Has anyone discovered a bedding that doesn't actually suffer from condensation at this time of year? We have concrete floors and have tried most things from using vented plastic beds (helped to some degree but the dogs caught claws in the vents) to raising beds up off ground, to not using any bed but just bedding with carpet underneath. However, the bedding is still damp from condensation most mornings at this time of the year. Any ideas?

We don't have concrete floors so have never had this problem, but would carpet underlay (a heavy duty sort, that will aid heat insulation) underneath a piece of carpet under the bedding help? I would have thought it would help stop the cold from the concrete coming up?

In one of our rooms we have laminate over concrete and to combat condensation you lay a breathable plastic membrane.  You can get them from B&Q etc.

Is this any help? It also comes with the frame to make it more bed like.

http://theonlinepetstore.co.uk/prod_show.asp?id=506&ref=froogle&prodid=506

Is the area the dogs are in overnight not heated in any way?  If not is it possible, practical and safe to add a low volt heater on a thermostat?

If not practical/possible then I'd go with a heavy duty underfelt and carpet under the beds - IMO without some form of insulation between the concrete and plastic beds condensation is inevitable in the absence of a heat source and good ventilation.....

HTH, Teri

Thank you for all your replies and suggestions. We will investigate them all!

It is in my kitchen and there is a radiator (the beds are next to it) but that goes off at about 1am and does not come back on until 6am. Because of the type of house it is, the windows are single glazed, so condensation is a problem at the best of times. The room is ventilated to some degree but obviously not enough. At the moment I am changing the vet bed or soft bedding daily, so that I can dry it before I put it down again. The problem only seems to present over night. The concrete floor is quarry tiled and then I have a good quality rug (which incidently does not get wet) that their beds are on. 

Ironically, the kenneled dogs who have heat lamps do not have this problem. Maybe I should chuck them all outside and be done :)

> there is a radiator (the beds are next to it)

maybe that's making the problem worse ... bear with me LOL  I'm thinking that, in the car for example, the most likely glazed areas to get condensation are the ones which are directly heated when in use so windscreen obviously and possibly rear window which often gets more condensation than any other if travelling with dogs breath constantly on it ....

So, my new theory, try moving the beds away from the raidator as the direct heat and then rapidly falling temp overnight could be making the problem worse rather than better ....

Howzatthen :-D

>Howzatthen

You are on a roll today :)

I will give it a try and report back. However the boy will not thank you for moving his bed away from the radiator .. LOL

> You are on a roll today

best I quit whilst ahead ;)

Like I know when to quit  >insert roll eyed smiley if you will<

Re condensation in general - can you safely leave bowls of salt out in various places dodgy dogs wont reach?  It works in static caravans when wintered, the salt soaks up any moisture in the air .....

>the salt soaks up any moisture in the air

Good point. Worth a try too :)

My dog's bedding, also in the kitchen, gets damp overnight (concrete floor with membrane and Heavy Duty Laminate on top)  this even happens in summer, no where else in the room gets damp - salt and sugar stay dry ;)  I've always put it down to the fact that they like to curl up tight to sleep and end up breathing into their bedding as the only time it doesn't happen is when its so hot they sprawl out like margerine.  We've tried loads of different types of bed over the years and found the best to be a thick foam pad - 2-3 " topped by vet bed.  This easily dries out in the day and can be propped up out of the way.

I use carpet-with a rubber backing-bought from a show-think they were used as door mats-hugh pieces you can buy and cut to the size you require-not expensive about £20 and pending on size of your beds-I got four pieces for medium size plastic oval beds. Have had for well over 12 months and still look like new.

My pal does same and she has concrete floor-no condensation at all.

Washable and quick to dry-throw mine on the 30 min wash in washer every couple of weeks and they come out looking like new.

I put a piece in bottom of the plastic oval beds and on top of that a piece of vetbed-nice and warm-mind you vetbed in wash every other day as they tend to play tug of war around the dirty kitchen floor-little monkeys.

Now there is a question-every day I mop my floor and if I drop something 10 mins later and wipe up with kitchen roll the paper looks as black as coal-floor still dirty-why ?.

I had the same problem before we got our Tuffie bed.  Now we dont have any condensation.

What about installing a de-humidifier in the room?

We have tilled the floor in ur whelping room and that has sorted the problem,,,