Learn how to care for pets in their time of need by easily creating an animal's heated bed out of household materials.
The bed can be constructed of anything that is the appropriate size and depth. It should allow the animal to feel secure as well as giving it the ability to move on and off of the bed with little trouble. For this, containers with high walls are unsuitable, though a box can easily have a u-shaped opening cut into it. Depending on the availability of resources and size of the pet in question, a basket or cardboard box will often be the most commonly used items for small pets, while a grouping of large pillows and blankets in a dedicated corner is the most obvious choice suited for larger pets.
In the case of using a basket or box, some sort of cushion should be found to fit, or made to fit, which will act not only for comfort but also as a buffer so that the ailing animal doesn't lie directly on the heat source. Most often, a heating pad will work best, spread out beneath the cushioning. A small hole can be made in the basket or box with a knife or scissors, whatever is most appropriate. The hole must be wide enough for the head of the power cord to run through, out the back and into the electrical outlet without danger to the animal. The benefit of this sort of construction is that it's portable and easily adjustable for temperature. Once the heating pad is unplugged, it can be carried anywhere, even another home should the need arise.
The same principles applied toward the smaller animals stand true with larger pets as well. A layer of padding should be used between the pet and the heat source to protect the animal, though depending on how large a bed is needed, a container may not be available. If not, an easy alternative would be to simply abandon the basket or box. When not made in a container, these beds are usually placed in an unused corner to be out of the way so that the ill pet need not be disturbed often. The drawback to this is that while a lot of expense was not put out to find a large enough container, this is not nearly as conveniently transported as its smaller, self-contained counterpart.
As with all animal healthcare, a veterinarian should be consulted to determine what heat setting would be appropriate, though the lowest or next-to-lowest would be the most often used. In short, the construction of a heated bed is quite an easy undertaking consisting of very few household materials. It takes a small bit of planning and a little effort, but in the end it is surely worth it to aid an ailing pet.
