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What is a Dog Cooling Vest?

September 16, 2019 by Mary Telesz

a god that is hot and needs a dog cooling vestWhen the summer heat hits, it can be difficult to keep your dogs cool. They want to play more when the sun is out and shining, and with their year-round fur coat on, keeping them from getting heatstroke or heat exhaustion can be a never ending battle.

If you have never heard of a dog cooling vest, or are wondering what they are, keep reading. Getting a cooling vest for your dog is the best way to combat the summer heat.

Why Should I Buy a Cooling Vest for My Dog This Summer?

Dogs have a huge disadvantage to humans when it comes to the high summer temperatures. First, while having a fur coat is great for keeping them insulated in the winter months, it is not so great in the summer. Dogs also lack sweat glands, which is what allows human bodies to keep cool when we start to get overheated. For these reasons, dog cooling vests–dog vests that cool your dog while outside–can be highly beneficial in helping your favorite canine stay cool all summer long.

There are two methods that cooling vests utilize to cool your dog. The most common dog cooling vests use evaporating cooling technology, which is the same system our body uses with sweat. They simply have to be saturated with water and wrung out before being put on your dog. The vest will pull heat from the dog and the surrounding air to evaporate the water, which cools the air around your dog’s body.

The other method is basically a wearable ice pack. These vests are frozen first, then put on your dog. The ice melts and cools your dog’s body while they are outside.

The Benefits Of Cooling Vests

Dog cooling vests are good for your dog for many reasons, including the following:

  1. They help keep your dog from getting heat stroke. Also known as hyperthermia, which is the opposite of hypothermia (where your body is dangerously too cold), heat stroke can easily occur if you leave your dog too long out in the heat, raising their internal body temperature as high as 104° or 106°F. Having a cooling vest can prevent that.
  2. They evenly distribute the cooling effects all over your dog’s body. While a fan or a spray of water from the hose might help cool your dog…they will likely only apply to certain areas of their body. With cooling vests, your dog will get full coverage…allows the cooling effects to be evenly distributed so that their whole body stays cool, no matter what.
  3. dog at a beach with a cooling vest on

  4. They help certain breeds that have trouble staying cool. While cooling vests are great to have for any dog, there are some breeds that can benefit from them more than others. Breeds that are brachycephalic (like pugs and boxers) have a difficult time breathing under normal circumstances. Since these types of dogs often have trouble panting to cool down (using the moisture from their tongues), these breeds often have a greater risk for heat stroke. Also, large heavy breeds that have a lot of long hair, can also be at a higher risk of heat exhaustion. For these types of breeds, a cooling vest can be an indispensable solution to keeping them cool.
  5. Cooling vests are comfortable to wear. Do your research and measure your dog (if you have to) so that you can find the perfect size. As long as you get the right fit, the dog will hardly notice that they are wearing anything, making for cool and distraction-less play-time all season long.
  6. They work in dry or humid heat. Keep in mind that the dryer the air, the faster and better the cooling vest will work (since it requires dry air to evaporate the moisture in the vest). In fact, ice-pack cooling vests are designed specifically for use in humid areas.
  7. They be used anywhere you take your dog. Letting them play outside in the backyard with the kids? Going for a walk (or a hike)? Maybe even biking with your pooch running beside you, or going on a picnic at the park? The best thing about dog cooling vests, is they can be used anywhere you take your dog. Just make sure you have enough extra water for if the vest dries out.

Speak To Paw Pals About Dog Cooling Vests

bulldog in the pool with a dog cooling vestAs have seen, there are many benefits to using a cooling vest to cool your dog outside. Get one for your dog now, and you will be amazed at how well they work at keeping your dog cool, allowing for more (and more enjoyable) outside play time.

For more information regarding dog cooling vests, or if you would like to inquire about our dog walking services, please give us a call at Paw Pals. Our phone number is 703-345-1695, or you can find us online at https://www.localpawpals.com.

Filed Under: Dog Walking, Pet Advice

Contact Paw Pals for More Information

Paw Pals specializes in professional dog walking, dog sitting, and pet sitting services. One of our reliable, adult staff members will keep your pet safe, while providing your pet the love and care they need when you are away. Contact us to learn more!

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Paw Pals Pet Sitting, LLC
14001-C Saint Germain Drive #213
Centreville, VA 20121
(703) 345-1695

