Summer is here, and while it is many people’s favorite season, it is also a very dangerous duration for our lovely dogs. So grab your favorite umbrella, and pick up the best cooling mat for dogs for your four legged best friend.
Humans can sweat out to cool themselves. On the other hand, dogs can’t do that. They are more likely to get a heat stroke in the summer, but there are some things that you can do to prevent that.
One of these things is to use a dog cooling mat. Today, I am going to discuss what a heat stroke is and tell you what are the features that you should look for in the best cooling mat for dogs are.
Table of Contents
Best cooling mat for dogs – Defining the cause
What is a heat stroke?
A heat stroke is a medical emergency for dogs that occurs due to the sudden increase in body temperature. Unlike humans, dogs barely have any sweat glands to help with regulating their body temperature. They mostly get rid their bodies’ heat by panting, and minorly through their feet’s pads.
That is why during the summertime, dogs tend to have heat strokes very easily. It doesn’t even have to be super warm for them to get a heat stroke. All it takes is a sudden increase in the weather’s temperature.
Best cooling mat for dogs – Is the cause preventable?
Are heat strokes preventable
Heat strokes are preventable if the dog’s owner is aware of what is going on around and can see the signs of a heat stroke. I will go through the top five signs of a heat stroke in a dog, but I won’t go into much detail.
If you’re interested in learning more about these signs, then check out my How to keep Dogs Cool During The Summer blog post. In that post, I even share four more ways for you to help cool down your dog’s body temperature.
However, I am going to mention again in this post the urgent intervention you should do if your dog shows one of the most critical signs of a heat stroke.
Best cooling mat for dogs – Signs of a heat stroke
The five signs are:
Sign no. one: Heavy Panting even though your dog was resting.
Sign no. two: Drooling excessively and where the saliva is thick and stringy.
Sign no three: Dry, red gums due to dehydration and dilated blood vessels.
Sign no four: Diarrhea and vomiting. This occurs when the dog’s intestine lining is getting damaged. This sign is considered to be a critical sign of a heat stroke.
Sign no five: Neurological complications. This is also a critical sign of heat strokes. Your dog will struggle with responding to your commands, start twitching, having a blank stare, and even going into a coma-like state.
In case your dog shows signs four and five, which means they’re vomiting, pooping diarrhea that is dark in color, and/ or showing any form of neurological complication, then a veterinary intervention is a must.
Before you take them to the vet though, put them on a cooling mat, and cover them with a towel that is soaked with cold water.
If you have a fan, then put in their direction and allow them to cool down for ten minutes before you take them to the vet. This improves their probability of surviving the heat stroke.
Before you put them in the crate, put them in their cooling vest, which you can get on sale here.
But prevention is better than cure, so let us look at what is the best dog cooling pad that you should have for your dog to lay on to cool down before their body temperature becomes fetal.
Best cooling mat for dogs
There are three types of cooling mats for dogs:
Water-Filled Beds. You fill up the beds with cool water, and this will keep your dog cool. They can stay cool for up to six hours.This type is really good at cooling your dog’s temperature; however, they’re not so efficient.
Why?
Because they can easily spill, leak, or even get moldy. Also, stay away from this type if your dog is a chewer.
Pressure-Activated Cooling Pads. This type contains cooling gel pad for dogs that works because of a chemical that is in the pad. This chemical absorbs the dog’s temperature and cools them down.
Phase-Changing Cooling Pads. This type is filled with pads that are designed to stay nice and cool at 58 degrees. This kind of cooling pads tends to stay cool for the longest duration when compared to other cooling mats.
That’s it for today’s post. I hope you take good care of your dogs during this hot season of the year. What do you usually do when you notice that your dog temperature is burning up? What signs do usually notice? If you have a cooling mat, which type and how effective is it?
If you have any question regarding keeping your dog cool for the summer, then make sure to leave them in the comments down below. As always, feel free to share with us your experience on this topic.
