Keeping Cool

[SaddlePsych'D]

How are we (and our hounds) getting on in the heat?!

Ivy (and I!) are not loving it tbh. She's definitely less energetic today and trying to find cooler spots to lay down. She doesn't seem to be missing walks too much and I've got some ideas to keep her occupied in the house before we head out later this evening if she does start to get bored.

I've not tried putting damp towels down but I think I will give this a try. So far we've had the fan on in her room, pouring out fresh chilled water for her (princess!), and frozen kongs/lickmats. Plus keeping indoors as much as possible, with the blinds down to block out too much sunlight.

How do people find the various dog-cooling products (mats, coats, toys etc.) or do you have DIY strategies? It's tricky to know how much is enough/effective/overboard!

 

[Cloball]

The westie wears a soaked bandana type thing. I was amazed how many dogs were out on the hills at midday... Madness!

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

Oh that's a good idea. Is it a special cooling product or a normal bandana just soaked in water?

I've been hiding from the heat let alone taking Ivy out in it. I wish my car A/C wasn't broken so we could get her out to a woods somewhere but I think putting her in a hot car wouldn't be a great move!

 

[CanteringCarrot]

I've seen cooling pads for sale but never tried one.

Generally I keep the house closed up and shaded during the day with the ceiling fan going in the living room. Open up for cooler air at night. Sometimes we play with the hose in the garden for a cool down or go swimming (depends on what the algae is doing at the lakes/ponds). We only walk early in the morning. I see people out on the streets with their dogs midday and that's crazy to me. It's scorching hot.

We do have a portable AC if it were to get too hot for the animals. It can atleast cool down the bedroom for them. We didn't have to use it last year though.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

How are we (and our hounds) getting on in the heat?!

Ivy (and I!) are not loving it tbh. She's definitely less energetic today and trying to find cooler spots to lay down. She doesn't seem to be missing walks too much and I've got some ideas to keep her occupied in the house before we head out later this evening if she does start to get bored.

I've not tried putting damp towels down but I think I will give this a try. So far we've had the fan on in her room, pouring out fresh chilled water for her (princess!), and frozen kongs/lickmats. Plus keeping indoors as much as possible, with the blinds down to block out too much sunlight.

How do people find the various dog-cooling products (mats, coats, toys etc.) or do you have DIY strategies? It's tricky to know how much is enough/effective/overboard!

We had a cool mat and cool coats for the Rottweilers, which we thought were all very effective for heavy black dogs. Unfortunately a Lab chewed the mat, as a pup. We need to get another one, as well as Lab-sized cool coats

 

[AmyMay]

We’re currently camping. It was about 26 degrees with us today.

We had two short walks this morning, and then from 10.00am stayed by our tent with the dogs snoozing happily in the shade. I’d been really worried about the heat with us being away, but they’ve been fine.

They’re in the wide awake club now. So heading out for a sunset walk.

 

[Splash2310]

My parents have a cool coat for their greyhound and really rate it! If they don’t want to wear it they can lie on it instead.

We were out all day today at the cricket with spaniel pup (9 months) and I was worried how he would cope. Took him for a woodland walk in the morning with lots and lots of swimming and then the afternoon he came back to the cricket and sat under a table in the shade with lots of water and cuddles from various people! He behaved impeccably and didn’t seem to get too hot. Someone even commented on how well he behaved!

We’re off to the broads tomorrow so he’ll have a greyhound sized cooling coat to lie on in the boat, and there will be lots of swimming time too. If I feel he’s too hot, I’ll just take him back to the house.

 

[Cloball]

Oh that's a good idea. Is it a special cooling product or a normal bandana just soaked in water?

I've been hiding from the heat let alone taking Ivy out in it. I wish my car A/C wasn't broken so we could get her out to a woods somewhere but I think putting her in a hot car wouldn't be a great move!

I'm not sure I'm sorry, I'll see if I can find out.

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

I've seen cooling pads for sale but never tried one.

Generally I keep the house closed up and shaded during the day with the ceiling fan going in the living room. Open up for cooler air at night. Sometimes we play with the hose in the garden for a cool down or go swimming (depends on what the algae is doing at the lakes/ponds). We only walk early in the morning. I see people out on the streets with their dogs midday and that's crazy to me. It's scorching hot.

We do have a portable AC if it were to get too hot for the animals. It can atleast cool down the bedroom for them. We didn't have to use it last year though.

Portable AC sounds amazing. I might get for our bedroom and she can come and sleep in with us!

I hadn't thought about the chewing issue, I suspect Ivy would quite enjoy chewing a squidgy cool mat so maybe damp towel to lay on or a cooling coat is the way to go. She's currently tucking in to a frozen kibble, Lily's wet food and squeezy chese Kong after our evening stroll. Keeping the evening walk short and longer in the morning.

 

[Morwenna]

With my old boy he would insist on multiple trips to the river (2 minute walk from our house) where he would jump in and splash round to cool down. We also had a cooling mat. At night we would put a hot water bottle in the freezer, wrap it in a towel and put it in his bed.

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

I'm not sure if the link will work but OH just sent me this. Maybe I will stock up on some cool beds after all!

https://www.tiktok.com/@bmstorestv/video/7117587524792421637?_t=8TsNCAxSa9u&_r=1

 

[Moobli]

We live next to a reservoir so the dogs have been in and out of the water all day and snoozing in the shade.

 

[scats]

The girls had their pool out today. Bess and Lily spent most of the day in the shade watching the guinea pigs who were out in their shaded run.
JD loves the heat and would lie in it all day and cook, so we have to remind her to move to the shade every so often.

