Bedding

By Heidi Mitchell of All Creatures Great and Small

As older animals do not tend to move around as much as an active young dog it is important to consider its bedding needs.  If your older dog suffers with incontinence you need to be able to manage this so your dog is kept comfortable and life is kept as simple as possible for you to deal with.  “Vet bed” is the best type of blanket for an elderly dog.  It provides warmth, the appropriate padding the dog needs and also prevents the dog from sitting in its own urine as the urine will soak through and be held underneath the top layer.

A raised bed is also useful to keep the animal free from drafts.  Consideration also needs to be made to the dogs ability to get into a raised bed (only needs to be a few inches from the ground).