had a very nice, firm "give" to it. The foam seems to have fairly good "spring back" to it, so should not flatten out too easily with use. I believe I will try to cover a piece about 45" long by 30" wide with some fairly thick quilt material (likely several layers) and see how that works out. I may have to glue some more pliable foam on top of it. I saw some today that was fairly inexpensive. I love to do "scrounge" projects and will report back with the results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
border_collie_crazy Posted November 20, 2011 Report Share Posted November 20, 2011 I will third the Kuranda's, expensive but worth it, they are built to last, nothing that can be destuffed(what with a puppy on the way), easy to clean, and orthepedic, and my dogs LOVE them..seriously, I had to get more because my dogs started refusing to sleep on my bed once they tried the kuranda, I have 3 now and wouldnt go back lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougf4 Posted November 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 27, 2011 Jack has his new bed. Found a really nice "Gusseted" Memory Foam Pillow at Costco for all of $33.00! It is really large at 36" X 42" and he loves to stretch out on it. I woke up several times last night (his first with the bed) and he was really zonked out on it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougf4 Posted November 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 27, 2011 Jack has his new bed. Found a really nice "Gusseted" Memory Foam Pillow at Costco for all of $33.00! It is really large at 36" X 42" and he loves to stretch out on it. I woke up several times last night (his first with the bed) and he was really zonked out on it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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