When 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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
As 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.