Warm air patient warmers are at the top of the list of time-tested, effective patient warmers. The abundance of inexpensive, older model Bair Huggers, Warmtouch, and Thermacare units on the secondary market makes this form of patient warmer very attractive for the veterinary profession.

One of the drawbacks of warm air patient warmers is the dilemma posed by the fact that commercially made patient blankets are relatively costly and they are constructed of materials that cannot be laundered. The author's practice has been producing their own warm air blankets for over 10 years. These blankets are made out of materials that can be laundered between each patient use.

While there are many ways to make a blanket, these directions produce a very effective blanket that limits airflow from the blanket's bottom layer, direction flow towards the patient. While no thermal injuries have been created at our practice during the use of any of our handmade blankets, the user assumes full responsibility should they decide to create blankets of their own using these guidelines.