Hi All,

I've been pretty pleased with vet bed so far, the fact it can go in the wash and dry really quickly is very handy when you have a smelly large breed puppy who has a phobia of clean water. (Has no problem going in horrible puddles but SCREECHES when you put the hose on him to clean him off!) and the rubber back is handy, too.

However, now he has started moulting his vet bed is literally covered in fur and Mum refused to wash it in the washing machine and threw it out. It is so covered in fur you could practically make a new vet bed from what he has left on there at the minute!

Other than hand-washing or using simple blankets, are there any alternatives to vet bed that are just as easy to clean and dry but aren't quite as fur-catching as vet bed?

Josh

No idea about vet bet (or type) alternatives ... but throwing out is a bit extreme - you must be VERY VERY rich :-) :-O  I've got 6 hairy collies ... our vet bed (& types) is not destined for the bin for many, many, many years yet!!!!

I use a rubber glove and wipe over mine before putting in the washing machine. Rubber gloves removes TONS of hair, really, it does ... I KNOW it does! Better than vacuuming!

OR, you could use a numnah bag or as the fabulous JeanSW uses ... a large dog duvet cover! Either or will work really well - you do have to rememeber to put the washing powder/liquid inside the bag with the vet bed.

My personal preference is a quick rub over, back and front, with a marigold :-) I've never had problems with clogged filters and my own clothing aint too hairy!

BTW no experience of rubber backed vet bed (or similar) ... wouldn't have as puppies would just love to chomp on :-o Green backed only for me! But, wow, throwing away vet bed?!! My, you must be RICH!!!!

I have a zip up wash bag for washing dog beds, the hairs stay in the bag.

Thick towels or bath mats, easy to get rid of hair (shake outside), wash well & come in any colour you want.

If they get hairy with the Pom's I just use the metal brush that i use on them before throwing it in the machine, fur comes off no problem and doesn't wreck the vet bed.  My vet beds are years old, some I would say around 10 and I just throw them regularly in the washing machine no problems.

">mum refused to wash it in the washing machine and threw it out.

Horror of horrors, throwing vet bed in the bin, no no no, shake the bedding outside to remove muddy debris even hoover it if you fancy then as Trialist says grab the marigolds and rub your hands over it, this works wonders for gathering up fur on carpets or vet bed, I have 4 double coated breeds and can collect enough hair to knit another dog!!  Then into a numnah or old quilt as JeanSW says is excellent.

The fact that the vet bed is fur catching is to my mind a bonus, at least it's on the bedding and I don't get so many fur balls floating around the house.

My girls all sleep on luscious inch thich green paddy paws stuff if I threw it out I think they'd leave home!!

Grab yourself a Kong Zoom Groom from Amazon; 'bout four quid and work wonders on shedding dogs, so would probs work well on the vet bed too. :)

Hi All,

I have rescued the vet bed from the bin. My Mum is too house proud for her own good sometimes but I don't think she realised just how much it cost me! (Although I did get it cheaper than usual through my cousin who is a vet nurse.)

I told her about the wash bags for the dog beds but they seem to have it in their head that the hairs will just stay all over the vet bed because it will be contained inside the bag. I don't know how true it is and I assume it will just collect inside the bag which could then be hoovered or brushed etc.

I agree that it collecting hairs is better than them being loose, but the hair won't even budge when I banged it about outside. I will have a look at a zoom n groom but will use a marigold in between. I really do think that the hairs are stuck there enough to not even come off in the washing machine!

Josh

> I told her about the wash bags for the dog beds but they seem to have it in their head that the hairs will just stay all over the vet bed because it will be contained inside the bag.

Try using a slicker brush on it first as Perrodeagua recommended - that will remove the hair & it also keeps it nice and fluffy. I use a slicker brush on one of mum's rugs which seems to be a hair magnet and it raises the pile better than the Hoover does!

I cant use vetbed at all here, my Lab chews holes in it to the point where she will just sit there and tug bits out, she also does this with towels and anything with a zip.  So through trial and error we have found that the only thing she will not eat is fleece.  However what I do is buy large double bed sized bits of fleece from Dunelm, fold it into four and sew round the edges making a thick fleece bed.  She doesnt eat it, its comfy and it doesnt hold hair as much.  Dries quickly too.

Dont throw out your vet bed if you have it though, a good shake in the garden, a rubber glove or a zoom groom helps too.  Tumble drying helps get rid of the hairs but then you have to get the hair out of the filter lol.

