Drybo Plus is an ultimate drying solution and a groundbreaking invention from a group of pet professionals and enthusiasts with 20+ years of experience in medical devices.
Drying your pet is rarely easy. It’s sometimes funny but rarely easy. We have 3 short-haired lab mixes and while they cower bizarrely at running water, the “Zoomies” that come afterward seem to be worth the trauma.
They callously reject my offer of a human-powered towel drying session, running past me to roll themselves dry on the living room rug.
Alas, the product we’re discussing isn’t quite large enough to help our bathtime adventures, but luckily, we have a semi-ferrel cat named Skittles who I wouldn’t dry with a towel if you paid me…a lot.
In fact, we must patiently sit with her for two hours each time she gets a bath, a time she spends resisting (attacking) the hair drier.
The latest offering in cat and dog spa treatment comes courtesy of HomeRunPet in the form of the DryBo Plus Smart Pet Drier. And it came just in time for our sanity!
By the marketing materials
- Fresh air is constantly drawn in through the back of the unit, where it gets heated and pushed out through hundreds of tiny holes in the floor.
- A ceramic PTC Thermistor heater gets to the desired temperature setting quickly and stays very stable.
- 3 million negative ions released so hair does not become dehydrated during drying…we guess for that “salon-fresh” look?
- Multi-levels of cooling or heating are possible both for drying and for hanging out. The Drybo doubles as a cozy den for your small dog, puppy, or cat.
- The low noise level of ~40bD, slightly louder than a breeze outside your window, helps keep your pet calm and is less annoying for you.
- 4 dry modes are available to build your pet up gently to the full experience. The cozy mode takes a reported 60 minutes to dry your small dog or cat, while there is a quick dry mode that completes the job in a reported 45 minutes.
We found that Skittles (a small-sized Maine Coone for reference) only took 20 minutes to get to a perfectly acceptable coat. She did look even better after 40 mins, though.
Then there are the warm and cool wind settings, both of which Skittles is beginning to enjoy for no reason…she just chills there on the provided cushion, loving life. The modes can be easily and intuitively selected from the integrated control pad.
- Auto hair collection. HomeRunPet discusses on their site how the auto hair collection and removable floor panel make for easy cleaning. We agreed, and I go into more detail below.
Features and attributes from marketing collateral are all well and good, but I wanted to specifically address a few questions before using them on my own cat.
Our experience
Safety
I had questions on safety, but the tech boffins at HomeRunPet HQ solved that concern for me.
Not only can the petting doors be removed so that your pet can jump in and out as they are comfortable, but the machine also constantly detects temperature and level of dryness and simply cannot run longer than is safe.
The level of detection and automated feedback in this system is so cool to a ‘techie pet lover’ like me!
The feedback loop of temperate detection and modulation means the temperature never fluctuates, reducing stress on your furball, and impressing their nerdy owners.
Tolerance
Puppies and cats tolerate the unit well, especially if slowly acclimatized to the new “den”.
We tried a Friend’s 15 lb French Bulldog in the device and it successfully dried her and didn’t freak her out in the process. I wouldn’t want to put a much larger dog in though just for comfort issues.
To be completely fair, HomeRunPet does warn of this so please don’t buy for your Great Dane.
HomeRunPet, please consider making one for dogs up to 50 lbs? that would be amazing! Our 12 lb cat Skittles was perfectly comfortable and now uses the drier as a hang-out space. She even enjoys the cool settings when we’re not even grooming, guess she likes the feeling of wind in her hair!
The petting doors are crucial to be able to soothe your pet as you introduce them to the drier, but the low noise, coupled with the omni flow of the air, means no bursts of air in the face and a trauma-free experience.
The size of the unit is approximately 17.2 inches (437mm) wide by 18.4 inches (467mm) deep by 17.1 inches (436 mm) tall. This gives a capacity of 50L or 13 Gallons, large enough for a 15 lb Puppy or 20 lb cat.
This was a really spacious fit for Skittles, who is 12 lbs of long-haired fluff. We also found the device incredibly sturdy and resilient to minor knocks and scrapes.
HomeRunPet has a 12-month warrantee and a 30-day satisfaction guarantee and we can see why they are so confident in the production quality.
Cleaning
I hate cleaning things that are supposed to make my life easier. So, I’m happy that the DryBo can be cleaned simply and quickly. Firstly, the floor can be removed since HomeRunPet cleverly kept all the electronics away from this area.
It can be cleaned with a damp cloth. Genius. The auto hair collection feature means no hairs all over the place, you can just wipe them off the filter where they typically collect.
Oh, and the filter removes easily so you can clean out the dust frequently. All in all, a piece of cake to clean.
Take away message
Our experience was great, and we won’t hesitate to suggest to our friends this innovative way to dry your cat…with no blood loss…brilliant!
