Dog Arthritis and Dog Beds

We asked "Canine Arthritis Management" to give us a completely un bias review of Tuffies dog beds in terms of how suitable Tuffies are for dogs suffering from Arthritis.

Hannah Bishop and Helen Leach, both from Canine Arthritis Management, tested a Tuffie bed each for their elderly arthritic dogs.

Hannah Bishop tested the Tuffies Mattress dog bed and gave it a 10 out of 10 score.

Helen Leach gave the Easy Access Tuffies Nest a 9 out of 10. She and her dog loved the Tuffies nest and the only down side was the weight of the bed when you want to move it.

Hannah wrote:

Main Features
Comfort/Support
I have to say I’ve (Barney) never experienced such support. It is very firm and supportive with no “troughs” for Barney to roll into or “flimsiness”. Indeed I sat on it myself and there was no “feeling the floor” through the bed. I know it’s only a month, however, this bed has not “flattened” at all nor can I see it happening. The edges all around the bed are also very supportive, there is no change from the middle to the outer edges so is uniform throughout. He likes to both spread out and also curl up on it. Nutty also occasionally joins him or goes there herself, it’s now just part of the choices they have! Sometimes Barney likes to lie on it with his head over the edge, he’s always liked doing this sometimes wherever he lies! The fleece cover he particularly likes as he’s got baldy bits on his tummy, so likes a soft surface to lie on most of the time, he will choose the soft finishes, be they the carpet, sofa or, more recently, the Tuffies bed!
Ease of Use
For Barney it works perfectly as there is no raised edge/wall for him to try and step over, he can just walk straight on to it. The size option is also perfect for him as it gives him the choice as to how he is going to lie down. He rarely lies down in a tight curl, so gives him the option. He also quite often likes to stretch (rear ballerina!) lying down, so again works for him perfectly.
Cleanability
Perfect weather for testing this! I had to cheat a bit as Barney doesn’t really get very muddy! So I washed the fleece cover (tag gives the standard instructions) and it dried surprisingly quickly and fitted back on perfectly. The soft pile also remained just as soft/fluffy. I took the bed outside and used the hosepipe on it (at pressure!) and the water mainly just ran off (pic) but any remaining damp patches very quickly dried. Very impressive and I do have to comment that the material used on the actual bed reminded me (used to sail in previous life, well husband did, I usually oversaw with glass of something!) of boat furnishings, eg bench cushions etc which of course had to be tough and water resistant etc.
Product Verdict
Pros
Superb quality of materials and construction. Eg: even the fleece has proper, strong metal poppers/fasteners, not the cheap short lasting plastic ones and the hems were edged with strong ribbon material to reinforce, so no fraying/tearing possible (pic).
Excellent value considering the high quality. Just looks and feels like it’s built to last.
Very easy to clean and dry.
Probably most important: excellent support for Barney.
Cons
If I’m really honest, I can’t really think of any. And I’m very hard to please! The only observation I had, and this is absolutely personal to me (not Barney!), it was VERY heavy. But that is because of the quality of the bed and in particular the “fill” but that is exactly what we want for our OA compromised dogs, we want that solid fill to support them properly and that lasts.
General
The bed arrived when the courier notified, so full marks for that - would be part of the “ordering experience”? The bag it arrived in was very thin and had been torn (pic), obviously when it was moved around during transit, so maybe a tougher bag in future for larger beds to cope with weight? Happily there was no damage nor dirt, so all fine!
Overall rating 10/10

Helen Leach wrote:

This Easy Access Durasoft Nest dog bed is big enough for my dog to lie flat and the cushion is firm. It isn't solid so good for dogs that like to dig.

The nest is big and heavy, so not very easy to move about.

In terms of cleanability, I have only hoovered the middle cushion which has a washable fleece cover. The nest can still be used while the cover is in the wash. It comes with really clear cleaning instructions with  photos and the Tuffies also offer wipeable options.

In general: My arthritic dog chose this bed over the available foam bed and the sofa, so I would judge it as comfortable.

Overall rating 9/10