 

[Antw23uk]

Other than doing the 2nd walk at 2100 rather than 1700/1800 nothing has changed for us. They are walked early morning anyway and they spend their days in the garden/ house either baking themselves in the sun or laying in the cool shade.

 

[DirectorFury]

Can someone please tell my terrier that we're having a heatwave? It's 24* in the house and she's still insisting on burying herself under a blanket on the sofa. She's not hot or distressed but it's bloody weird!

It was 20* at 6am in the forest by us (I went for an early bike ride to try and beat the heat) so I think we'll be going nocturnal and doing walks at 2/3am for the rest of the week.

 

[dogatemysalad]

Our house keeps the heat out quite well. The garden has plenty of shady areas. The dogs don't see the point of using the paddling pool, so they are showered but remain unappreciative.
The doves and wood pigeons however love to lie under the dove shower ( garden sprinkler). They lie on the wet grass rolling from side to side, lifting their wings to catch every drop of cool water.

 

[Hannahgb]

Mine have the backdoor open and mix between sunbathing and lying on the cold kitchen floor.
They get a walk at 6am and their afternoon one is pushed back from 4.30pm to 8pm instead. They dont seem to mind the heat at all

 

[Auslander]

My old man absolutely loves his cooling pad - spends most of his time on it, although he likes it next to his bed, so he can be selective. I've sat on it to see if its all its cracked up to be, and it's amazing!

 

[rabatsa]

Neither of mine will go on the cool bed. The paddling pool is just an expensive big water bowl.

The GSD lies on the kitchen floor (flotex) with her tummy against the kitchen cupboard fronts. The greyhound plays dead on his everyday bed, although he has condescended to wear a wet bandana today.

I have a fan on with a wet teatowel hung in front of it to cool the room. Not sure what else to do inside for them.

 

[honetpot]

My dog at this moment laid outside in the full sun, her choice, I am sat by the aircon. The last lurcher I had would lie in front of the aircon, like lying by the fire, with the blower going through his fur.

 

[Birker2020]

I've seen cooling pads for sale but never tried one.

.

We bought a couple from Aldi for our beagle but being the princess she is, she doesn't like the feel of them under her

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

Neither of mine will go on the cool bed. The paddling pool is just an expensive big water bowl.

The GSD lies on the kitchen floor (flotex) with her tummy against the kitchen cupboard fronts. The greyhound plays dead on his everyday bed, although he has condescended to wear a wet bandana today.

I have a fan on with a wet teatowel hung in front of it to cool the room. Not sure what else to do inside for them.

I'm glad it's not just my greyhound playing dead. I disrupted her nap through the dog cam earlier - 'Ivy! Are you dead?!' - because she was laying flat out with her tongue hanging out. I know they do that sometimes but Ivy hasn't done it before so I was a bit worried!

She's taken to sleeping flat out on the rug or the wooden floor rather than her bed. Thankfully the temp downstairs is dropping over night and she is not too fussed about the shorter and later walks at the end of the day.

 

[Birker2020]

Ours has started digging up the carpet in the downstairs loo again. It has more holes than a sieve. She always does this when too hot. She lies her back against the metal radiator and her bum against the toilet pan to keep cool.

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

Ivy is digging too.

I feel caught between The Internet telling me my dog could die of heat stroke any minute (at risk breed as a greyhound) and my dog who dislikes all the cooling strategies. Except maybe the fan but not sure she appreciates it as much as I would if it were in my bedroom! Laying on wet towel is a no, being wiped down with damp towel makes her run round frantic which doesn't exactly help with the cool, ice lolly thing got crunched to get the bits of apple then left to melt on the floor, ice pack wrapped in towel was a no. Frozen kong is a yes as is frozen yoghurt lickmat lolly. It's so stressful and we are both fed up I think!

 

[rabatsa]

Yup the greyhound is digging here too.

 

[tda]

Any advice on something to add to water to encourage drinking?
Old senile terrier, already on wet food, so I made it even wetter this morning.
I think he just forgets to drink sometjmes

 

[Coblover63]

Our elderly black lab is on a cooling pad. Because she sleeps most of the time she stays quite cool - being mostly inert but conversely, she doesn't cope as well with the heat these days as she did when she was younger..... rather like her human mum!!! She has a fan beside her bed and goes out very early or late evening. The house is cool as blinds are permanently down, but if I sense she is a bit extra hot, I thoroughly wet a tea towel, wring it out and drape it over her and then let the fan blow on her. Works a treat.

 

[misst]

Ruby is loving her paddling pool but Moti doesn't really bother. He lies in the shade and that is that. Walks in the woods are cool most of the time and the hard floors seem to be his main choice. We might go to the lake for a swim tomorrow but it gets a bit crowded with big dogs at these times. So far both of mine have been fine.

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

Any advice on something to add to water to encourage drinking?
Old senile terrier, already on wet food, so I made it even wetter this morning.
I think he just forgets to drink sometjmes

I chopped up some apple and put it in Ivy's water. I don't think she massively loved apple bobbing but it did get her to drink a little more. Her dinner has been more of a kibble soup too!

 

[tda]

I chopped up some apple and put it in Ivy's water. I don't think she massively loved apple bobbing but it did get her to drink a little more. Her dinner has been more of a kibble soup too!

Could try that with chopped carrots, he used to Like them but they do make him a bit windy ?
I also soaked some kibble and gave him that.