Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

In November 2011, our dog tore his ACL and had corrective surgery. He's recovered quite nicely, but the leg gets stiff easily after laying down. Various pads and blanket combinations helped but not completely. When considering this bed, price was an important consideration, but dog comfort was most important, and then sturdiness was also important. In the end, a review had to convince me my dog would use this bed and would provide enough cushion to alleviate his leg stiffness. That's a tall order. After reading many reviews, some noted the outer covering (velour in the product description) did not wear well, others noted the product was not truly waterproof, or that the bed was flat out of the box, and one review noted the product had a certain chemical odor. At some point, you have to just take the leap and hope for the best. Amazon's return policy makes changing your mind easier, but, at the end of the day, you want a bed for your dog that will provide a comfortable place to rest and alleviate or eliminate stiffness. Many other reviewers were quite satisfied and several described the support of the bed just such that I was willing to try it. I made the leap and share my findings here. I hope this review helps. Cover: First, the outer covering is washable and appears quite comfortable, soft, yet durable. As dogs are just naturally furry and oily, we use another pad as an overlay and wash that pad as needed. This protects the outer cover, so we'll notice much less cover wear. The cover does have a wrap-around zipper and looks easy enough to remove. Waterproof: Noted earlier, we use a separate cover as an overlay and, fortunately, our dog does not have incontinence problems. I can say he walks on the cover quite regularly and it has not needed washed yet, and shows no wear, even after several months. Flat: The bed is flat out of the box and packed in what I'd call a ziploc bag. Just open the bag and remove the bed, it expands to full size within an hour. Our bed expanded fully, without any effort on our part to correct the bed shape or re-position the bed within the cover. It just worked. This cleverly saves on shipping. Odor: we noticed no odor, even just out of the box. Our dog, after placing his old pad on top, took to the new bed immediately. More on that later. Thickness: This bed is firm without being stiff and is about 4" thick, as noted in the product description. When our dog lays on the bed, there is no noticeable collapsing, no sinking middle. The bed supports him without pushing too hard on him. *I've* sat on this bed with him and the bed just springs back, no lag, no dents. Dog: Our dog, Raisin, is 60lbs. and 9-years old. We bought this larger pad to ensure him enough room to stretch-out. He loves the bed. Today, he no longer has a stiff leg after resting and his quality of life is improved as a result of using this bed. Video: While the bed is already unpacked, so I can't video unpacking it. But if someone on the edge wants a video of Raisin using the bed, let me know and I'll gladly get one made and posted so it can help you decide. ==UPDATE: DECEMBER 23, 2013== Durable: This pad is still in use! Not one problem. Raisin sleeps and rests on it everyday. There has been no noticeable wearing. It still has the original color, shape, and texture. There is no sagging anywhere, not even the corners or frequently walked-on spots. Low maintenance: As of yet, ours has only needed minor wipe-ups (paw prints) and that's it. Using a separate, top-pad makes a big difference in how often the outer cover needs washed. A top-pad protects the mattress from body oils and other normal foot traffic. If you follow this suggestion, then, after bathing your dog, layer regular bath towels on the top-pad for an hour or so afterwards to prevent the top pad from becoming damp. Raisin doesn't like a damp top-pad. ==UPDATE: AUGUST 18, 2015== Raisin still uses this as his go to pad. The pad's outer shell is still in very good condition, still has nap, good color. It gets washed when needed. I attribute the good condition to our top pad barrier, usually a thick bath towel, changed once or twice a week. The foam core still holds its shape, still bounces back, no matter who lays on it (me) or bounces off it (our 60lb bull dog, Tonka). Raisin usses it as his base and will play with his chew toys while laying on the pad. At 12, little man's arthritis has made his legs a bit stiffer and him a bit slower. Still, he gets daily (sometimes 2x) walks around the neighborhood. I think mentioning this is important: he rests on the pad as much as old doggies do, and is ready for fun when i get home. When i go to work, i block couches and other furniture he may try to use, as he also has 2 degenerating vertebrae, and climbing or jumping is to be avoided. As I am leaving, i look back. He is usually circling on the pad getting comfortable. Dogs usually circle at least 3x. He rests comfortably on what is probably the best value for $40 dollars we have spent on any of our dogs. ==UPDATE: MARCH 02, 2016== I am pleasantly surprised the pad has lasted this long. After 12-16 hours per day use, the foam core finally got too soft for continued use. I periodically check it for firmness and noticed resistance from the center area of the pad allowed my foot to bottom-out, just barely. For about $40, this pad lasted 3 1/2 years and provided a very comfortable resting/sleeping place for Raisin. The value is just amazing. We have 3 dogs. Raisin is the oldest. However, our younger dogs like the pad but do not need it. So, we gave it to them! They love it. ==SECOND PURCHASE MARCH 02 2016== Unfortunately, this second purchase must also be reviewed along with the first This 2nd purchase ,did not inflate. Not even close. Not even after 36 hours. *Very difficult* to return ship even a partially inflated pad. I called the Seller's customer service #, during business hours for guidance. The call went to the answering machine ("Please leave a message")...really? Boo! We returned this pad and bought a different pad. It inflated in 30 seconds, costs less per square foot, and performs like our first pad used to :) warmly, -dean shultz