Keeping Your Dog Cool in Extreme Heat-How a Cooling Vest Works
Original Article by K9 of Mine
Many dogs require copious amounts of exercise to remain healthy, happy and reasonably well behaved. But this can be difficult to accomplish during the peak of the summer, when temperatures soar.
Some owners can adjust their schedules to provide their dog with some early morning or late afternoon outdoor time, and others have access to shady areas, which aren’t as sweltering as the surrounding area. But many owners are unable to alter their schedule or visit shady, wind-swept parks on a daily basis.
Fortunately, there is a solution: You can fit your dog with a cooling vest to keep her comfortable while playing under the sun.
What Are Dog Cooling Vests?
Cooling vests are essentially dog vests that help cool your dog through the process of evaporative cooling.
This phenomenon is exceedingly simple, and it has been used by almost every human civilization since the Egyptians were building pyramids. This technology is still used today in the form of swamp coolers, which work like small air-conditioning units.
In fact, evaporative cooling is the same mechanism at work when you sweat. It takes energy for a droplet of water to change from a liquid to gaseous state. This energy is pulled from the air surrounding the water, which results in a small temperature drop. When you evaporate enough water, the resulting temperature drop can be significant.
You could accomplish this by simply wetting your dog before going for a walk in the hot sun, but this is messy and he’ll likely dry out before your walk is over. Additionally, water doesn’t evaporate from fur especially readily.
But cooling vests are designed with special materials that help accelerate the rate of evaporation. And while this evaporation helps cool the air surrounding your dog’s body, which in turn cool him off, some of the best models feature conductive layers, which further accelerate the removal of heat from your dog.
Note that cooling vests work better in dry air, where evaporation occurs quickly, rather than humid air, where evaporation proceeds at a snail’s pace. This means that dogs living in the arid southwest will likely enjoy greater benefits from cooling vests than those living in the perpetually damp southeast will.
Cooling vests do not require any type of power, and they are easy to prepare for use: Simply dunk the vest under cool or cold water, wring it out and put it on your dog.
If it dries out before your walk is over, you can simply pour some more water on the vest. Some owners also like to put the vest in the freezer for a short time before putting it on their dog.
Things You Want in a Good Dog Cooling Vests
While the principle behind evaporative cooling is very simple, some products simply function better than others. Be sure to select a vest that possesses as many of the following characteristics as possible.
Cooling vests must fit properly. Some dogs are more comfortable wearing clothing than others, but no dog likes to wear things that don’t fit well. To ensure your dog is willing to wear his new cooling vest, you want to be sure you select a style that is suitable for your dog’s body type, and you’ll need to make sure you select the best size. Always refer to the manufacturer’s guidelines when determining a size, and rely on your dog’s measurements, rather than his weight, to obtain the best fit.
Cooling vests should function for a reasonable length of time. A cooling vest that dries completely in 5 minutes is pretty worthless; minimally, a cooling vest should work for about 15 minutes to make it worth the effort. Remember that while cooling vests will work better in arid climates, they’ll also dry more quickly when there isn’t much water in the air. Accordingly, this is a very important consideration for owners and dogs living in the desert-like areas.
The best cooling vests also reflect the sun’s heat. Although evaporative cooling is the primary way by which cooling vests lower your dog’s temperature, some of the nicer designs incorporate materials that help protect your dog’s back and sides from the sun’s rays, which helps keep them even cooler.
Ideally, cooling vests should also feature reflective strips. Even though you’ll usually be using the cooling vest during the day, it can still be hot after the sun sets during the peak of summer. And because you always want to be sure drivers can see your dog easily in the dark, it just makes sense to opt for cooling vests with reflective trim, whenever possible.
Cooling vests should be designed to work well with your harness or collar and leash.You should always keep your dog leashed when you are not in an enclosed area, so you’ll want to select a cooling vest that will work with your dog’s harness or collar. A few designs feature a leash clip, allowing you to use the vest as a harness.
Cooling vests should keep your dog’s fur cool and dry. Wet fur can be irritating to your dog, and it may even lead to chaffing or skin problems. A little dampness is not a problem, but you want to avoid vests that allow your dog’s fur to become soaked.