Is a Memory Foam Dog Bed Necessary For All Large Dogs?

Finding a large dog bed is easy enough, online or at your local pet store, but if you’re like me, the owner of a big dog, then I found myself procrastinating about the space it would take up and which style would be most suitable for my dog and then the whole memory foam dog bed thing, did she really need one as a healthy two year old.

The styles of large dog beds range from a pillow style, round or rectangular, to a donut or nest style. Then you have to consider the material inside the bed. If it’s just cheap stuffing then a large dog will crush it flat in no time and that leaves them pretty much just sleeping on the floor. After that we large dog owners have to consider the option of a memory foam dog bed.

It’s true that Vet’s recommend memory foam dog beds for elderly and arthritic dogs but did you know that they, and most large dog breeders, also recommend them for large dogs of any age. About 50% of pure breed large dogs are prone to hip dysplasia, breeds such as German Shepherds, Labrador Retrievers, Rottweillers, Golden Retrievers and Dobermans. Now maybe you’re thinking, like I did, that my dog show’s no signs of this debilitating disease but then my Vet told me that most large dogs don’t show symptoms until they’re middle aged! So offering my dog a memory foam dog bed where her joints are properly supported and good blood circulation is maintained around those joints became a no-brainer for me. Keeping her joints as healthy as possible would save us both a lot of grief in the long run.

The basic shape of a memory foam dog bed is rectangular although there are a few other options, like bolster styles and nesting type beds. It basically comes down to whether you’re dog likes to stretch out when they sleep of curl up when selecting the shape of the bed. My dog likes to mostly stretch out but will occasionally sleep curled up so I opted for the rectangular style with the bolster for a head rest.

So, at the end of the day, the issue of space and style took a backseat to getting her the proper support of a memory foam dog bed and best of all she loves it! She used to prefer the couch to her flattened out old dog bed and who could really blame her for that. Now she opts for her memory foam dog bed every time which leaves both of us happy, her because she has a comfortable place to sleep and me because I now have a fur-free place to sit!