Lord it’s hot in the Pacific NW lately and most people don’t have air conditioning in their homes, so we’re wilting a bit. Here are some ideas for keeping your pets cool.
First, water, water, water. Don’t underestimate how much fresh water your pets need in the heat. Provide water in the yard, in your house, and when you take your dog out.
Inside:
- Let them have access to a bathtub, shower, tile floor, or basement to lie on.
- Keep the air moving with fans and ventilation. Placing a styrofoam cooler filled with ice in front of a fan can help cool things off.
- Maybe try putting some ice in the water dish.
For dogs:
- If you don’t have enough good shade in your yard, stick a beach umbrella in the ground to provide more. You can get smaller, less expensive ones at Costco, Target, etc. Your dog will need more than a tiny little patch of shade.
- Get a plastic kiddy pool. (Unfortunately for us, Saffron is still very cautious about hers and won’t lie down in it. She will get in it for treats. Silly girl!)
- An elevated bed will provide air circulation to keep your dog cooler.
Breezy Bed (this one has an awning for protection from sun & rain)
- Cooling beds filled with gel or water will help a hot dog.
- Cooling jackets work either by water evaporation or reflection.
- There are also cooling collars and bandannas.
- Try some frozen treats. You can stuff a Kong with peanut butter, cheese whiz, even broth. You can also freeze broth or water in a plastic container—stick some treats in it before you freeze it to keep your dog interested.
I typically do not comment a whole lot but wanted to put in my two cents worth. I am sure that it is hot in the Pacific NW but here in Dallas, it was a 108 degrees last week.
I bought some items for my three dogs from Posh Puppy in the “Keep me cool” section. They have the bandanas, the cooling mats and blankets and several really neat items to help keep your dogs cool in the summer months. One thing that I got was the Kool Dogz Ice Treat Kit. It was affordable and gives them something to do outside.
So, you may want to check out this website, they have alot of doggie stuff for the summer, especially with August approaching.
108 F is hot. Seattle is expected to hit 101 F today, so it’s pretty toasty up here too.
Just thought I would give you all some perspective from a native Texan who now lives in the PNW…108 is HOT, but it is bearable since most Texan’s have air conditioning! Here in the PNW most of us do NOT have air conditioning which means our pets don’t have air conditioning…trying to stay comfortable in a house that is 88+ degrees with only fans to cool things down is hot…take care of you and your pets people 🙂
Hi Angela, I grew up in West TX, and the hottest I’d been in there was 113F. But, yesterday’s temps. here in PNW really tested me. And a fan blowing hot air just doesn’t help much, does it? As a friend put it, I had Salvador Dali animals—cats oozing off of perches or puddled on the floor and a dog that looked like she’s been drizzled in the place where she was lying.
I, too, live in Texas, but I grew up in Phoenix. Talk about hot! What’s really sad is to see the squirrels and birds spilled out on the sidewalk on the hottest days of the summer—-in the sun, of all things–trying to cool down. Doesn’t make sense, right? Right. But it’s not like you can talk some sense into them.