Pet Heating bed for a GSD? - Page 1

Do you use a heating bed/pad for your GSD?  If so, what for and how well does it work/help with the goal?

As a general rule, GSDs have no need for the additional heat.  They have enough hair.  I am more thinking along the lines to help their hips with movement during the cold months.

Background
Rose hurt one of her hips last January.  She is doing well as a whole.  I did notice today though, with the cold spell, she is stiff to move around and is favoring the hip again.  I have anti - inflammatory meds, but I would prefer to limit their use only if absolutely needed and definitely not on a long term bases.  I have added supplements to her diet and those have worked, but she will probably never recover 100% (sucks, as she is only 4 years old).

Have never used one for anything save litters of pups, but as long as you can be sure that Rose or any of the other dogs won't try and chew it up, I see no reason you couldn't use that for her.  Generally speaking, though, I've never found it necessary even for dogs with bad hips or spinal injuries; just made sure I had good, firm & supportive egg-crate mattress dog beds  in every room of the house for them, and made sure I placed the beds in spots that weren't drafty.

Thanks Hexe.  Rose's beds are just regular dog fluffy beds, except one that is firm (top of an old ottoman (sp?)).   I will look at the egg crate ones.  Thanks again.

ufualen' fluffy beds don't offer much support for dogs, just like soft mattresses don't offer it for humans. If the beds you've already got have covers that can be removed or at least opened up, you can just buy a high density egg-crate mattress topper and cut it to fit on top of the existing bed filling inside off the bed's cover. I usually double the egg crate topper, or put a section on the bottom of the bed filling and another on the top. You want the flat side of the egg-crate facing the floor, and the dimpled side facing the top of the bed. Usually less $$$ to do it this way instead of buying new eggcrate dog beds...unless you have a Costco nearby, as I hear they have really nice ones for around the same cost as retrofitting old beds.

 

Good thought.  No Costco near by.  My only option is Walmart or on-line.

Same here re shopping options.  Walmart Kmart or Big Lots.  Keep an eye out for sales, as all three of those places put them on sale often.

Fawndallas, not sure where you're at, but if you have a Joanne Fabrics or other crafts store, they will often have the eggshell stuff or thick foam padding as well. In the spring, Home Depot will have what they call camping pads that we get and cut in half for our dog beds. It makes about a 3' x 2' pad, just right for many of the bed covers. I used to have a heated pad that I used for my old girl with hip issues, but she did not seem to like it.

I would not have thought about Home Depot.  I will look there too.  I am also going to try Amazon.

Thanks

I've purchase 4 orthopedic (double egg crate) pads off Walmart.com-I believe they were from Wayfair/er-two extra large that the dogs LOVED but unfortunately they took up too much room, so ordered the next size down-dogs still liked them, but not like the extra large-the fleece covering on the top could have been better quality, but the prices were not bad at all-believe I received free shipping.

My dog has a memory foam one from Petco, that she really loves - she's laying in it right now, actually.

I have a bad back, myself... I had surgery a few years ago to fuse part of it together, and have screws and rods in there still... along with scoliosis and a pretty nasty sway back. Anyway, I can tell you that the firmer mattresses are NOT better for a bad back. My back would never sit flat against my old mattress, and I would wake up feeling pretty horrible. I got a new mattress a few months ago, a plush, pillowtop one, and my back has never felt better. I would suspect, that it would be similar with other bad parts, and for dogs too.

Qira's bed has the firmness of memory foam, but also is soft enough to kinda let her sink into it and get comfy. I would reccommend it.