By Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com, Cover Photo of Igor the Bulldog by the pool by Carol Price (Igor’s mom!)
In the summer it is super important to keep our cats and dogs cool and comfy. Dogs can easily overheat if they are playing too much in the heat of the day, have gone for a long walk or just sitting in the hot sun too long.
Lucky for us pet owners there are a lot of cool pet products that do just that, help keep your pets cool! Whether you are traveling with your pup, just going to the beach, on the boat or hanging by the pool in the backyard, here are some pet products to consider:
Frostybowlz – this stainless steel bowl has a core inside that you can freeze, put back under the top of the bowl and it helps keep your pet’s water cold for up to 10 hours.
MyKoolDog – invented by a native Nassau County pet lover who now lives on the North Fork of LI. This made in the USA bowl has a unique concept – with two compartments and lids. In the bottom
compartment you put water in and freeze it, or fill with ice cubes. In the other compartment you put fresh water and head out for the day with your pup.
Perfect for a day at the beach with your dog, a long walk or the dog park. When your dog finishes the water in the top compartment, you flip the bowl over and the melted ice, which is now water, fills into the top compartment through interior channels so your pet once again has fresh and cold water. How cool is that?
It is so important to keep our pets hydrated and out of the heat as a pet can over heat easily in warm and humid temperatures. Speaking with Dr. Michel A. Selmer of Advanced Animal Care Center in Huntington Station, I asked him for warning signs if your pet is overheating:
“Sweating and panting are two mechanisms for regulating body temperature. When sweat evaporates it cools the skin and panting releases heat through the mouth. Since dogs and cats only have sweat glands in their paws and paws have too little surface area to do much cooling your pet needs alternative ways to stay cool and therefore the primary means of cooling themselves off is by panting,” stated Dr. Selmer. He gave me this information on signs pet owners should look for when a pet is beginning to over heat:
- Restless behavior as your pet tries to find a cool spot
- Panting, sweaty feet, drooling, excessive grooming in an effort to cool off
- Rectal temperature is usually normal to slightly elevated
Then, as your pet’s body temperature begins to rise, signs of heat exhaustion become evident, including:
- Rapid pulse and breathing
- Redness of the tongue and mouth
- Vomiting
- Lethargy
- Stumbling, staggering gait
- Rectal temperature is over 105° F
Eventually the body temperature will be high enough to cause the pet to collapse and have seizures or slip into a coma. Dr. Selmer said if you see any signs that your pet is overheating bring your pet immediately to your veterinarian.
Be sure to have cool, clean water for your pet at all times, the products mentioned earlier can help with that! For an additional treat your dogs can enjoy Frosty Paws found in most pet supply stores (or even grocery stores) in the frozen food section. Also, Honest Kitchen has a great product called Ice Pups™ that I just made for my dog Max, and he loves it! It is a packet of make-at-home grain free treats for dogs and cats. You mix the packet with water, and pour into a ice cube tray, freeze and when frozen give one cube to your pup. But of course monitor you dog while chomping on that ice cube! Or you can make your own frozen doggie yogurt – using the best low fat and sugar free human grade yogurt possible. Many recipes for this are available on the internet, but make sure this is something your pup can eat and doesn’t have any allergies too the ingredients.
And of course never, ever leave your pet in the car in the warm spring, summer and fall months. It is illegal and could kill your pet very quickly. If you see a dog left in the car during a warm day, call your police department immediately! You could be saving his life.
Here’s a good tip, program your smart phone with your local animal control office number or animal shelter number so you have it immediately if you need to call an AC officer along with the police for a pet locked in a hot car.
Most of all, have fun with your pet this summer, but always be aware of his limits during the heat!
Max loving the beach!
Igor by the pool! Photo by Carol Price (Igor’s mom!)
by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com
Recently I was given a couple cool new and innovative pet products – two ideas that makes me think, ‘that is a great idea, why didn’t I think of that? You know an simple idea yet something we generally wouldn’t think of. The two products have the same concept but are both different in the their design, effectiveness, and one may be safer if you have a pet that likes to chew things. What could these products be? Dog bowls, but not your average bowl.
These cool products are both literal and figuratively cool. With the crazy heat we have had all across the country and here on Long Island the past 6 weeks this summer, these products could not have come at a better time. The FrostyBowlz® and FroBo, pictured below, were put to a test during a 97 degree day here on Long Island. First, with both bowls there is a core that can be frozen, just like you own ice packs you would put in a cooler. I put both the FrostyCore™ and the bowl part (which contains the blue ice packs) in the freezer for two days. You can just do overnight but I wanted to be sure they were frozen!
Then at 2pm on a 97 degree towards the end of July, I put them in the direct sun, with about the same amount of water. I tested them about an hour later and both bowls had the same cold temperature. I came back 4 hours after that – and although the FroBo’s water was definitely still cool, but the water in the FrostyBowlz was still very cold.
So if this were an Olympic competition, you could say the FrostyBowlz got the gold, but I think they were very close. The FrostyBowlz has a few features that make it unique and safer if you have a dog that likes to chew. First the FrostyCore is non-toxic and completely covered by the stainless steel parts of the bowl and it is a bit heaver and has better tracking on the bottom of the bowl. It also has a moat, which is a pretty neat part of it. So if you had wet food in the bowl instead of water, pour a little water in the moat and ants won’t be able to climb up into the food without falling in the moat! But of course that won’t stop a fly from landing on the food, but still a cool idea. You can put the stainless steel part of FrostyBowlz in the dishwasher, you cannot with the FroBo as it could get damaged. The only thing I didn’t like, so far about the FrostyBowlz is that it only comes in one size, but the company, Talega Products, is working on a larger version for larger dogs. And I would suggest to the company a small version for the tiny pups out there too. Igor seems to really like the FrostyBowlz:
For the FroBo, my dog Max uses it daily – but he is not a chewer so I don’t have to worry about him trying to knock the bowl over and chewing the plastic. I wouldn’t recommend this bowl for dogs that chew, since it is made of plastic and the ice pack part of it is part of the bowls design, although your dog is not exposed to that part and it says it is also non-toxic. The bowl part easily comes out to clean, refreeze and refill. But you do have to refreeze it, so you should have another water bowl handy for your pup while it is in the freezer.
So I really like the concept of both bowls, and think if you are looking for a solution to keeping your pet’s water cool, without having to add ice cubes – both are a great option. And with this hot, hot weather we have had all summer long both bowls are a great way to keep your pets water cold for up to 8 to 12 hours.
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