Customer Reviews

K&H Cool Bed III Cooling Dog Bed, Small, 17-Inches by 24-Inches, Gray

5 star:		(81)
4 star:		(34)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(22)

 

 

I have an 8 month old Lab pup who is usually too warm during the day. He slept on the bathroom tile before we got this bed a week ago. He was gradually using the Cool Bed more and more.

Then, he thought it would be amusing to pull the stopper out. He put his head under the corner of the bed, found the tab, removed the stopper, and let loose about a gallon of water. Fortunately, I was home at the time and heard the sound.

I called the manufacturer and they are sending a new stopper for free. Apparently this doesn't happen often. After putting everything back in place, we will probably put Bitter Apple or Bitter Yuck on the stopper.

One other note on this bed. The instructions say "Now pull open the air adjustment valve and gently work as much air out as you can, using sweeping motions across the Cool Bed III with your hands. Sweep the air towards the valve allowing the air to expel from the bed." That is tedious on the large bed. Instead, I used a metal broom handle laid flat to get the air out. You don't need to apply much pressure, and you catch all of the air in a couple of sweeps. It's far faster than using your hands.

The K&H Cool Bed could have been a great purchase. The lining is tough and it does keep cool when filled with water. But I ended up returning mine because while moving it from outside to inside, most of the gell shifted and bunched up on one side of the bed. Try as I might, I could not get it to distribute evenly again. The instructions should shout this issue in large bold print but it makes no mention of it at all.

Here in Florida with a long-haired dog that was always panting & never cool we thought we would give this bed a try. Our dog already had a bed with bolster sides so we needed something cool to go on top and this fit perfectly. We placed a sheet on top since we had one on the bed before. It took about a week for our dog to get used to the new texture of her bed since she was used to sleeping on a firm surface.

Now a couple weeks later she sleeps on the bed like normal and is visibly cooler. There is dramatically less panting and she doesn't have the urge to roll on her back to keep cool as frequent as before, and if she does it is minimal.

The only thing with the bed is make sure not to overfill it. Get too much water in it and it's like a water bed. It made lots of noises and scared our dog a bit from getting on it, so we took a bunch of water out so it was more firm & spongy and that did the trick.

So far so good. Worth the money.

I bought a "Canine Cooler" for my dog about 5 years ago, and unlike most people - had no problems with puncturing until 2 weeks ago. My dog LOVED her bed, so I searched for a new cool-bed and came across this one. I ordered from this seller and received promptly. This bed seems to be much more robust and of better quality than my old Canine Cooler. The outside material is stronger and it seems to be much cooler and remain that way even when my furry girl lays on it throughout the night. I also LOVED the extra air valve - in addition to the water-filling valve - this was a simple but ingenious addition that the canine cooler does not have. I found it extremely difficult to expel the air out of the same water valve of my dog's old bed - with the Cool Bed III - this is no problem at all. I also followed the suggestion of another reviewer and used a broom handle to run it across the entire width of the bed to remove the air pockets -which was EXTREMELY helpful!! Another reviewer said the bed was too heavy - make sure to follow instructions and fill it where you will keep it. Overall, it didn't seem too heavy to pull along the carpet. I don't think it's meant to transport by carrying or the inner core may bunch up as another reviewer said. I didn't notice any problems in this way, when I followed all instructions to turn the bed over, etc. When I threw my dog's old bed away she looked concerned; the instant I put her new bed down I had to coax her off of it while I filled it. She has been in heaven ever since...it is larger and fits her entire length; it is much softer and cooler than her old bed. Hopefully, the Cool Bed III lasts for several years, but for the quality and half the price as the other beds, so far we are thoroughly happy!

I live in southwest FL. and have a 12 year old lab that was raised in the north. He has arthritis and the hard tile floor is hard for him to flop down upon. I bought the Cool Bed III. He hates new things so it took a few weeks for him to go to the bed on his own.( he can not walk steps and my husband built him a ramp and it took him awhile for him to use it on his own ,a very wary dog) He always stayed for a while after I helped him go to the bed. Now he uses it all the time.

My yellow lab loves this bed and so do I! I have bought various types of beds for the past 6 years and this is by far the best. Hannah has always been a very warm bodied dog and all of her old beds would make her sweat and make me crazy trying to keep them clean and odor free. This one is perfect - no more sweating and she loves to lay on it. I would recommend purchasing a sheet as well! Thanks for keeping us cool in Sunny South Florida!

My Bully breeds love this bed and it's a real life saver (literally) for dogs that can't cool down. BUT, the bed sprung a leak near the seam where there was a "wrinkle". It sounds like this is most peoples complaint. I wonder if you can fix it w/ an old inner tube repair kit,hmm. I'll keep buying them because for the price they WORK. TIP: don't buy the covers. They are made of REALLY cheap fabric and are poorly made-use an old pillowcase instead.

UPDATE JANUARY 30, 2011:
Our Cool Bed finally sprung a tiny leak. Right now we have a little spring clamp stopping the water. I have already ordered a replacement as our dog still loves this bed! Two points I would like to make; I still wish they would make a Kong sized bed. Hagan's head still hangs off the edge. Secondly the negative comments about the bed not being cool. The bed does not have to be cold to work. It only has to be slightly cooler than the dog's body temperature. The bed passively pulls the heat from the dog and lowers the dog's body temperature. It works, as I have seen my hot dog lay on one bed only get up and go over to the Cool bed. As a friend of mine says 'It ain't rocket science, the dog will figure out what works'.

