An orthopedic dog bed is mostly made up of memory foam or some other material that can increase the distance between the dog’s body and the hard floor. The idea is that the thicker the foam, the better it is in protecting the body of the dog. Memory foam is one of the most preferred materials when it comes to orthopedic dog beds because of its remarkable ability to conform to the shape of the dog’s body as it lies on the bed. Compared to standard foam, memory foam conforms to the body within minutes of lying down. Conventional foams will take longer than that, resulting in a rather stiff feeling while on the bed.
Other orthopedic dog beds come with egg crate foam which is what you’d expect in a human orthopedic bed. This kind of foam comes with depressions and convolutions resembling that of an egg crate; hence, the name. The convolutions support the weight of the dog while the depressions form pockets of air to provide for a more relaxing, comforting, and cooling effect.