What is the best bed for an arthritic dog?

October 30, 2013 8:53 PM

About three months ago I adopted a rottweiler mix, about 7-8 years of age. He's delightful and charming and basically the best dog ever, but he has arthritis. He's under treatment for this (meloxicam) and is still pretty mobile, but he does love to sleep. And sleep. And then sleep some more. So I'd like to buy him the best bed possible to ensure he gets to enjoy his favourite pastime. What would you recommend? I've heard about magnetic beds, memory foam, and so forth, but am not sure what I should get. My price limit is $500.
posted by lesbiassparrow to Pets & Animals (16 answers total)

Best answer: I bought my old doggie a heated memory foam bed and she loved it. Something like this.
posted by raisingsand at 9:00 PM on October 30, 2013 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Orvis makes the best beds for dogs including arthritic dogs. They aren't inexpensive, but SO worth it.
posted by cecic at 9:11 PM on October 30, 2013 [1 favorite]

We went with cheap foam beds but got a bunch, so that our dog has several sleeping options, depending on where we are in the house.
posted by bonobothegreat at 9:25 PM on October 30, 2013

Heated memory foam. Lots of nice snuggly blankets and a few beds you can scatter in his favourite spots so he doesn't have to sleep on the floor if he follows you around, save the heated bed for his favourite spot, assuming it is winter where you are.
posted by wwax at 9:28 PM on October 30, 2013

Best answer: Something he can get in and out of easily, so nothing with a bolster/lip or anything too high. I agree that it might be better to put a bed in every room. Then again, a lot of dogs just park it on the floor even when they are near a bed, because dogs are weird.
posted by radioamy at 9:31 PM on October 30, 2013

What does he like to sleep in ? I bought my dog a nice fancy expensive bed and his favorite place to sleep ? My lap. So, look at where your dog sleeps now. What stands out about it ? Is it warm or cool ? Cushy or firm ? Near you, or tucked away ?

Then do those things.

The great thing about dogs - they don't give a shit about status.

As an example, I put a dog bed at my feet under my desk. Nothing fancy, simple foam mattress etc.. When he cant sit in my lap, he curls up there. Happily. Keeps my feet warm, too. He has a cushy 70 dollar bed in his crate, and another in the other room, but he'll lay on my cold lumpy feet, just to be near me.
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 9:55 PM on October 30, 2013 [3 favorites]

Response by poster: I'm not looking for status, I'm looking for a recommendation for the best bed for a dog with arthritis. He sleeps on a regular non-memory foam or other bed at the foot of the sofa and I can replace that with another bed - he's not a lap sleeper, thank the gods, as he weighs around 70 pounds and that would squash me entirely. I live in an apartment so I only need the one bed - in the night he just hops on the bed with me and there are not a lot of other places he lies around except there or at my feet while I work on the sofa, with the exception of the occasional stake out of the fridge in the hope it will magically open and produce food.
posted by lesbiassparrow at 10:06 PM on October 30, 2013

Nthing a nice, thick slab of memory foam.
posted by moira at 10:30 PM on October 30, 2013

Best answer: You can go to Petco or the like and try out what feels good. I like to sit on them on the hard linoleum floor, to make sure they're dense and supportive. Seconding the thinness requirement: as his joints get more achy, it will be easier for him not to have to do a lot of stepping in and out...so there's a fine balance between soft on knees and too high to use.

I am somewhat skeptical of the memory foam craze, but it does tend to be really thick which is nice, but it also doesn't breathe well, so dogs (and people) get hot quickly. Might be something to think about if his achy joints have to keep bumping up and down to cool off and get water.

I have also heard great things about Orvis beds, but have not purchased one.
posted by stillmoving at 10:40 PM on October 30, 2013

You might consider whether your dog has any particular preference for the material of the cover. For instance, the more horrible-to-the-touch I find the polyester faux-sheepskin surface of a dog bed, the more my dog acts like it's the best thing in the whole wide world. (I don't know if this is a general dog thing, or if my dog is a weird, but something to think about!)
posted by Blue Jello Elf at 10:51 PM on October 30, 2013

Our older large-breed dog loves this bed from etsy, because it's big enough for him to really sprawl out on.
posted by bunji at 12:15 AM on October 31, 2013

I used to foster Labradors. I have 3 elderly dogs now. I use a crib mattress I got off Craigslist for $25 and cover it in several layers of fleece. You can change the fleece every 6 mos or so if you want. I just duct tape it on the bottom. It's cheaper and IMO more comfortable.
posted by lasamana at 5:57 AM on October 31, 2013

Egg crate. Buy a single bed size and cut into pieces. Use any old covers. If dog has issues as he ages, by a couple of plastic crib mattress covers, too.

Have you talked to the vet about appropriate exercise?

Also, large arthritic dogs often enjoy playing in water so they don't have to carry their weight. (Not the best time of the year for beach trips, I know. )
posted by Lesser Shrew at 6:50 AM on October 31, 2013

My dogs love the orvis ones, too. If I had it to do over again, I would have picked one that matched the dog rather than the furniture... that way the dog hair wouldn't show as badly and I wouldn't feel as compelled to vacuum the darn thing so often.
posted by Nickel Pickle at 7:27 AM on October 31, 2013 [1 favorite]

Best answer: The best is the Orvis "Deep Dish"; that open front makes it easier to an arthritic dog to not have to step up into it and he can extend his legs out straight when he doesn't want to curl them.

Our neighbor's beloved 14-year-old hound sleeps on one. His knees have been through several surgeries and our neighbor built an exercise pool for the dog with a motorized treadmill... in the bilge of a houseboat. Now that's dedication.
posted by Kakkerlak at 7:41 AM on October 31, 2013

If it's for inside use, consider a heated bed from Petsafe. I had a prototype of this product and my (young, healthy) pups loved it. I put it to higher use by giving it to a friend who fosters special needs dogs.
posted by workerant at 8:14 AM on October 31, 2013