- Location
- Malvern Worcestershire
Does anyone have experience or thoughts on whether 'Cold Coats for dogs' are helpful in the hot weather, or whether they are a gimmick?
Cold Coats.
- Thread starter Stacia
- Start date
Hi,
I'd always been very cynical about the idea of such things until ... We recently went to the Hanbury Show and were speaking with the gundog trainer that we have been using (she and some friends were putting on a display at the show). All of their dogs had these cold coats on before, during, and after the display. We asked about them and she was very enthusiastic about them and said that although they are expensive (for the quality ones anyway) they are well worth the investment when you think of how quickly dogs can get heat-stroke. She invited me to feel underneath the coat of one of the dogs and they really are cool.
Behavioural actions for our dogs, just as for us, are far more effective than physiological ones. That is, for us it is far more valuable to stay in the shade or go into an air-conditioned room than it is just to rely on sweating! Likewise, rather than rely on the dog's panting we should keep them in the shade and make use of other approaches such as the cold coats.
We were convinced enough to have acquired one recently (hence why the temperature has now dropped and its p***ing down here at the moment
) and we've been very please with it - as has Harv
I'd always been very cynical about the idea of such things until ... We recently went to the Hanbury Show and were speaking with the gundog trainer that we have been using (she and some friends were putting on a display at the show). All of their dogs had these cold coats on before, during, and after the display. We asked about them and she was very enthusiastic about them and said that although they are expensive (for the quality ones anyway) they are well worth the investment when you think of how quickly dogs can get heat-stroke. She invited me to feel underneath the coat of one of the dogs and they really are cool.
Behavioural actions for our dogs, just as for us, are far more effective than physiological ones. That is, for us it is far more valuable to stay in the shade or go into an air-conditioned room than it is just to rely on sweating! Likewise, rather than rely on the dog's panting we should keep them in the shade and make use of other approaches such as the cold coats.
We were convinced enough to have acquired one recently (hence why the temperature has now dropped and its p***ing down here at the moment
) and we've been very please with it - as has Harv
- Location
- Malvern Worcestershire
- Location
- Herefordshire, UK
And I thought it was down to me placing an order for some new summer clothing!(hence why the temperature has now dropped and its p***ing down here at the moment
Interesting reply to read -- I guess it means that those dogs can go on carrying out their public duties by using a cold coat.
- Location
- Canberra, Australia
Here’s a study that looked at the effect of a number of different factors on the core body temperature of greyhounds after a race. One of the factors was whether or not the dogs were wearing a cooling coat (the type that is wet down before being put on the dog). Core body temperature was higher in dogs wearing a cooling coat.
Influence of the Environment on Body Temperature of Racing Greyhounds
The coats used were soaked in iced water for 30 minutes before use. They were this style: Pet Cool Coats | Silver Eagle Cool Champions
Influence of the Environment on Body Temperature of Racing Greyhounds
The coats used were soaked in iced water for 30 minutes before use. They were this style: Pet Cool Coats | Silver Eagle Cool Champions
I'm no expert but I suspect that the iced water part actually made things worse because of the reaction that the body then makes - bloody hell its cold I'd better warm us up! The coat we have we use cold water, not iced, and wring it out before putting it on Harv. I haven't stuck a thermometer in any orifices to check before and after temps but it certainly seems to cool him down
- Location
- Canberra, Australia
Yeah, hard to say why it happened but that’d be worth exploring. The possible reasons behind the increase in core body temp weren’t discussed in the study. Seems like there is an opportunity to do some decent research on the effect of these coats.
I’ve always been a bit dubious about the coats. Lots of people use them at Flyball competitions. We just cool Obi down by letting him wallow in a paddling pool. Wetting his actual coat rather than putting on an additional coat seems to be the easiest and most effective option. But of course you do end up with a wet dog
I’ve always been a bit dubious about the coats. Lots of people use them at Flyball competitions. We just cool Obi down by letting him wallow in a paddling pool. Wetting his actual coat rather than putting on an additional coat seems to be the easiest and most effective option. But of course you do end up with a wet dog
When I started cycling, I was convinced by a friend to buy a special long sleeve cycling top that was made from polyester and that would wick the sweat off me. I had been dubious for ages but gave in when he bought it for me as a gift.
We did a long hot ride, and halfway through I thought I would collapse from heat. Got such a headache. And had to get a taxi that would take me and my bike home!
I’m guessing I didn’t sweat enough to get the cooling effect. And it just trapped the heat and made me hotter. Which is my concern about any coat. Even if it’s a cold coat. Once it warms up, it can get very hot underneath. The cooling mats I have for Snowie are lovely and cold when he first lies on them—like a cold stone floor. But they do warm up, and if he were trapped on them—like confined in a crate—he’d get very hot.
