Hi–
I'm looking for a new dog bed for my senior B boy, Spencer. He's almost 14, and arthritis is starting to bother him. He's on meds, but I'm thinking a new bed might make him more comfortable. With winter coming-- 38 last night, brrr-- I was thinking about getting a bed with a heating element-- or maybe I should get an ortho bed and put a pet heating pad on top? Does anyone have any recommendations on senior dog beds or advice on how to make an arthritic dog more comfortable?
He sleeps under the covers in the human bed at night, so this is just for the doggy day bed under my desk.
Thanks!
I have several heated pet bed type things. I have:
http://www.jefferspet.com/sleep-right-thermal-bed/p/0026294/
(they seem to work okay, but it is self-reflecting, so it doesn't get really warm OTOH, they don't need electricity, so it's great for the car)
http://www.jefferspet.com/lectro-kennel-warming-pads/p/2468/
had these for years. warm heat, not too hot even w/o the temp control. i have one i think i'm going to have to retire, cut the dogs seem to like them
http://www.jefferspet.com/snuggle-safe-microwave-heating-pad/p/998/
work great if the dog will sleep on it, it will stay warm all night. great for the car/shows as it doesn't need electricity, but it won't stay warm for more than a few hours if the dog isn't on top of it
http://www.jefferspet.com/pet-bed-warmer/p/0032468/cn/10002/
boyz got these for xmas last year. i made a little slip cover for them and put it on a time for each boy. nice and warm. Jet's is in his bed and Diggie's is where he naps in the afternoon.
http://www.jefferspet.com/thermo-pet-throw/p/0031789/
looks very promising, but not something i have (yet)
i did not get all of these items from jeffers, but i knew they carried them all. Mostly my older kids just nap on the sofa, chair, etc., but i do have a large foam dog pad. I'd bought an ortho bed for the old lab and when the foam wore out, i just replaced it with the thickest foam I could find at Joann's.
I don't know if you have a Peavy Mart down there but they carry some nice heated dog pads. You plug it in and it has a chew protected cord. My dogs loved it…..until they descovered that it had foam in it....foam foam everywhere
Thanks for the replies! I think I'm going to try the heated throw from Jeffers. It looks like a good solution, and I can move it around. Jeffers is a great resource. I used to buy from there when Spencer was a puppy, but I had forgotten about it. It's time to stock up on a few things, so I appreciate the tip, agilebasenji!
We do not have a Peavy Mart, but I know exactly what you mean about the foam, krunzer. If I bought one of those, we would have an early "snow" at my house. 
Since one of my three reverts to 'chewing' on beds, I have found that I can save money by buying memory foam and a cheap bed throw or comforter at a local thrift store. I even lucked out and have found the same color to 'accent' my house color in the doggie bed department. Just an input for ya!
Spencer has never chewed on his beds, but if I put a comforter or blanket on top, he will shred it every time. Yet he never bothers the comforter or blankets on people beds. Tough to figure out these clever little Basenji minds!
So far, all the elderly dogs I have had have not chewed on their bedding. I think once they reach a certain age, they decide the chewing is not worth the effort. I will have to see with my Arnie though as he is almost 11 and is still a big chewer. For his bedding, I put just the stuffing in his crate. He loves to destuff things.
Jennifer
LOL, yes, they must decide it's just not worth it. Spencer has stopped stealing socks and unrolling toilet paper, but he still shreds squeak toys every single time! I don't think he's giving that up.
