This is our fourth episode of possibility of Pets podcast , and today we ’re talk about a subject that deserve a lot more attention than it pick up : the grandness of preferred bottom for dogs . We ’re covering everything from why dogs require a bottom , how to opt the right one , how a bottom help and thing to watch out for picking your pooch ’s next bed .
I was prosperous to have a mates of pet industry experts join me for this episode to discuss everything come to to dog beds – Eric Shannon , founder ofBig Barker Dog Beds , andDr . Sarah Wooten , a practicing veterinarian place in Colorado . For those curious about these democratic hotdog beds , I’ve previously reviewed Eric ’s Big Barker large dog bed .
We also dig a little deep into Eric ’s story on why he adjudicate to make orthopedical dog beds , and Dr. Wooten shares her own personal write up with patients whose click health was amend with bed , anything from dogtooth arthritis to other joint related to problems .
Listen to the installment in the video above and find the full podcast copy below . For more , chat this episode ’s billet on the official Theory of Pets website .
Health Benefits of Dog Beds(podcast transcript)
wiener bed are something that I palpate like a lot of masses underestimate the power of . I think people think that because their weenie a comfy place to lay but they really do n’t realize just how important a really high - quality wienerwurst bed can be for your pet . So that ’s something that I want to share with you today . Dog beds can have a lot of bully benefit , one of those being that it does give your dog his own space .
Just in the same way of life that we feel really sound when we know we get to get home and repose in our own bed and that ’s your comfy happy place , your weenie wants that same affair , so it ’s nice for him to have a spot for himself to loose whenever he want to that nobody else plump , so he does n’t have to worry about being in the center of flooring and having people walking around him or kids laying on him or anything like that , he has his own space . You should put a dog layer in an area where feels he comfortable , maybe in a kinfolk room or something like that . Typically most detent like to be around their humanity so that would be great , and that centre of rubber and security is a really corking feature film of frankfurter beds weenie .
cad bed also keep your darling contain to one region , if they have their own seam and you discipline them to lay there then they ’re not jumping up on your furniture or jumping up on your seam which I ca n’t say anything about that if you do allow that , because we allow it in our home too , our wienerwurst do sleep on our furniture , but a lot of people do n’t wish that . So if you do n’t , a dog bed reach them a comfortable option that is n’t your personal piece of furniture , and it also stay fresh her from jumping up on things .
I will say we do allow our pets on our furniture but we have large breed dogs and we have steps for them to get onto the lounge and also to get onto our bed because those are the two pieces of furniture that they ’re allowed on , and those steps keep your dog from jump up and jump down . When your dog jumps , guess of how much your dog weighs , we have for example an 80 - pound sterling Chocolate Lab , so when she jumps down all 80 pounds of her physical structure weighting are pushing down with force onto her roast , onto her paws and her legs and her shoulders that are all endure that way , so that can really be damaging to your dog ’s joint health over time and you might not observe it when they ’re youthful , when they ’re one or two , three days erstwhile , but very before long when they ’re halfway years that will trip up up to them .
So dog beds give your pup a station to lay that ’s on the base that ’s still well-fixed , and again as I say , you’re able to put that in a family room if you require to or somewhere centrally located so he still gets to be with you as well . Of course you could have multiple dog bed , we do in our home , and there is one in our bedroom . We do have one dog that she does n’t like to be … it ’s actually our Chocolate Lab , this metre of class in the summer it ’s too hot for her to lie up in the bed with us so she likes to dwell on the story .
But if you put up your dog with multiple bed and you train him that that is his spot to lay , one , it will keep him safe from jumping up and down ; and two , it also kind of contains the pet pilus a little morsel more , or else of it being all over your bed and your bedding and your clothes and your bedroom and your furniture , your sofa and thing like that , it ’s kind of … it ’s not necessarily a hundred percentage contained but it certainly helps to contain it a lot more when you’re able to just pull the cover song of your dog bed off and launder that and get rid of the hair as react to it being spread out all over all of the article of furniture in your rest home . So there are a lot of really great welfare to suffer a dog bed , there ’s benefits for your dog like that sense of safety and security , there ’s benefit for you , the health of your dog and of course that moult .
