This Best-Selling Orthopedic Dog Bed Is the Only Thing That Makes My Senior Dog Comfortable

Courtesy of Amazon

It's hard for many pet owners to watch their once agile pup age into a senior dog who may struggle with joint pain, hearing loss, and other ailments. My sweet 14-year-old yellow Labrador retriever, Sugar, suffers from a lot of joint pain in her hips—and I've finally found a product that helps keep her comfortable (though not totally pain-free).

For most of her life, she preferred to sleep on the couch, a chair, or a human bed—she refused to sleep in a dog bed or crate. But now that she's older, she can no longer roam the house at night due to hazards she can't see or the occasional senior dog accident, and she currently sleeps in her own room with a dog bed. We've tried several options including standard pillowy dog beds and plush fluffy donut beds with hopes they would help alleviate her joint stiffness, but we didn't achieve those results—until now.

The best-selling Furhaven Orthopedic Dog Bed has over 48,500 five-star ratings on Amazon (and the stamp of approval from Sugar, who is a particularly picky lab) because it's designed to fully support pets' achy joints. The filling is completely made of egg crate orthopedic foam that provides ample air circulation and relieves pressure points on their body. The three-sided fluff-filled bolstered walls offer extra comfort and pain relief for their neck, back, hips, and paws, depending on how the dog lays on it. And it has a velvety, faux fur cover that's removable and machine-washable for convenience. The fan-favorite dog bed comes in 16 colors, five sizes, and three fill types: orthopedic foam, memory foam, and cooling gel foam.

Courtesy of Amazon

Buy It: Furhaven Pet Orthopedic Dog Bed, $68 (originally $76), Amazon

While Sugar's joint pain isn't something that will be completely alleviated by a dog bed, my family and I have certainly noticed an improvement in her mobility and comfort when sleeping. Other Amazon shoppers praised the dog bed for almost immediately relieving their senior dogs' pain.

This reviewer said they noticed a huge improvement in Red's (their 13-year-old Golden Retriever) energy after just one night of sleeping on the dog bed. "The real wonder came this morning when he stood up. He didn't struggle to rise and he stretched! It's been a long time since I've seen him stretch. He walked down the stairs without help and went outside to help our younger dog, White, chase chipmunks into the wood pile. I'm not saying he was spry, just that he was interested in more than sleeping on the front porch. We've had it for one day...what a difference a day makes."

Related: An Orthopedic Dog Bed Is a Must-Have Accessory to Keep Your Pup Healthy

"I recently adopted a 12-year-old senior dog and she has horrible arthritis," another shopper wrote. "We wanted to make sure she had a bed that supported her joints and made her feel comfortable. As soon as we took this out of the box, Nakita immediately made sure to let everyone know that this was her bed. She lays on it everyday and looks so comfy and has a much easier time getting up when she is in it versus when she lays on the floor or in her other bed. I have cleaned the cover a few times with no issues and it is durable and well made."

Sugar is 50 pounds and the jumbo size suits her perfectly; be sure to consult the size chart to determine which option would suit your pet best. If you have a senior dog that struggles with mobility and joint pain, I highly recommend this orthopedic dog bed to help your pet sleep more comfortably and wake up with less stiffness.