Pack Mom Daily Bite: Abe Approves Using Cooling Vests for Dogs

We are just a few days away from summer officially beginning and the heat in my hometown of Tampa, FL is already on fire.  By 9am, it is almost too hot to walk the dogs.  But, we do everyday and as soon as we walk in the door we all throw ourselves on the cool hardwood floor and drink copious amounts of water.

I’d like to start earlier, but in my house, by the time the dogs and our son wake up, eat and are ready to walk it is 9am or later.  My dogs are a very healthy and active nine years old but because of their age, I am extra careful with their exposure to heat.  In April, I explored using a cooling vest for dogs with Abe for eHow.com and am now adding it  to our daily walks.  It seems to keep his body temperature down.  Chico is using a Kool Collar which I will discuss in a later post.

A dog’s body temperature is already just over 100 degrees and the cooling vest is right around 80 degrees. So, there will be about a 20 degree difference between your dog’s temperature and the cooling vest.  Relief!

A cooling vest is simple to use.  Just soak it in cool or cold water for approximately one hour.  Time may vary depending on the jacket you purchase. Wring it out, pat if off with a towel and put it on your dog. It works due to the theory of evaporation. When your dog has the cooling vest on, the air is going to move through it and around it, providing a cool breeze. And as that water evaporates off the cool vest, your dog’s body heat is going to go down too.

So far so good.  I have noticed a difference when walking Abe with his cooling vest vs. walking without it.

I want these two guys to stay with our pack for many more years to come so safety is my first priority!

How do you keep your pet cool in the summertime?

~Jenn

Tags: cats, cooling vests for dogs, Dogs, ehow.com, Jenn Fadal Pet Expert, keeping dogs cool, The Pack Mom

Category: Exercise, PACK MOM TV, Pet Health, Safety