Preventing pressure sores in a dog who can't get up

Once a dog spends most of the day lying down, whether from arthritis, weakness, or a mobility condition, pressure sores become a real risk, not a hypothetical one. They're caused by the same thing bedsores are in people: weight pressing on one spot long enough that blood stops reaching the skin there. The good news is that they're largely preventable with a few habits, and none of them require you to stay awake all night.

Padding that actually helps

A thin blanket on a hard floor does very little. What helps is something that spreads weight instead of concentrating it: a thick memory-foam bed, an egg-crate-style mattress, or a few layers of padding under a regular bed. The goal is to get your dog's hip and elbow bones off any hard surface entirely.

Towel donuts for bony points

Elbows and hips are the usual trouble spots. They carry the most weight and have the least natural padding. Rolling a towel into a ring and placing it around (not under) a bony point takes pressure off the center while still supporting the area around it. It's a low-effort fix that makes a real difference for a dog who lies in the same one or two positions most of the day.

A repositioning rhythm you can actually keep

Veterinary guidance generally points to changing a dog's position every few hours during the day if they can't do it themselves. That's a reasonable target while you're up and around anyway. Overnight is different: waking every two hours to roll your dog over is not something most people can sustain for more than a few nights, and an exhausted caregiver is worse for a dog than one slightly-longer stretch on one side.

A practical split: reposition on a schedule during the day, when it costs you nothing extra. At night, set your dog up on their better-padded side before bed and let both of you sleep. If sores are already a problem, that's the point to talk to your vet about an actual overnight schedule. This is a general starting point, not a substitute for their read on your specific dog.

Keeping skin dry and clean

Moisture softens skin and makes it break down faster under pressure, so incontinence pads or bedding that's damp for hours works against everything above. Change bedding promptly after accidents, and dry the skin itself, not just the surface they're lying on, before resettling your dog.

What to check for, and when to call the vet

Run a hand over the hips, elbows, and any other pressure points once a day. Redness that fades within about 15 minutes of your dog getting up is a normal skin response. There's nothing to do. Redness thatdoesn't fade, or skin that looks broken, raw, or open, is an early pressure sore and worth a call to your vet before it gets worse. Once the skin is actually open, home care isn't enough on its own.

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