Your Go-to Guide for Pet Beds and Pet Foam

While it can be nice to have your dog or cat sleep with you on the bed, it’s not always practical. A great alternative is a pet bed. In this blog we will go over the different foams you can purchase for your pet, similar to the foam you would get for your own mattress.

Whether you’re in need of foam to create a top-notch bed, a solid ramp, a sturdy set of stairs, or a comfortable travel cushion, we’ve got you and your pet covered.

Pet Bed

Memory Foam

For a pet’s bed, the most common foam type used is Memory foam due to its orthopedic qualities, such as having soft yet supportive cushioning for joints, especially those which are inflamed. To aid in comfort, Memory foam conforms to your pet’s body shape, providing excellent pressure relief. For these reasons, Memory foam is ideal for growing pets as well as senior pets with arthritis and joint pain.

Using Soft Memory foam, for small pets weighing 1 – 22 lbs, we would recommend a thickness of 2 inches. For medium-sized pets weighing 23 – 55 lbs, we would recommend a thickness of 3 inches. For large pets weighing 56 – 78 lbs, we would recommend a thickness of 4 inches and lastly, for extra large pets weighing 79 – 100 lbs, we would recommend a thickness of 5 inches.

We would not recommend Soft Memory foam for any pet weighing over 100 lbs because they will sink too low in the center of the foam, ultimately creating a hammock effect that will not be comfortable. Therefore, for pets over 100 lbs, we would recommend utilizing Soft Memory foam as a topper to be used with a bottom base foam.

High Resilience Foam

A more cost-effective alternative to Memory foam is High Resilience foam. While still remaining of excellent quality, what sets High Resilience apart from other pet bed foams is that it’s the only foam type offered in a firmness of Very Soft, which is ideal for small pets such as puppies and kittens. It is also available in the firmnesses Medium Soft to Extra Firm, making High Resilience suitable for essentially all pet sizes and weight ranges.

High Resilience foam works well for pets who tend to overheat or who generally feel hot throughout the day due to its open cell qualities, which create a good amount of airflow and keep pets cool on hot days.

This foam type is also known to be springy with a quick return to action, making it comfortable for pets to sleep on. The longevity of High Resilience foam is excellent and will withhold a pet’s weight and pressure without deteriorating for quite some time.

High Resilience foam is geared towards higher-end comfort and longevity for pets of any age and physical ability.

Lux Foam

Lux foam is suitable for pets in the weight range of 50 – 100 lbs in a thickness of 3 or more inches. Lux foam in Medium Firm leans more towards the firmer side and as a result, is better suited for larger pets.

This foam type is less springy than High Resilience and is slightly lower in quality, making it a more cost-effective option. Similar to High Resilience, Lux foam carries open cell qualities which provide breathability and airflow.

We offer Lux foam in a firmness of Medium Firm only.

High Density Foam

High Density is a medium quality, industrial grade foam that is used in most average bedding for a pet. This foam type is available in a range of firmnesses, from Soft to Extra Firm, and as a result, is suitable for a wide variety of pet sizes and weight categories.

High Density foam functions as a thermal insulator because it holds a smaller cell structure, gearing this foam type more towards pet beds that will be placed on cold floors and remain in generally colder temperatures. With this thermal functionality, High Density will keep pets warm and block cold air from seeping through.

This foam type has a longevity of around 4 years and is also quite cost-effective in comparison to the previous foam types described.

Commercial Grade Polyurethane Foam

Commercial Grade Polyurethane foam is the most cost-effective, least expensive foam type available for a pet bed. Of all the foam types described for a pet bed, Polyurethane foam carries the largest open cell structure, providing a substantial amount of airflow to keep pets cool.

This foam type does break down faster than the other foam types described, which will eventually create a sink area in the center of the foam where pets lay the most. This can be seen as advantageous because many pets will find comfort in this spot that has become significantly softer.

Of all the foam types described, Polyurethane is the lightest weight at 1.2 lbs per cubic foot, and because it’s the least expensive foam type, it is classified as disposable, making it a good fit for owners interested in a portable pet bed that can be discarded after some use. In comparison to the other foam types described, Polyurethane foam has the least amount of longevity.