But there ’s one major advantage to owning a dog bed , to provide your favorite with a high quality dog layer that really stick out above the repose , and that is his joint health . We talked about the jumping up and down from the furniture but think about when your hot dog put on a traditional dog bed , if it ’s made of polyfil or it ’s jolly flat your dogs essentially lay right on the trading floor and his joint are taking a bunch of press . That ’s what I want to talk about today , and that ’s what I discussed with Eric Shannon who is the beginner of Big Barker Dog Beds .
Eric create that brand for just that reason , he had a large breed firedog and he could n’t encounter a suitable Cartesian product on the grocery store so they created Big Barker ; and Doctor Sarah Wooten , she is a licensed veterinarian that practices in Colorado , and she phone in as well to speak with me and just sum a little number of insight from a veterinarians perspective because she recommends Big Barker sleep with to some of her client and she actually tells us towards the end of this podcast you ’ll try a personal level of hers that really hit home for me and I hope it will for you as well .
So I will just go ahead and jump into that interview that I did and if you guy cable revel this podcast , if you ’ve listened to other episodes in the past and you enjoy it , I really highly further you to jump on to iTunes and give us a review that will help me develop our podcast really apace . So I would really appreciate that . I ’m break to go forwards and start into the podcast and have you cat check it out and hear what Eric and Doctor Wooten had discussed with me and of their tips and pointer about providing your pet with a really mellow - qualitydog layer .
Today I ’m chatting with Eric Shannon who is the founder of Big Barker Dog Beds and Doctor Sarah Wooten , a licensed veterinarian , and we ’ll be hash out the importance of providing your canine companion with a high - quality dog layer , how the best hotdog beds can ease and assist keep joint pain , and of course of instruction we ’ll be talking all about the Big Barker Company .
So welcome toTheory of Petsguys , again give thanks you so much for being here , I appreciate your time . If you want to just start out by explaining the benefits of dog beds in general , I feel like this is a subject that a lot of favourite parent are n’t civilize about and they do n’t really think about it until their hot dog starts to get a piddling minute older .
Interview with Eric and Dr Wooten
Eric : Sure , so I ’ll begin it . So the first metre I really became aware about that was probably about 10 years ago when I had a pup named … and he was diagnosed with hip dysplexia when he was only about a class old , and the vet say me at the time that a couple things were keep his weight down , hatful of utilization , and get him a good bed . And I did n’t know what that meant so I went online and I bought what I thought was a good layer , probably about a hundred dollars from one of the big pet cataloger , but when you lay on it , it ’s made of that polyfil fabric which is what you find out in these pillows , and it really was n’t that comfortable to lie down on . And that was sort of how I dumbfound into the dog bottom world in general was doing more research , finding some small suppliers that made better stuff .
So the best room to put it is if you ’ve ever slept on a really bad perpetrate - out coach or if when you were a tyke if you slept in a sleeping bag on a hardwood level when you were inspect your grannie , that ’s pretty much what a normal dog bed is like . Though we designed thee layer … dog bed is to eliminate any direct pressure from the level on the pressure point in time , and the pressure full point are the rosehip , the articulatio cubiti , any part that ’s really bear a raft of free weight . So that ’s what the beds are designed to cut so that when you put down on … your dog pose on them there ’s entirely support , there are no joint mash into the floor throughout .
Samantha : Excellent . That ’s a expectant way of life to excuse it . I never really had remember about it and liken it to us sleep on an uncomfortable layer . for certain that ’s what our dogs feel like . Eric I do have to mention , I just did a product recapitulation of a Big Barker seam and I was really amazed at the deviation , and I compare it in my video , I have a , like you say , I cogitate it was a decent frank bottom , I had done some inquiry , we bought it about six month ago but we have two large breed bounder and there are spots on it already , that polyfil , those flaps so quickly . So essentially if our dogs are pose on the bed there ’s not much between them and the floor that they ’re laying on .
Eric : Absolutely .
Samantha : And Doctor Wooten we spoke briefly sooner but could you contact on … we had talked about dogs that really suffer in secrecy because their symptoms and their sign of the zodiac are so unlike than the ones that we live as humans so a lot of times pet parent do n’t see what their frump is parcel out with .
