Orthopedic vs Memory Foam Dog Beds

Want to know the differences between orthopedic vs memory foam dog beds?

If you’ve been on the hunt for a better quality dog bed, you could be researching each of these options.

Many people believe these are two entirely different types of beds. However, orthopedic dog beds are a broader category of beds, which cover a range of different materials including memory foam.

Therefore, all memory foams are a type of orthopedic foams, but not all orthopedic foams are memory foams.

This blog post will discuss the differences between orthopedic dog beds and memory foam dog beds.

What is Orthopedic Foam?

Orthopedic foam is a material that provides support to joints and bones, commonly used to help with spinal alignment and recovery from back issues.

There is no specific material that is certified orthopedic. It can be constructed from a range of materials. This includes pocket springs, standard springs, reflex foam, latex foam, and memory foam among many other materials.

As a result, you have a range of options to choose from when picking out your orthopedic dog bed. However, you might not always know the best choice for your dog.

Many dog beds can be labeled as orthopedic since no specific material is required, but some are certainly better than others.

Potential Benefits

Depending on the quality of materials, the orthopedic foam may provide a range of benefits including pain reduction and comfort for your dog.

The foam may carry the weight of your dog and creates less pressure on their joints while still being firm. If interested, here’s my article listing 9 quality orthopedic dog beds.

What is Memory Foam?

Memory foam is a material constructed from a blend of polyurethane, first made by NASA for cushioning in their aircrafts. As it was found to be a good cushioning for beds, it’s sometimes used in orthopedic dog beds.

Potential Benefits

Choosing a memory foam dog bed for your furry friend could provide health benefits for your dog. This type of bed will protect your dog from hard surfaces.

This may help fight against common health problems that sometimes haunt dogs as they age. These can include soft tissue injuries and arthritis amongst other joint and muscle problems. By the way, I also discuss some good dog foods for senior dogs with arthritis if interested.

Since aging dogs or thinner dogs don’t have a lot of natural padding to protect themselves, your dog can benefit from the comfort and care that memory foam provides.

Choosing Between Both Canine Mattresses

Both orthopedic and memory foam dog beds can provide good support to your dog’s bones and joints.

However, it’s hard to compare them as memory foam is merely a material while orthopedic is more of a characteristic of what the dog bed is designed to do (to support the bones and joints).

Orthopedic foam dog beds may or may not provide the appropriate support to your dog. Some are advertised as orthopedic, but contain cheaper material and do not provide even support.

Memory foam beds, which are a type of orthopedic bed, are a safer bet and made specifically from a blend of polyurethane. They adjust to the contours of your dog to help with better support.

Whichever type of foam bed you choose to purchase, you need to think about how durable this bed will be against your dog’s natural animal instincts to scratch it. You should also consider how easy the bed is to wash, the size of the bed, and the height of the foam.

Larger, heavier dogs will need a bigger foam height to support them. Sometimes, with smaller heights, the foam isn’t thick enough to support heavier dogs, meaning that the bed doesn’t provide your dog with the comfort they need.

Therefore, you need to keep all of this in mind when making that all-important purchase.

Conclusion

As discussed, orthopedic dog beds are a broader description of beds that are meant to support your dog’s joints and bones.

A memory foam dog bed is a specific type of orthopedic dog bed made from polyurethane that molds its shape around your dog.

With that in mind, you can now start researching specific beds to best fit your dog’s needs.