Oh dear josh mum can't ve worse than me on the house proud bit and as I sit here mine or rathers theirs is in the washing mashing. It really is no problem the hairs wipe out the macnine and I havnt had any problems with hairs on our clothes.I do intend to get abag to wash it in one day but havnt quite got round to it. Remember I have 3 hairy monster sharing vet beds bits

Chris you have no idea! She is adamant that it is going to clog up the washing machine.. clog what I'm not sure exactly as it's not as though they have filters like a tumbler drier do they?

> it's not as though they have filters like a tumbler drier do they?

Some of them do! I had a Zanussi that did.
Sounds like buying one of those bags would be a good idea, you can demonstrate how useful they are (says she, making a NY Resolution to get one, after just wiping out a clump of hair, the button off a pair of cargo pants and a lemon pip from mum's nearly-new washer).

Re tumble dryers, if the hair's still on your stuff after washing, try tumbling for a minute or two with one of those fragrance/anti static sheets. But far better to try and remove hair before washing.

I'm just going to buy one of those bags, or even get my aunty to sew one up for me as they look simple enough! Mum will use it if I just show her how useful they are.

Do you just empty them out of the hair once they have dried?

yes they usually have filters but I find the hair congregates around the entrance to it - on the rubber seal, or around the drum, so usually give a quick wipe out before putting human clothes... if I win the lottery I'm buying another washing machine so I've got one for dogs and one for humans :-)

You can always put the hoover over vet bed before washing.. I usually just scrape off as much hair as possible...

I have the rubber backed stuff as well as without as it's good in the van and stops the bed slipping but my sheltie pups just love scratching it off :-( what a mess!  My vet bed lasts ages, but then is finished off in one of the collie's cages where it's turned to confetti and I sweep it up and throw it away, but it has to be really bad for him to get it....and it doesn't last very long... I've had blankets given to me for him... nothing lasts :-(

I use the largest size dog duvet cover that is available.  It may cost me £20, but I can get my big Turtle mats in it.  The horsey bags couldn't even take my small mats.

When I bought an expensive Miele washing machine, I didn't want it ruined by dogs hair like the previous 2!

By the way, when the washing is ready to hang out, take your duvet cover outside and turn it inside out and shake.  The birds will be thankful for nesting material.  :-)

http://www.seapets.co.uk/products/dog-supplies/dog-beds/soft-dog-beds/cosipet-dog-beds/cosipet-duvets/duvet-cover-small-classic-sand.html

Nando has had the vet bed since he was only about 12 weeks old (I have a picture of him on it and he looks about 10% of the size he does now!) and he has never once chewed it, he usually just goes straight to sleep in his crate to be honest as I always give him a stuffed Kong if he is going to be in there for more than 10-15 minutes. When he doesn't want to be in there he is just extremely vocal rather than chewing stuff. I guess I am lucky in that respect!

I will have a look at the dog duvet covers now, thanks for the link JeanSW, much appreciated.

Josh I have a hairy dog and when he moults he really is a pain and on normal days its still not great despite grooming him through. The washing machine I have now blocks up very quickly in the filter and that is it, I don't have any other issues, so if getting to the filter is a mare then do as others have said which does work and that is slicker brush the vet bed and then place in a bag(Which I need to buy) and then into the wash, this is so much better than having a leaky washing machine :-(

Washing vet bed in the washing machine did kill my last machine but I still do it! I have a Mali that is much hairier than the others and the vet bed he has in the van gets in a right mess but after a good shake I do still machine wash it. All the hair doesn't come off, I think some is embedded for life but at least its clean.

As for throwing out the vet bed, glad you rescued it, we still have a piece from our second pup so its now over 4 years old and still going strong.

Josh in the meanwhile try using a cheap or old duvet cover if Mum can find one for you one and put the vet bed and washing tablets or whatever in that. I cant get at the filter on mine very easily I wish it were like the tumble dryer one.
If you do decide to use a duvet as abed got a bit lost in what people were saying be very careful he doesnt decide to chew it the inards can be lethal if swollowed. Mine didnt chew them and for years i used a single duvet folded to size in a cover and vet bed on top . Forgot to say anything bigger doesnt go in the washing maching
Roz atthe bedding box does good washable cotton covers and is happy to talk about what you want http://beddingbox.com/

I have a Bosch (my second and gave first 7 year old one to brother as was getting a matching washing machine and dishwasher). 

Neither have given me problems with the filters from washing the dogs bedding (five - six double coated breeds).

After I do a dog wash I do a short empty wash to wash they drum out after removing the majority of the hair from door seal and drum.  I then wipe out the odd hair left after the wash and am free to do ours.

Whatever bedding you use will, you have the same issue with washing it, and nothing dries as well or is as thermal and good at keeping them clean and dry as Vet bed.  It also doesn't harbour smells the way blankets do.  Towels also take ages to dry.