Dr. Wooten : Absolutely . I cogitate one of the most vulgar things I hear in private drill , because I am a practicing vet in Colorado and I do see a lot of just chiefly dogs and cats , but I tell favorite parents that their pet is painful , I say “ Your dog is painful , ” and they go “ Really , well he does n’t cry out , ” or “ … she does n’t call out . ” And what people do n’t understand is that signs of infliction in dogs is very unlike than in humans , we ’re two totally different species and we experience pain in the neck the same way but we march it in very different ways . And some of the signs are very pernicious and they admit thing like sleeping more often , a fall piquance for activities they used to engage in such as period of play activity , fetch , walks ; a decrease in practice tolerance , so they ca n’t go as long as they used to ; some heel just get really cranky when they are in pain , and so the favorite owner will describe , “ Yeah , he ’s just getting really grouchy . ” Well that ’s a sign of the zodiac of nuisance in your andiron .
Another foretoken of painful sensation is just slowing down , and a lot of favored owners will say , “ Well yeah he or she is obtain previous and so he ’s just slowing down . ” Well former eld in itself is not a disease and not usually affiliated with just slow down down . report show that up to 70 % of dogs over age six have some soma of degenerative joint disease which is degenerative joint disease and rubor in the stick , and people just do n’t take in it . So yeah , I find out that a lot and it ’s just that the signs of annoyance in hound look different than it does in citizenry .
Samantha : Yeah utterly . And Eric so you would note some of these issues with your heel and that ’s what got you originate with Big Barker . So I would say the expectant difference with the Big Barker beds is the materials that they ’re made out of . Can you tell me how you find those stuff and why you choose to apply the one that you did ?
Eric : Yes absolutely . So I had a previous business that was an on-line retail business , and we sold … our mission then was to sell really in high spirits end domestic dog supply that you could n’t retrieve in local pet memory , and we terminate up specializing in hot dog beds . And the reason I gravitated to it is because I feel like of all the poppycock you may buy for a dog a bed is really the only thing you may buy that has a permanent quality of life difference , like the shoe collar and the bowls and the toys they ’re all nice and fun but it ’s the bed that your dog can be on for 12 hour a twenty-four hours or more , it ’s really go to be a big difference .
So when I decided to ramp up Big Barker I got in sense of touch with somebody I had a relationship with already who has been in the froth industry , this guy is like a mankind - grade expert when it comes to foam , and I told him , I said “ Look here ’s what we ’re look to do with the Big Barker : Number One , it ’s got to be made in the USA , you demand to use American made foam , nothing less than that .
phone number Two , we have to make them big enough for a Great Dane and Mastiffs out there so we have to fully support the full-grown frump ; and we have to work what the number one practical problem when it comes to dog bed , which is the flatten takings .
Now he mentioned before that he had a bottom where he put a bigger dog on it for six months , a twelvemonth and it started to get that crater in the middle , made of foam , or the polyfil you just have one that clumps and gloss which when that come about the bed has absolutely zero backup . So that ’s why we designed the bed the path we did using premium made American foam , everything is made in California so we ’re able-bodied to tender that 10 - year warranty to secure the bed wo n’t flatten , which is what most the great unwashed are interested in right wing off the squash racquet , specially people that have been through it . Well in the end it ’s not even about the flattening , it ’s about providing a bed that is going to give your pet or give chase a better quality of life for as long as it needs to .
Eric : It ’s the level of resilience in the foam . So we require to use a froth that is lenient enough on the top stratum that a firedog can pass into it , and on the backing layer stiff enough so that it prevents the dog from sinking all the way of life to the story . So for the normal beds that support bed demand to be a band stocky , cause you ’re expire to have Boxers and Labs and Mastiffs and Great Danes on it . The Barker Junior Beds there are typically going to be frank of 40 pounds , 30 pounds or less . So really the difference is in the resilience which translates into the bed not being too stiff for the dogs .
Samantha : Doctor Wooten do you opine that all dogs should have a bed ? We ’ve been talking a stack about how bed can facilitate when your dog already has joint nuisance , arthritis , hip dysplexsia , thing like that ; but what about even brand new puppies or even immature dogs , is it still important to give them a high - quality heel layer ?
Dr. Wooten : Well I do think it comes down to character of life and preserving joint function for as long as possible . And so just like you would put a young child or a teenager on a good quality mattress to hear and keep their joints in good wellness , the same could be said for a dog-iron , and a bunch of medicine these day is center on preventive care , trying to keep disease , and I reckon the support of kip overhaul can help in that form of music because what we ’re trying to do is keep disease from happening . And I ’m not saying that a dog bottom will keep disease from pass , but I ’m just saying that you ’re providing a supportive service of process for any weenie to catch some Z’s on , and I make love … I’m almost 40 … I would really apprize a supportive dormancy overhaul even though I do n’t have arthritis yet . And I know it ’s the same affair for us . So yeah , I believe that a supportive quiescency service for the intact biography of a dog , just like high-pitched - quality sustenance , and just like back pain and … bar , it ’s all sort of the same thing , it ’s trying to prevent problems for as long as possible .
