Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, July 10, 1993 TAG: 9307100119
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By CELESTE KATZ STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
A: Buy him his own.
Purchasing a waterbed for your dog or cat may seem a bit decadent - on par, say, with putting champagne in his water dish or mixing caviar in his Alpo. But waterbeds have long been used by veterinarians and animal hospitals to ease the aching bones of post-operative cats and geriatric dogs.
Some extra-dedicated pet owners have bought the beds as a luxury for healthy animals.
Fido and Fluffy may enjoy a nap on a waterbed if there's one available, but do pets really care if they're bedding down on a waterbed or a pile of old blankets?
Certain pets do, according to animal care technician Lynn Brammer at Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine. For at least six years, the college has supplied some recovering animals with the squishy mattresses.
"We have two in the surgery ward and one in the medical ward," said Brammer, explaining that the soft beds help bony dogs, such as greyhounds, avoid bedsores while back, leg, or hip surgery keeps them off their feet. Also, pets suffering from joint problems and stiffness rest more comfortably on waterbeds, "because the movements are always flowing," and the heat eases sore muscles.
Phil George of The Waterbed Shoppe in downtown Roanoke has offered the pet-scale luxury items for only a few years, but he says the response has been good.
"We've been surprised. People call up and ask about them, and we haven't done much advertising," he said, pointing to a small sign in the front window and a large stuffed dog seated on one of the therapeutic pads in the shop's Fifth Street display window.
The beds come in small, medium and large sizes, ranging from 24 to 44 inches in length and from $65 to $89.
Many veterinarians in the valley agree that while a pet waterbed isn't a necessity, it may also help older pets rest more easily.
According to Dr. Kathy Eichelberger of Animal Medical Associates, some animal hospitals have had success with other types of soft beds for pets, including mattresses filled with foam or cedar shavings and the "egg crate" pads advertised for regular beds. Waterbeds aren't the only solution to the problem of keeping recovering pets comfortable, she said, but "the animals seem to appreciate it."
But not all of them. Eileen Stone of Roanoke says her tortoise-shell cat, Thika, hasn't gone near the thing since Stone brought it home six weeks ago.
"When I was filling it up, she was real interested, but that faded. She just won't get on it now," said Stone, who paid nearly $100 for the bed after having seen a similar one advertised in a cat-lovers' magazine several years ago.
"I knew that it was a risk. Sometimes cats are like that; if they know that you want them to do something, they don't do it. But you never know what Thika will do," she added.
Stone said that while she wouldn't recommend pet waterbeds, she hopes her cat eventually will regain interest. "She likes cushions and pillows and all that stuff. . . . Thika could eventually use this thing," she said.
George claims the beds are not much more expensive than basket-type pet beds and, because of their vinyl covers, they're cleaner than cushions. The beds may be made more appealing to pets by placing a blanket or sheet over them.
Some pets - generally young ones - have been known to try to claw or bite through the waterbed's three layers, so George mostly recommends waterbeds for the more sedate pet.
"I'm sure if they tried hard enough, some pets could scratch through it," he said. "The pet should really be through that chewing-up stage."
by CNB