Kennel Recommendations

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

Hi there, in my travels I have come across an old rescue dog with arthritis. At the moment, he does have a kennel but doesn't use it. I suspect this may be because it is actually too small for him - that's how it looks to me anyway.

I want to provide one for him as a gift, his owner would rather he's comfortable especially with winter coming but doesn't have the funds.

I've no idea what would be the best as I have all my dogs inside and don't use kennels.

He's got very long legs, he's probably Golden Retriever size and obviously, with arthritis, he needs to be easily able to get in and out and manoevre his body around. I'd like to think of him sprawled out in a dry and warm space ....

I've just had a look on ebay and saw some inflatable igloo - it says it's warm etc and looks great but does anyone have one or seen one in use?

I'd appreciate some help!

[01kismet]

Not real sure what an igloo kennel is sorry, but our old guy has arthritis (he is now an inside dog too) but we found with him nothing to sinky, if he sinks in its hard to get out, same with the hessin bag beds, a tramp is good. For out side I'm not overly sure. Any insulated kennels around ? Room to turn around would be nice too.

[ILK]

I would get him a large size dog house with a quilted or mink blanket. Yes it's nice to see them sprawled out, but in winter they curl up in a ball anyway to keep warm. They just sprawl in hot weather not necessarily needing a dog house then.

It is lovely of you to be so thoughtful

[Erny]

I would get him a large size dog house with a quilted or mink blanket. Yes it's nice to see them sprawled out, but in winter they curl up in a ball anyway to keep warm. They just sprawl in hot weather not necessarily needing a dog house then.

They do, although if they suffer from skeletal discomfort, they often need to move around a bit. My boy has spondylosis. According to the Vet it is only very minor (although he's young) but I do tend to find that it's uncomfortable for him to stay in a crate for any great length of time. Last (and first) time I crated him for a period (2 hours at a stretch) he ended up with what we believe might have been an extreme cramp in his leg that left him lame for a couple of days. He has a large crate but I would opt for XL (or perhaps he has XL in which case I'd opt for XXL) except it wouldn't fit in the boot of my car (and could I lift it in and out? - but that's beside the point). He can and does curl up in the cooler weather, but he moves and switches sides through the night, as well as stretches out flat in between times. I notice that he opts for his flat snooza mattress as opposed to the snugly cushion type bed that he has.

Dogmad - it is a very kind gesture that you make. One thing that I think makes it a bit easier for dogs to get in and out of kennels is if the kennel itself is a bit above the ground level. Not so difficult to heave the body up to get out. Watch for entrance size though - many kennels are made with limited entry sizes, the idea being that the smaller the entrance the more the dog is afforded weather protection and warmth. But it does mean that (especially bigger) dogs need to drop their backs a little to get in. That can be difficult for a dog that's suffering arthritis or the like. It would be easy enough to put it on a sturdy raised platform though and it means they don't have to drop their backs so much to enter.

I've not used Igloo Kennels before, so unfortunately I can't give you any benefit of experience with them. I've had a look at the inflatables and they sound ok (and look quite comfy).

Edited April 17, 2010 by Erny

[juice]

hi jane, i have a really big one here i bought from ebay , mason likes sometimes to get away from the others on the patio, its under a tree round the corner, but i discovered it doesn't have vents ,so a bit hot in summer, so i am trying to bid on another on ebay, then you could have this one?

its fibreglass, easily big enough for a goldie, lid comes off.

i would also suggest you put it on a wooden pallet, gets it off the ground and easier to get into.

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

Thank you all very much. Erny - I too was concerned by the entrance size on many kennels, this is a big old dog with great difficulty in getting up and around. He is on meds for it but I think he would be so much more comfortable if he was off the ground and under cover ...

juice - thanks so much, that's a really kind offer - perhaps I can come round and have a look? Might not fit in my car, that's the only thing. Would it fit into a 4 wheel drive?

[juice]

it fitted in my wagon, without taking the lid off, will take a pic when i get chance, off to soccer!