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Wednesday
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Centreville – 20120, 20121
Chantilly – 20151
Clifton – 20124
Fairfax – 22030, 22033
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Manassas – 20109, 20110, 20111
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4.9
Paw Pals Pet Sitting
Paw Pals Pet Sitting
4.9
Taylor Smith
Taylor Smith
21:22 03 Oct 21
I never worry when Mary and team take care of my dog!
Michæl Silva
Michæl Silva
21:38 01 Jul 22
Mary at Paw Pals Pet Sitting is the greatest! She has helped me train my pooch Chico how play nice with other dogs and for that I am extremely grateful! A+A+A+A+A+A
Kwi Kim
Kwi Kim
22:37 17 Jun 22
I hired Paw Pals based on my sister’s referral. Meet & greet was very thorough and detailed. I was surprised that my finicky cat came to check the sitter out. Subsequently, a sitter watched my cat over several separate visits, and it was clear through the visit reports that my cat loved the sitter. All the visits were completed having followed my directions & with professionalism.I would highly recommend Paw Pals to anyone who’s looking for a dependable, personable, & professional sitter.
Joseph Walter
Joseph Walter
19:55 13 Jun 22
Paw Pals provided a large number of photos of our pets along with a personalized message on how our pets were doing with every single visit. I would highly recommend using Paw Pals, we'll be continuing to use them whenever we go on vacation.
Ashley Manning
Ashley Manning
09:50 11 Jun 22
Highly recommend as pet sitters!Initially, a sitter from the company will visit the house to meet the pets and learn where everything is. Tatiana took careful notes and we got her some spare keys.While we are away, Paw Pals sends sitters to come and look after our boys. They feed them, scoop litter, bring in mail and packages, and they will even manage trash, recycling, blinds and lights so that everything is comfortable for our kitties. Each time they check in, we receive an email message with updates and pictures, which is so comforting when we are on the road.Also, if you don’t let Paw Pals know when you are home, they assume something has happened and will continue to care for your babies. If something were to happen, I know they would be okay.Five stars for Paw Pals!
Brian Wood
Brian Wood
04:08 22 May 22
We have used Paw Pals for a number of years now and would highly recommend to anyone looking for help with their pets. Great communication from owner Mary and flexibility to make adjustments in schedule as life changes over time. Have had a consistent set of walkers who have gotten to know our pup and the various walking routes around our neighborhood quite well.
Lesley Bush
Lesley Bush
13:58 18 Mar 22
We can't rave enough about Paw Pals. They took care of our 18 year old Cat and 20 year old Chinchilla while we were away and when our flight got cancelled, they were so accommodating and available last minute for an extra day. We worked with Jen to coordinate visits from Miko and Danny. I loved the pictures and updates on how our Lil geriatric guys were doing. Thanks a million, Paw Pals!! Our special pets were so well cared for.
Sebastian Barnes
Sebastian Barnes
01:06 17 Jan 22
I have used Paw Pals for several trips over the last few months, and they have been phenomenal every time! Mary is extremely kind and responsive, and she makes sure that my cat and dog have the care that they need every time I am out of town. All of the pet sitters that I've had have been incredibly sweet to my pets, and they treat them like their own! Will gladly continue using Paw Pals every time I need a sitter.
Julie Shildt
Julie Shildt
17:45 14 Nov 21
It has been a pleasure doing business with paw pals. We have used this company for several trips we have taken over the past 6 months. They have been wonderful caretakers for our 2 cats. Anytime there is ever a question they don't hesitate to give us a call and they leave the best notes and pictures in the emailed report of each visit. We are so glad have found such a great company.
Andrea Hall
Andrea Hall
22:45 03 Oct 20
I wasn't sure about hiring a new doggie walker service... after all they are our kiddos... my babies were in great hands and I felt relaxed having them in their care. Thank you for everything!
Katie McCune
Katie McCune
19:19 15 Jul 21
I honestly cannot recommend Mary and her whole crew enough! We started using Mary originally about 7 years ago to stop by occasionally when our Aussie Lana was younger. Over the next couple years Lana stayed with Mary and her family for a couple weekends when we went on vacation. When we moved to our new house in Manassas, Lana stayed with Sam, who lives in Manassas, overnight for moving day, and did great. Right before the pandemic, we adopted our second Aussie, Goose, and Mary recommended a fantastic trainer for him.We now have weekly walks for the dogs, and they love all of their walkers! Trevor, Paul, Hazel, Sofie, and probably a couple others have helped Goose get used to more people, and have helped my husband and me when our schedules are crazy.Paw Pals is our go-to for any help with our dogs, so I highly recommend them!
Alexandra Hill
Alexandra Hill
22:43 23 May 21
I was a nervous mommy to leave my cats with a sitter service for the first time. Paw Pals went above and beyond to care for my cats and ease a nervous mommy. I already made a reservation to use them again!
Cindy Welgoss
Cindy Welgoss
13:12 27 Nov 20
We have been using Paw Pals for several years, and through a variety of pets that we have loved. Mary and her team have always been *exceptional* in every way. They are professional, courteous, and truly love our fur family! Mary herself is an organized and stellar administrator of her pet care business, keeping detailed records of our pet’s needs, scheduled pet visits, payments, and balance due easy to keep track of as the pet owner. The pet caretaking team is reliable and trustworthy. When our dogs see any of their Paw Pal friends, they get SO excited to see them! Follow up comments are left via text to keep the pet owner informed of the visit and how the pets are faring. Paw Pals has allowed our family the peace of mind to leave our pets at home, for work, weekend getaways and longer times away when necessary, where they are the most comfortable and familiar. We are grateful to Mary and her team for giving us the ability to enjoy pet ownership without feeling tied down. The responsibility of having pets comes with the need to keep them safe and comfortable at all times, and Mary and her team affords us this when our family has to be away.
Dr Tammy Cashion
Dr Tammy Cashion
21:11 12 Mar 19
We have used Paw pals pet sitting on multiple occasions for our bunnies while we are away. Many pet sitters are not interested in small pets however; Mary and her team, are amazing and we trust her implicitly! We are very happy with the outstanding service we have received from her team including texts and photos of our pets when we are out of town. They always go the extra mile and we highly recommend them!
Kristin Conrad
Kristin Conrad
16:00 16 Nov 19
We are so grateful we found Mary and her team at Paw Pals. They are exceptionally responsive, amazingly organized and detail-oriented.We have such peace of mind when we travel knowing our home and pets are so well cared for. Paw Pals is the best pet sitting service we’ve used, and we’re so happy we found them.
Katie Russell
Katie Russell
15:01 17 May 20
Paw Pals is fantastic! I have had a great experience with Mary! Compassionate, professional, responsive, and prompt! Thank you!
Phillip Evans
Phillip Evans
14:38 11 Jul 20
When we adopted our new dog in January, Paw Pals agreed to walk her and give her some outside time so she wasn't in the crate all day. She loved her dog walker and you could see her excitement every time the walker showed up. We moved out of the area but would recommend Paw Pals to anyone needing someone to care for their pets.
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