Comments on: The Most Surprising Ways To Keep Your Dog Cool On The Boat

By: Ruby and Kristin

Ruby and Kristin — Mon, 30 Jul 2018 12:43:27 +0000

Our former dog, Pip, had heart disease late in life. His final summer with us we wanted to take him on our annual vacation to northern Wisconsin. The vet warned of him overheating and the need to keep him cool. He loved the water and we didn’t want him to miss out on boat rides on the lakes so we invested in a cooling vest. It worked very well for him – though he was a small dog and it was easy to keep the vest wet and him cool. The vest always a little big on him which also helped. Not sure how it would work for a larger dog (with more area to keep cool), but it allowed Pip to enjoy a final trip to the place he loved most.

By: Shadow's & Ducky's Mom

Shadow's & Ducky's Mom — Sat, 30 Jun 2018 16:38:30 +0000

All great tips, Pamela! I absolutely agree with you about the double coat – the undercoat IS the insulation from both heat and cold. (And I cringe openly when I see a shaved Golden Retriever or other double-coated dog!) IMHO, the ONLY time a double-coated dog should be shaved is for medical reasons. Anyway, funny how Honey doesn’t like laying on the cooling pad – when I had one for Callie and Shadow that Spring just before we adopted Ducky, neither one of them would stay on it. They both got up and moved to either the kitchen or bathroom floor and that was the end of it. I was going to donate it to the shelter; but when my best girlfriend came for a visit that Memorial Day weekend, she brought it home with her for her cats. Since our outside water bowl got rusty, I’ve been really careful about the girls spending too much time outside at one time, or I take one of the extra indoor water bowls with us and keep it in the shade. Silly Ducky would stay outside all day long if we let her.

By: Monika & Sam ?

Monika & Sam ? — Thu, 28 Jun 2018 14:03:53 +0000

We feel your pain. It's supposed to be over 100 today so we plan to stay indoors in a well insulated house with an evaporative cooler (since our humidity usually hovers in the single digits or low teens we NEED the moisture). You get a star for enduring both and staying reasonably comfortable. Stay cool, guys.

By: Barbara Rivrs

Barbara Rivrs — Wed, 27 Jun 2018 13:15:08 +0000

Interesting topic and, like Emma said, one I hadn’t thought of before! I don’t do well in high heat & humidity, so I’ll admit I’m glad I don’t live on your boat right now 🙂 I’ve purchased cooling mats at a pet store once when the AC in my Jeep gave out and the pups & I were on our way home on the last leg of a road trip. That in combination with cool towels on their bellies helped us make it (I had a cooler filled with ice for their raw food in the Jeep).

By: Debbi Powers

Debbi Powers — Tue, 26 Jun 2018 14:26:43 +0000

We like to take day trips in the car. With a 100# Golden, Bo, and a 75# Lab, Maggie, we have a lot of panting on a hot day. We take a cooler of ice, big thermos of cold water, 2 dog dishes, some dog food, dog treats, and a pocketful of money to stop at Qt. we will go to lakes, have picnics, let the dogs wade, and find a shady spot to relax. On really hot days, we stop for yogurt or sherbet and share with the dogs. They love it. They have waded in trout streams, that is really cold water, mountain streams, even colder, and little creeks. Their needs come first, so we always look for ways to keep them cool.

By: Mary Hone

Mary Hone — Tue, 26 Jun 2018 13:30:27 +0000

I can’t even imagine. I’m not a fan of high heat, and the high humidity would totally kill me. Torrey has a double coat, and I use an under coat rake to get that stuff out. I also trim her just a little. I do it myself because I don’t trust anyone else to not ruin her coat. Mostly, I get the longer hair so she doesn’t get full of “stuff” when we are out and about.

By: Emma

Emma — Tue, 26 Jun 2018 11:35:16 +0000

Never really thought about being hot on the boat. Whenever we have been on a boat, it is cruising along creating wind and spray. Living on one in the heat would be tough.