With one senior dog, Izzy (13 years old), and two three-legged dogs, Jayne and Meatball, a flimsy dog bed just won’t cut it for these three. Enter: the Big Barker dog bed. The dogs were gifted an orthopedic Big Barker dog bed to try out to see if it would help them with their joints while sleeping and lounging. Fun fact- Big Barker just came out with a study showing that their dog beds do help big dogs with joint stiffness and better sleep. I was excited to see if this bed would make any difference for Izzy, Jayne, or Meaty. Read how it helped especially Izzy below!
The two three-leggers (as I affectionately call them), love snuggling on this bed. Meatball hogs it sometimes but he deserves to. For those who don’t know much about Meatball, he is a three-year-old dog who had to undergo a total hip replacement, surgery to replace his luxating patella, and a forelimb amputation for a badly deformed leg. Basically, Meatball needs an orthopedic bed to sleep on. It helps him stay even and comfortable so there is no slouching in his body that can cause pain. Jayne does better with her amputation because it’s a hindlimb, but she still benefits from the Big Barker because so much pressure is put on her shoulders and front legs because of her missing hindlimb. Overall the three-leggers rate the Big Barker a 10/10 for comfort, ease to climb or jump onto, and big enough for both to fit to snuggle on.
The Queen, Izzy, 13 years young really LOVES the Big Barker. She probably sleeps on it more than the three-leggers do. It has really helped with Izzy’s joint stability after Izzy had a week of lameness in her hindlimb for an unknown reason. The vets couldn’t really figure it out and neither could we. I’m just glad the Big Barker bed was able to help her! She was able to sleep very stabilized so her joints could avoid further stiffness and instability or weakness caused by a flimsy bed. For Izzy, the rating is a 10/10. She likes that it’s big enough so she can have lots of room and have the entire bed to stretch out and not share 😉
As someone who works in canine massage therapy with dogs who have lots of joint issues, I highly recommend Big Barker’s bed for its orthopedic benefits. Along with regular massage or PT this bed is the perfect compliment to give a dog’s joints, limbs, and body the support it needs while the dog is resting. The bed is an investment but it’s one that is especially important for preserving your dog’s mobility. Once mobility becomes an issue it can often create a snowball effect of other issues. Mobility is definitely something to take seriously and address from all aspects including what our dogs sleep on.
Loves & Woofs,
Alicia