We offer Commercial Grade Polyurethane foam in Medium Firm only, which is not too hard for smaller pets yet not too soft for larger ones.

Pet Ramp

High Resilience Foam

If you feel your pet needs a good amount of support, or if you’re more cautious with your pet using a ramp, High Resilience foam in a firmness of Extra Firm works well. This foam type is ideal for pets that are heavy in weight because the ramp will maintain great stability with little to no shifting due to the weight of High Resilience foam, at 3.0 lbs per cubic foot. A firmness of Extra Firm is also ideal because it will withstand a great number of pounds per square inch created by the paws of pets when they step.

High Resilience in a firmness of Extra Firm is an excellent choice for pet owners who are interested in the longest lasting, highest quality foam available to be used as a pet ramp.

High Density Foam

With High Density foam being of medium quality and cost, this foam type generally works well for pet ramps. Regardless of a pet’s weight, a firmness of Extra Firm would normally be used due to the pounds per square inch created when pets take a step. This firmness also works well to prevent the ramp from wobbling as the pet goes up and down.

In a firmness of Extra Firm, High Density is not as firm nor as heavy, at 1.9 lbs per cubic foot, as High Resilience.

Pet Stairs

Pet stairs are normally built with a bottom base block in the largest size. Stacked on top of the bottom base block is usually a second block, ⅓ the size of the base block. At the very top would be a third block, ⅓ the size of the second block. The most common thickness is 5-6 inches per block with a finished height of 15-18 inches.

High Resilience

Similar to a pet ramp, High Resilience foam in a firmness of Extra Firm is ideal for owners that desire the highest quality and longest-lasting foam for their pet’s stairs. As mentioned earlier, when pets walk, they naturally produce a large number of pounds per square inch. As a result, this foam type and firmness combination works best for pets that are larger because of High Resilience foam’s heavy weight and steady firmness, which will ultimately make the stairs harder to shift in comparison to other foam types, such as High Density. This allows owners to feel a sense of confidence that their pets will be safer while using their stairs.

High Density

As you know by now, High Density is a more cost-effective alternative to High Resilience foam. When it comes to pet stairs, High Density should be used in a firmness of Extra Firm for any pet weight and size. When compared to High Resilience, High Density foam won’t last as long, is less heavy and therefore carries more risk of shifting, and feels slightly less firm. Nonetheless, High Density in a firmness of Extra Firm is the most popular combination for pet stairs.

Travel Cushion

Memory and High Resilience

The most comfortable setup for a travel cushion is 2-3 inch thick Memory foam, which is offered in a firmness of Soft only, placed on top of 2-3 inch thick High Resilience foam. Because of High Resilience foam’s firmness variety, any pet size and weight can be catered to.

Memory and Lux

A more budget-friendly alternative to the above-described combination is 2-3 inch thick Memory foam placed on top of 2-3 inch thick Lux foam, which is available in a firmness of Medium Firm only. For this reason, in addition to Lux leaning towards the firmer side, this foam-type combination is best suited for larger pets.

Memory and High Density

The most budget-friendly foam combination for a pet’s travel cushion is Memory foam 2-3 inches thick stacked on top of 2-3 inch thick High Density foam, which is available in a wide variety of firmnesses and therefore, can accommodate any pet’s size and weight.

Egg Crate Foam

Egg Crate foam works very well for travel cushions because of the design’s airflow qualities, which allow for a cooler surface that pets enjoy – especially on hot days. Egg Crate foam is offered in the foam types High Resilience, Lux, and High Density.

For smaller to medium-sized pets, we would suggest using a 1-inch cone on a 1-inch base, which will carry a total height of 2 inches. For larger and extra-large pets, we would suggest using a 2-inch cone on a 2-inch base for a total height of 3.5-4 inches.

Egg Crate foam is produced in a variety of firmnesses as well, ranging from Very Soft to Extra Firm, which accommodates all pet sizes and weights.

There you have it. Your go-to guide for pet foam.

If you have any questions or need any additional information, please reach out by sending us an email at info@foamonline.com.