UPDATE DECEMBER 15, 2010:
Our Cool Bed is still going strong. I probably drag the bed every other week in order to vacuum around it. Hagan (our dog) flops down on the bed instead of gently lying down. No leaks and the dog still loves it. This bed is very well made.

ORIGINAL REVIEW:
This is our second K&H Cool Bed 3 and I highly recommend them. The first one started leaking after about 1 year. It probably was my fault as I tripped (over the dog of course!) and stepped on the bed. The leak was very small, but since the leak was at the seam we had to buy another one.

This bed is very durable and our 85lb German Shepherd loves it. He has a very long and thick coat and on hot days this is his favorite place to cool off. I wish they made an extra large version though, because his head hangs off the end. He is a big guy.

I would recommend buying a cover for the bed Large Cool Bed III Fitted Cover - Sage. They even have a bolster cover that we have not tried Large Cool Bed III Cover - Sage. The bed tends to get dirty and stains do not clean up easily. With the cover you just pop it in the washer and it comes out clean. The cover is very lightweight so the cooling effect is not diminished with it on the bed.

Also if you purchase the large bed, bring the water to it and fill it up where you intend to use it. The large bed gets very heavy (almost 60lbs) when filled with water and dragging it around the house could weaken the seams and your back!

One tip for burping the extra air out of the bed. They provide a small air hole to let the air in the bed escape. Using your hands to chase the air to the hole is like trying to grab minnows in a bucket. Very inefficient and frustrating. Save the bed's box and use it as a squeegee to chase the air to the hole. It is slightly wider than the bed so the air has no way to run away from the air hole. After you have chased the air out, using your closed fists, walk them across all of the bed squishing the foam inside the bed(make sure you close the plug for this step!). This will release any trapped air from the foam. Repeat the squishing and squeegeeing (real word...I looked it up) until the air is gone. The less air in the bed the better the cooling effect.

When you are ready to turn the bed over, grab the side that is away from you and pull the bed towards you until it is completely flipped. Just make sure you FIRMLY grasp the bed AND the internal foam. If you don't do this the internal foam could wad up on the inside and it is a bear to get it back in place again. Don't ask me how I know ;^)

We had been using the Canine Cooler by Soothsoft Canine Cooler Large Pet Bed 36"x48"for years but the durability of the beds was unsatisfactory. They all failed at the seams. Soothsoft replaced several of the beds for us at no cost, but with a failure rate of every few months we had to look for another manufacturer. I see that they make a 36" x 72" bed now. If our new K&H bed fails we might give Soothsoft another try. Hopefully they have improved the way they make the seams.

None of these beds are perfect but they are the best way we have found to keep our dog cool. They really work! Besides it is just worth the look on people's faces when you tell them that your dog has his own water bed.

We bought the large Cool Bed lll K&H Large Cool Bed 3 for our almost 11 year old labrador retriever. He was having respiratory difficulty, frequent rapid panting, and subsequently was diagnosed with laryngeal paralysis LP). I would wake at night and hear him panting. He was clearly uncomfortable, standing, panting, constantly repositioning himself in his old bed or on the wood floor. The first night we set up the Cool Bed and ever since, he has slept through the night. Hot weather is always the worst for LP, and the Cool Bed has allowed him to be comfortable through the summer and has delayed his need for surgery. This water bed made such a difference that a week later we order the medium size Cool Bed for our 16 1/2 year old Terrier/cockapoo X. He has arthritis and old age breathing, snoring, and coughing issues at night. We do not usually rave about or believe in anything that suggests a "quick fix" - but, honestly, I have not been awakened by our little canine hacking or coughing since sleeping on his Cool Bed. And, though blind and going deaf, he still runs up and down the stairs like a puppy!

These beds were easy to set up. We filled a bucket with the recommended amount of water, and used a funnel to gradually pour it into the bed. I set a towel under the spout. Use your hand to run it through the bed as you add it. The most challenging part for me was turning it over, but if you roll it as suggested in the instructions, it wasn't too difficult. I did go back and order the fitted sheets for the beds - and, in the future would order them at the same time as the bed. I think that they are more comfortable and sanitary for the dogs. If I had any suggestions for the product, it would be to include one fitted sheet with the bed. Overall, great bed; it really does help a dog with arthritis, aging bones, and respiratory issues! I was tempted to curl up on the large one myself!

I had this product for 2 weeks. I was initially surprised when I opened the box and saw the thin plastic bed. Its a plastic bag with foam in the middle. I thought it odd that this was for dogs but we tried it. It lasted 2 weeks when my dog bit the corner of it and I woke up to a puddle around the bed. Maybe ok for an old dog. So I wrote to the company and told them what happened. Here is their reply:
"I'm sorry to hear that your dog ruined his new cool bed. Unfortunately we cannot offer a warranty against destructive pets. Our warranty is strictly against defective products.

Thank you,
Carrie Fox"

So much for the warranty... and when I replied I'd be posting it on a review I got this reply

"I hope that in fairness when you post your very bad reviews, that you will be honest and tell the whole truth that it was in fact your dog that destroyed the bed.

Thank you,
Carrie Fox"

Well Carrie, I have posted the whole truth.

Now you can decide if you want to waste your money on this product.