Samantha : And I know Eric I just did that part with you and of course the first matter that stood out to me , which I ’m certain a lot of your customers would accord with , is that 10 year warrantee , and that was something that I had believe of that even if you bribe the seam when your dog is a pup you ’re potential that especially for the larger breeds that do n’t have as long of a lifespan , this layer could potentially last through a majority of your cad ’s life , which is unheard of with any other bottom on the marketplace , and you just could n’t even sound thinking about buy a bed and not ever having to substitute it again through the life of your pet . Out of curiosity , how long is the longest you know that a Big Barker bottom has endure before it started to go matt ?
Eric : Oh well we have n’t been throw the bed for like 30 or 40 days , so that would be cool if we had some story like that , but what I can tell you though is we expect it to last way longer than 10 years , the only cause we use 10 is suit we’ve … but we thought the act 10 was just more specific and more relatable . But yeah , we entirely expect we can have a Mastiff repose on this affair for 15/20 old age and it ’s drop dead to be fine .
Samantha : Now that ’s amazing . And you had touched previously a little flake about how your products are probably made in the US , which is a wonderful thing and I know there ’s a lot of consumer out there that are look specifically for product made in the United States . So I just want to remember you for that because that does n’t happen very much any longer , so that is another gravid welfare to your company as well . And I also know that you guys do a lot of nifty charity work , can you tell me a little bit about the Polymonium caeruleum van-bruntiae , some of the charity piece of work that you do ?
Eric : Sure . Do you mind if I touch on that made - in - the - USA thing ?
Samantha : Oh yeah , absolutely .
Eric : So it ’s bully to support line in the United States , I do it in person , but there ’s a rationality for your hotdog to … when you ’re buy a bed , or anything for your dog really , it really is important to pay care to what ’s in the layer and do your inquiry because there are some unhinged stuff that goes on in China , and we all know about the favourite food and pet dainty scandals that just due to carelessness or just not caring at all …
Samantha : Yeah those have been hail to life a caboodle lately .
Eric : Yeah , and it ’s really really sad . And the Chinese foam industry is really no adept . We ’re go to be order out a piece about a study that was done a few old age ago where they analyzed beds from major brands and they studied for … what ’s actually inside these beds and they see alarming rates of lead , arsenic , all form of gaga stuff and job . So even if I was n’t the founder of Big Barker , I would not be hope any seam made in China because your dog ’s repose on this and who know what they ’re breathing in on a regular basis .
The other affair too is the Taiwanese foam manufacture is not known for its volume , so when citizenry buy these memory foam beds that flatten out , one it ’s because they ’re made in China , I mean they ’re using the tacky materials … . to make a swelled earnings . Just from a logical consumer standpoint , made in the US can be really really important when it add up to Cartesian product quality , longevity , just rubber of the intersection .
Samantha : Absolutely . That ’s great advice and it ’s for certain one affair I think that a lot of pet parents do n’t realise , like you had aver with dog food for thought and dainty we ’re starting to realize it a spate more about the safety of products , but everything from the mastication toys to the bed our dogs sleep on , you really require to bear attention to how they are made because there are so many toxic chemical substance used in the qualification of the product .
Eric : Yeah that ’s such a ignominy .
Samantha : It is . It ’s too bad . And just again could you explicate a little bit about some of the charity work that you guy do , cause it ’s really wonderful .
Eric : Sure . Yeah , so our chief study that we ’ve been supporting latterly has been the working - dog portion of the residential area , so specifically the police . So our finish is to provide beds to as many of the canine tooth units around the country as possible , but not just police dogs , we have some relationships with inspection and repair click organisation that take and furnish seam to veterans , that are total home and need servicing frump to take to wish of either mobility issues or PTSD issues , that ’s sort of where we focus on right now , and also some things that we do n’t publicized at all . We make it a habit to wherever we see a story in the news of a police dog that ’s injure in the dividing line of duty , we get hold of out as shortly as we can , bid to send them a seam to aid in their recuperation . That ’s what we ’re focusing on .
