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Tips for Selecting the Perfect Dog Bed

Does your dog need a good dog bed? They don't like sleeping on the floor any more than you do!

Larger dogs, older dogs, special needs dogs, and athletic dogs all have special needs when selecting a dog bed that will perfect for their comfort and support.

In today's market there are lots of designer dog beds - however, designer dog beds are not always the best choice. What are the things we should look for in a dog bed for our beloved Buddies?

1. Size. It is important to select a bed the will support their hips and shoulders no matter the position in which they are sleeping or resting. The dog bed you are selecting needs to be of a size that is comfortable.
   
   
2. Comfort. It is important to find a bed that offers your dog comfort. If you are shopping online . .and cannot actually touch the dog bed - read the reviews about the bed and what other customers have had to say about the dog bed.
   
   
3. Joints. Dogs often have issues with joints, arthritis, and sore hips. Large dogs also often suffer from bone weaknesses as they grow older. A good quality bed that offers support, as well as comfort, is a necessity. Memory foam is the perfect material for the dog bed you are considering for your dog.
   
   
4. Age and Health of your Dog. If your dog is an older dog - consider an orthopedic dog bed. Lots of dog beds call themselves "orthopedic" but they are not. Memory foam is the ONLY material known to man that completely eliminates painful pressure points. If your orthopedic dog bed is not made from memory foam - it is not orthopedic.
   
   
5. Washability. All dogs need lots of exercise! Which means your bigger dog is probably outside walking, rolling in the dirt, romping through the grass, and into all sorts of dirty things. Since you will want to keep their dog bed clean - make sure the covers are washable. Also it is nice to have extra long zippers which makes getting the covers on and off for washing so much easier.
   

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Now Lets Talk About Memory Foam

Memory foam is graded by density. All foam is defined by a series of numbers that reflect the weight and compression ratios of a square foot of foam. Most common in the industry for testing purposes, is a piece of foam 4" X 12" X 12 feet square. Precision equipment is used in determining these ratios.

Memory foam is graded by density. It is stated in terms of "lbs". The higher the number - the better quality and firmer the memory foam will be.

Common Memory Foam on the market today:

• 3lb. density - this is an adequate quality, but often loses it's memory over time. Many cheaper memory foam dog beds use this foam - that is what keeps their cost down.
  


• 4lb. density - if you have a memory foam topper on your bed -- it is most likely a 4 lb. density
  


• 5lb. density - this is the highest quality available in the market. It is the firmest of the memory foams. This is the only quality memory foam Buddy Beds uses for our orthopedic memory foam dog beds!

Orthopedic memory foam molds and contours to your Buddy's body, completely eliminating those painful pressure points which cut off circulation. That's what makes Buddy Beds the ultimate orthopedic dog bed!

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Don't be fooled by other 'orthopedic' dog beds
that do not use true memory foam!

Memory foam is the only material know to man that completely eliminated ALL painful pressure points. Unless your orthopedic dog bed uses a good qualtiy of memory foam - it is not truly orthopedic. Many 'orthopedic' dog beds use other materials so don't be fooled.

These materials are NOT memory foam and do not provide the orthopedic qualities of real slow recovery visco-elastic memory foam:

• Shredded memory foam!!!
• High memory fiber fill
• Egg crate foam
• Convoluted foam
• Medical grade hospital foam
• 'High density' foam (what is that?)
• Foam chips
• Recycled fiber
• Batting
• Cedar
• Polyester fiber

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It is Important to Confirm the Memory Foam in Your Orthopedic Dog Bed is CERTIFIED Non-Toxic!

Buddy Beds uses a safe, non-toxic memory foam which is a more expensive memory foam. (Read more about our factory in the section below). Our memory foam is certified non-toxic. If you have a question if the memory foam being used is non-toxic -- ask for the certification of the memory foam. Many are claiming their memory foam to be non-toxic - but it needs to be certified. Ask specifically who is certifing the memory foam. It needs to be certifed by a reputable, recognizable, governmental authority. Anyone can claim their memory foam is non-toxic -- but it needs to be certified non-toxic. PERIOD.

In this difficult economy, we are see lots of large corporations, who specialties are other things, get into the 'dog bed business' because they know we love our dogs and will spend money to give them the qualtiy of life they deserve -- regardless of the economy. It is well known that the pet products business is considered 'recession proof', and for that reason and could be a lucrative venture. Sadly, there is not the concern for quality but the desire for profitabilty -- and we are seeing many of the 'wholesale' or 'discount' dog bed manufacturers cut corners. Ask these 'wholesale' dog bed companies how long they have been making memory foam dog beds. . .and, do they make other memory foam products than dog beds?

Buddy Beds began over 5 years ago and was one of the first memory foam dog bed manufacturers. All we make is Orthopedic Memory Foam Dog Beds - nothing else. We contine to be a family owned business who consider our pets to be members of our families. Our reputation has been built on quality, safety, comfort, and customer service. Here is a link to our Mission Statement: Buddy Bed's Mission Statement. And. . .Please read our testimonials: Happy Customers

We would never, ever sell a product that could be harmful.

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Is it true that memory foam made in the USA is a better quality and safer memory foam?

This is a statement made by some dog bed manufacturers; however, it is not necessary true. Like all things, there are good overseas factories which sell a superior product, and then there are inferior factories that do in fact cut corners.

We at Buddy Beds could make our dog beds with memory foam made in the USA - yet, here is why we do not.

Buddy Beds has been fortunate enough to enter into a partnership with one of the largest, most respected baby products company. Our memory foam comes from the factory that only makes memory foam for baby products (and us). We want the same safety and security we offer our babies . . .for our dogs as well.

The factory we work with has been certified to produce a safe, non-toxic product. The factory is audited and approved by Bureau Veritas, an accredited third party testing laboratory approved by the U.S. Government (CPSIA Act of 2008). This factory is audited once a year by Bureau Veritas as mandated by Babies R Us, as they manufacture BRU branded products.

The key requirements in these audits are:

• Facilities
• Organization
• Production and quality
• Safety compliance testing
• Working conditions

In addition, our memory foam complies to CA 117 Flammability and CPSIA Phthalate requirements.

Interestingly, much of the memory foam manufactured in the USA does not live up to these exacting standards. So don't be fooled, just because it is made in the USA doesn't necessarily mean it is a high quality memory foam.

Working with this respected factory allows us to buy a superior memory foam at a reasonable price. So rest assured, our memory foam contains no components or chemicals that could pose a health hazard to your dog!