We did a long hot ride, and halfway through I thought I would collapse from heat. Got such a headache. And had to get a taxi that would take me and my bike home!
I’m guessing I didn’t sweat enough to get the cooling effect. And it just trapped the heat and made me hotter. Which is my concern about any coat. Even if it’s a cold coat. Once it warms up, it can get very hot underneath. The cooling mats I have for Snowie are lovely and cold when he first lies on them—like a cold stone floor. But they do warm up, and if he were trapped on them—like confined in a crate—he’d get very hot.
- Location
- Malvern Worcestershire
Interesting study @Oberon, though I didn't like reading where dogs were anathematised and heated up so that they had horrible adverse reactions and I imagine, died, Greyhound have a quite different metabolism to other dogs. However, I can see if a cold coat was left on a dog when it eventually warmed up, this would trap warm air and heat the dog up.
- Location
- Canberra, Australia
Jelinga, no dogs were deliberately heated up or harmed or suffered from heat stroke. These were just dogs competing in normal racing events in whatever the normal daytime temperature was at race time. They were randomly selected for participation in the study.
- Location
- Malvern Worcestershire
Oberon, if you read all the text, you will see that what I said was correct
- Location
- Canberra, Australia
Ok, that was a different study that the authors cited in their paper. Agree that that is cruel. I thought you were saying that this had happened to the dogs in this study, which it did not.
- Location
- Isle of Man
Ruff & Tumble suggest you can use their drying coats for cooling by wetting the inside of the coat.
An interesting study @Oberon . I have a problem with the cold coats anyway. My thought process runs so etching lije - If I'm not I could put on a cold coat (one that has been placed in the freezer/soaked in icy water for example). It will make me feel cooler but I might start to feel uncomfortable with the chill after a few minutes so I'll take off the cold coat. A dog doesn't have that option. If he/she is uncomfortable they can only try to communicate that to their human.
Another thought is that with the recent hot weather there have been numerous advisory 'commercials' on radio stations advising people not to jump in and go swimming in reservours/rivers etc because of the risks of immersing the body into water which is considerably colder than the body and ambient air temperature leading the body into shock which can be fatal. If our bodies can go into shock is there a similar risk for dogs and is there a similar reaction with the cold coats......
Another thought is that with the recent hot weather there have been numerous advisory 'commercials' on radio stations advising people not to jump in and go swimming in reservours/rivers etc because of the risks of immersing the body into water which is considerably colder than the body and ambient air temperature leading the body into shock which can be fatal. If our bodies can go into shock is there a similar risk for dogs and is there a similar reaction with the cold coats......
- Location
- Argyll & Bute, Scotland
What did dogs do before all these products hit the market? It does not seem like a good idea to me. Hattie & Charlie have managed well enough during the heat finding stone floors to lay on, open doors, being walked very early in the morning etc. and of course a constant supply of cold water. I agree with @MaccieD our dogs can't tell us if they are comfortable with these products. x
- Location
- Herefordshire, UK
By and large I agree with you, especially for pet/companion dogs, it's mostly a question of common sense I think, although I know dogs differ in their ability to cope, I am lucky that Cassie is pretty sensible, but I have known dogs that insist on lying in the sun even when clearly uncomfortable!
But I also think about those dogs which have valuable work to do, and are highly trained, such as police dogs and drug detection dogs, it seems to me that research into such products as cooling coats could ensure that they are able to carry out their roles in hot conditions.
- Location
- Argyll & Bute, Scotland
I see what you're saying but it's up to us as their owners to not let dogs lay out in the burning sun, bring them in and close the door if necessary, to do what is right for any animal. I also can't see the Police force as stretched as they are to start investing in cold coats for Police dogs or drug detection dogs, again I think it's upto the handler and organisation to make sure these dogs are given rest, a cool place and water to enable them to carry out their duties as they always have which I assume is already in practise. x
- Location
- Andorra and Spain
I really do think it's a case of common sense and looking at your dog. "Train the dog in front of you" - yup, that applies here, too.
This morning, I took my lot on a group wander through the trees. It was cool for us - by the end of an hour's walk, it was still "only" 27C. Willow and Shadow were running about like mad things, as they do. They don't feel the heat; I have to monitor it for them. They would both get very ill before letting up, because they are very drivey dogs, so when I think they're doing too much, I ask them to walk with me. In contrast, Ginny ensures we go slow; I generally let her set the pace. Much of this is physical limitations rather than anything to do with the heat, but I also feel she is working harder than the other three, everything else being equal, because having a missing front limb means each step is far harder work than if she had all four - or if she were a rear limb amputee. She will sit down for a rest sometimes, and the other dogs just mooch around in the general vicinity, so everyone gets a break. I think she also feels dehydration worse than the others; even though she doesn't drink a lot of water when we get back, pace for pace she breathes harder than the others and that must have an impact.
