Dog Cooling Bed

Cool, relaxed, ultimate comfort. Lying in a hammock, the very slightest movement in the air seems to turn into a slight breeze encircling the entire body, cooling it. The mesh material of the hammock conforms to the body, creating cool light support. Wow! Sounds wonderful doesn’t it? Some ingenious designers evidently thought man’s best friend, the dog, deserved the same cooling supportive comfort. It did not take long for dog owners and veterinarians to see the benefits of the dog cooling beds.

Cooling beds are raised dogs beds. The bed itself is supported on a frame with legs, thus giving the hammock effect. Veterinarians have come to the conclusion that the way the raised bed conforms to the dog’s body actually supports the dogs spine.

These beds have the standard optional choices as most dog beds. Color, frame material, size, and of course price range; all are to be considered. Dog cooling beds have two very distinct ‘mattresses’ to choose from.

Perhaps the most common style resembles the hammock mentioned earlier. A special knitted mesh fabric is connected to the bed frame giving the air circulating hammock effect.

The second type has a mattress or cushion which attaches to the raised bed frame. This special cushion is actually filled with a cooling substance. The substances used to fill this type bed varies greatly, from a mostly water based mixture to specially designed gels. Cushions that are mostly water based should be kept in cool shady areas to work properly. The water based cushion actually absorbs the dog’s body heat, thus cooling the dog. The gel based cushion is beneficial to arthritic dogs. It uses the same cooling principal as the water based bed. The gel actually conforms to the dog’s body giving it support and relieving pressure points at the same time it cools the dog.

Maintenance of these beds is extremely simple. To clean the mesh type bed, simply wash it with a garden hose. The filled cushion type cleans easily by wiping the cushion with a damp cloth.

The main thing to remember when using a dog cooling bed is to keep it in a cool shady place and always out of direct sunlight.