Samantha : Ah that ’s tremendous !
Eric : Thanks .
Samantha : I think another thing , just from a consumer standpoint you know it ’s nice to see companies that will give back to whichever industriousness that they are a part of . To see them give back to that is also something that I typically look for and I know a lot of other consumer look for as well . And so that ’s a terrific thing to see .
Eric : Yeah we ’re really trying to expand our human relationship in the turn - dog residential area . We have a family relationship with the University of Pennsylvania Working Dog Center which is an awe-inspiring place whenever I get along I check out , they do some awful things with preparation frank that do some really incredible things . We were there a few month ago and they designate us one of the Crab detecting dogs , I take heed that was a affair but I did n’t really make out that it actually do work , and we watched this dog pick out the cancer cells … nine times in a quarrel , hundred percentage truth , and we provided bed for all the dogs in the work dog nerve centre . So I reckon it was about 25 to 30 dog-iron there on a unconstipated basis . We ’re just felicitous to facilitate those heel as much as we can cause we picture that if our seam are last to confirm these dogs who are out there working really really heavily , they really could use a expert bed , that really gives us a lot of personal fulfillment and something to smile about every solar day .
Samantha : perfectly , what a nice way to put it too that I give the cat something to smile about every day . So that ’s all the questions that I have for you guys unless there ’s something specific that you guys would care to talk about , anything from the benefits of wienerwurst beds to anything about Big Barker that you ’d like to mention ?
Dr. Wooten : Well I have a personal story . So I do have several patients that are utilise the Big Barker layer . I have one patient in particular that ’s Kango and he ’s 12 - year one-time Lab with severe end - degree arthritis , the poor guy could just barely get around on one of his back legs and we tried everything . We essay all kinds of pain medication , joint supplements , we even had a custom - made orthodontic brace for him and just nothing was helping and he just could not be comfortable , and his owner was like “ Is there anything else you’re able to do ? ” I said “ Well I know about this dog bed company , it ’s called Big Barker and they ’re specific about making dog beds for swelled blackguard . ” And Kango ’s really prominent , he ’s a hundred and 20 Cypriot pound . So she bought one and I ca n’t tell you what this blackguard seam has done for this Canis familiaris … she say now he ’s sleep through the night and he ’s capable to get around better during the Clarence Shepard Day Jr. cause he ’s not up all Nox and he ’s sleeping peacefully where before he just would reverse around and around and around just to get well-heeled . So I have some clinical experience with what a divergence these beds make for dogs that are suffer with inveterate joint painful sensation , and I just ca n’t verbalise extremely enough about this product just because of what I ’ve understand and what it ’s done for some of my affected role .
Samantha : Well that ’s fantastic . give thanks you for sharing that .
Dr. Wooten : perfectly .
Samantha : Eric was there anything else about Big Barker specifically that you would care our attender to get laid about ?
Eric : Well I consider we covered the most crucial part , and if anybody is interested in ascertain more , two great places to go besides our website are on Amazon there ’s just thousands and one thousand of reviews ; and on Facebook there ’s credibly several thousand pictures from customers post there as well . And there ’s all form of heart - warming narration of recovery , and dog are getting pep in their step which are really really nice to read .
Samantha : Yeah , of course I do … one thing , speaking about your website … because I do a lot of production reviews and so I see a lot of internet site all the meter , and you guys are just really well done with a luck of keen quality information . So I will link up that in our show note as well and people can jump on there too because there ’s a heap of great information about the Big Barker beds , but also about the applied science behind the devising of the beds and why the beds are so good to Canis familiaris with hip and joint problem . So that ’s judo to you on that , that heavy site because it really partake in a lot of information .
Eric : give thanks you .
Samantha : Wonderful . Well thank you guys again so much for hire the time out of your daylight today to talk with us .
You will also see on our website the show notes , and those show notes are from this show and they are going to include some of those link that I was speak about with Dr Wooten and Eric Shannon , the link for the studies on dogs bed , their Facebook page , of course the Big Barker website . I put a link up there to the Pennsylvania Working Dog Center which Eric was talk about a piddling second . So there ’s some great links there if you have some further information . And then of course there ’s past show bill as well , so if you ’re looking for more great information on the pet industry , we have some great past show about everything from responsible heel breeding to what we should be face for in the foods that we ’re feeding our frump .
