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Dog Bed Sanitation

Even if your dog never goes outside, her bed is going to need to be cleaned just like your sheets need to be changed. Dogs pick up dirt, dust, and whatever else is on the floors of your home. They track dirt into their dog beds, they shed, and they have dander fallout. All of this accumulates in their bed and can cause health risks and odors.

If your dog does go outside then you can add pollen, fleas, ticks, and other dog's fecal matter to the list of invaders that end up in your dog's bed. Once fleas reach your dog's bed, it's only a matter of time until they reach yours!

Dogs are susceptible to a wide range of skin diseases, many of which can be causes by dirty living conditions or parasite infestation. Demodicosis (Red Mange), for example, is caused by tiny mites that are invisible to the naked eye. These mites can infest your dog's bed and cause reoccurring infestation. These mites (also called dust mites) eat your dog's skin scales and dander. They particularly love to live in bedding.

A Daily, Weekly, and Monthly Sanitation Routine

Once a day you should remove any bedding, blankets, or other loose fabric items from the bed, take them outdoors, and give them a good shaking. Visually inspect the fabric for signs of insect activity or obvious dirt or other foreign matter. Also look for blood stains since many of the biting insects that may infest your dog and her bed may leave blood evidence of their presence. If the weather is nice consider leaving the bedding material outside to air. If the bed includes a bed frame, box, basket, or some other container, check that as well.

Once a week you should launder the bedding materials and dry them either on a clothes line or in a dryer on low heat. use a low-suds mild detergent, such as Woolite or Fells Naptha, and add it to the water sparingly. Dogs aren't used to soap products the way we are and you might inadvertently introduce a skin reaction if too much or too strong a soap is used. Wash the bedding in water that is as hot as the particular fabric will stand. Do not add fabric softener to the water, and do not use a fabric softener sheet in the dryer. It's a good idea to add a tablespoon or two of a commercial disinfectant, such as Lysol, to the water after the washer is full and the agitator is working. Wash any non-fabric parts of the dog bed with a mild soap and disinfectant solution and use a clean rag. When you are through, use another rag, and plain water, to wipe any detergent residue off of the bed.

Once per year you should discard all of the bedding material and replace it with new. If your dog has grown attached to her special blanket, or some other bedding material, then you may want to consider keeping it if it does not pose a health risk for any reason.

When things go wrong

If, in spite of your sanitation routines, the dog bed does get infested, you need to take immediate action. First, separate your dog from the infested area and treat her with whatever procedure your vet recommends for the particular type of infestation. Since your sog acts as the insects "host", the little varmints will continue to breed and feed on your dog, in turn continuing to invest the dog bed (as well as your home), until you break the cycle. Once you have her treated, you can turn your attention to treating the bed.

Depending upon the degree and type of infestation, and how much the bedding cost, you might just want to put all of it into a large lawn and leaf bag, spray it with some household insect killer, seal the bag shut and toss it all in the trash. Or, you might not...

If you decide that you do want to keep the bedding then you need to ask your vet the best way to eliminate the infestation. Thoroughly treat the fabric, and the area around the bed, according to the vet's directions. Once you have determined that the infestation is under control you can let your dog start using the bed again.

Remember -- whatever infests your dog will invest the bed. What ever infest the bed will infest your home, and whatever infests your home will eventually infest you! Treat dog bed sanitation as a serious chore that needs to be done regularly.

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