Then there's Luna, who runs hot all the time. Even in the winter, she's a hot dog. But she's also really good at self-regulating, so if she starts getting warm, she lets me know by sitting or laying down in the shade.
I walk my dogs in temperatures far hotter than you guys generally would consider safe, but that's because, if I didn't, they would never get walked. But it's really just common sense; walk where there is plenty of shade, where there is a breeze, where you're not getting the beating sun reflected back off the ground. Take it slowly, offer them plenty of breaks and understand that some dogs might need breaks to be enforced.
This week, it will reach 40C for the first time (very late compared to a normal year) but we will still have to take walks. We just go early morning and late evening, when it will still be hotter than the average UK summer's day, but we go for slow walks where everyone gets plenty of time to sniff around and "be a dog". It's about adjusting your expectations; this morning, I had hoped to do some sweeping-up exercises with W&S, but it would have been too hot in the field I had planned to do that in, so we headed into the forest instead. Look at your dog, look at the environment, and make a plan from there.
I don't use cooling coats in my situation, because I think there's potential danger there I don't understand. For example, wetting a Ruff and Tumble coat and leaving it on the dog for 30 minutes sounds like the worst idea possible; the water in the coat will very quickly rise to equal the dog's body temperature and then you're in a situation where the dog is basically cooking "en papillote". Instead, I think it's better to just make sure they don't overheat in the first place, which really is only common sense.
This morning, I took my lot on a group wander through the trees. It was cool for us - by the end of an hour's walk, it was still "only" 27C. Willow and Shadow were running about like mad things, as they do. They don't feel the heat; I have to monitor it for them. They would both get very ill before letting up, because they are very drivey dogs, so when I think they're doing too much, I ask them to walk with me. In contrast, Ginny ensures we go slow; I generally let her set the pace. Much of this is physical limitations rather than anything to do with the heat, but I also feel she is working harder than the other three, everything else being equal, because having a missing front limb means each step is far harder work than if she had all four - or if she were a rear limb amputee. She will sit down for a rest sometimes, and the other dogs just mooch around in the general vicinity, so everyone gets a break. I think she also feels dehydration worse than the others; even though she doesn't drink a lot of water when we get back, pace for pace she breathes harder than the others and that must have an impact.
Then there's Luna, who runs hot all the time. Even in the winter, she's a hot dog. But she's also really good at self-regulating, so if she starts getting warm, she lets me know by sitting or laying down in the shade.
I walk my dogs in temperatures far hotter than you guys generally would consider safe, but that's because, if I didn't, they would never get walked. But it's really just common sense; walk where there is plenty of shade, where there is a breeze, where you're not getting the beating sun reflected back off the ground. Take it slowly, offer them plenty of breaks and understand that some dogs might need breaks to be enforced.
This week, it will reach 40C for the first time (very late compared to a normal year) but we will still have to take walks. We just go early morning and late evening, when it will still be hotter than the average UK summer's day, but we go for slow walks where everyone gets plenty of time to sniff around and "be a dog". It's about adjusting your expectations; this morning, I had hoped to do some sweeping-up exercises with W&S, but it would have been too hot in the field I had planned to do that in, so we headed into the forest instead. Look at your dog, look at the environment, and make a plan from there.
I don't use cooling coats in my situation, because I think there's potential danger there I don't understand. For example, wetting a Ruff and Tumble coat and leaving it on the dog for 30 minutes sounds like the worst idea possible; the water in the coat will very quickly rise to equal the dog's body temperature and then you're in a situation where the dog is basically cooking "en papillote". Instead, I think it's better to just make sure they don't overheat in the first place, which really is only common sense.
- Location
- Malvern Worcestershire
I find my dog gets uncomfortably hot in the house, despite all windows and patio door wide open, no escape from the heat and though a cold coat could be helpful then. I do take him for a walk about 4pm but apart from having to cross one field in the sun, we immediately go to a lake where he swims and then a cool walk in the shade of the trees. My thinking was just for cooling in the house. Interesting comments, thank you all.
- Location
- Vlaardingen, the Netherlands
I agree with @snowbunny. When we were on vacation in Spain, camping, we took our labs with us. We looked at the dogs, early morning and late evening we late them swim in the Mediterranean Sea.
This year with these extreme temperatures it did remind me of that time in Spain. In town we have an old house which is cool. Finn use to ly in the hallway where the temperature is lower then elsewhere. In our house in the woods it’s a different story. The temperature got really high and we saw that Finn was struggling with this. Today we bought a cooling mat. Now electricity nor deep freezer needed. It will cool by movement. When it is hot we place it in his own bed. He can choose if he wants to lay down on it or go somewhere else!