How are you keeping your pets cool during the heat?

Posted by snowmanseeker@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 35 comments

How do you keep your pets cool during the hot weather? I'd love to see some photos if anyone is willing to share? We have two small dogs, the older boy really doesn't like heat. They both hate water so a paddling pool is pointless, so they're wearing cooling coats which we re-wet with cold water every few hours. They're also sleeping downstairs with my husband because it is unbearably hot upstairs at night. And, of course they are only being walked early in the morning or late evening. Previously, we had hamsters and each one had a little ceramic dish/tile/mug that we put in the fridge before putting in their cages.

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35 Comments

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rev-fr-john@reddit

Pretty much like this, you'll probably notice from the lack of foliage that it wasn't even remotely warn when this was taken in December. https://preview.redd.it/nhhohcc81q8f1.jpeg?width=3264&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d42dc90f35b28553556905861cc9b2fec20bba50

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Judging_Jester@reddit

Brief stints in the freezer

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Rich_27-@reddit

Chased the dog around the garden with a hose. Fucker stopped running away and just let himself get soaked. He's now snoozing in the garden in the shade, occasionally farting

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DarthScabies@reddit

Mine is farting in front of the fan. Sharing is caring. 🤮

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intergalacticmouse@reddit

Lots and lots of water bowls

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lightninseed@reddit

Ice in his water bowl, a cooling mat and my bf came home with a giant floor level fan for him. I got up at 5am today to walk him too cos he refused to poo in our garden.

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Intrepid_Bearz@reddit

One of the cats is a tiny little moron, she has been sitting on the top of the cat tree in the direct sun all afternoon. The other is keeping me company in the lounge with all the curtains closed and the fan on.

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EdmundTheInsulter@reddit

They are impervious to heat but can be sunburned on their ears

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wringtonpete@reddit

There use giant rats in Cambodia to smell out TNT to locate land mines. They have to put sun tan lotion on their ears and tails while they're working!

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AwaitingAccess@reddit

Walk in the early morning and evenings instead of during the day. Plenty water

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LesPaulSteve@reddit

Everyone should be doing this. I see lots of people walking their dogs mid-afternoon when it's the worst time, especially on a day like this. While there are signs, heat exhaustion can happen very quickly with dogs.

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BaBaFiCo@reddit

What confuses me is dogs in other countries. Spent a weekend in Lisbon recently. 30c. And people are walking dogs all over the shop. I presume they're not all dying 🤷‍♂️

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Exact_Setting9562@reddit

My dog comes from Eastern Europe. He's used to the heat but I'll make his walks near ponds and keep to the shade if we can. Better for both of us ! Except I can't really dive into a pond like he can.

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wringtonpete@reddit

Mines from Romania and loves to sunbathe. Sits in the sun, starts panting heavily after 20 minutes, comes in for a drink and lie down in the cool front room. Then half an hour later he's back out for another sunbathing session. And so the cycle continues....

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acceberbex@reddit

Wherever possible, absolutely this. I do have a friend who's dog will not go to the toilet in her garden so at lunchtime she walks across the road to a patch of grass under a tree just long enough for her dog to relieve itself. She has had people shout at her for taking her dog out in this heat. Big difference between whizzing them to some grass for 5-10 mins and straight home and dragging them round town with you. There's been dog shows cancelled this weekend due to the heat and every year I wonder why the dog shows/dog events are even scheduled for this time of year! There's a local one to me that is in August (yeh, summer holiday but it's always on a weekend)

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DogtasticLife@reddit

My boy likes a chilled carrot straight from the fridge. On really hot days put your bare hand on the pavement, if it’s too hot for your hand it’s too hot for your dog’s paws. Also never EVER give a hot dog really cold water. Sadly I have seen a dog die of a heart attack because of this and yes it was 16yr old me that gave her the water.

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heliskinki@reddit

We walk the dog in the local woods, great for the dog and for us.

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acceberbex@reddit

I don't. I've tried in the past having wet towels on the floor, I've got the dogs a paddling pool, I've tried making a game with the hose pipe. Both love water but wouldn't use the paddling pool, one was scared of the hosepipe, they don't love me soaking them, the towels were ignored I just try and keep the house cool where I can and leave them to it. I feel a bit bad shutting my dogs in the kitchen when I'm home (indoor cats so I can't have all doors open) but if the dogs don't want to come through to the living room, I don't make them. I do try and walk at cooler times but with an active dog who really needs an off lead run every other day, it's harder to just go later and later. But avoid middle of day walking, try and pick shaded walks, walks with lakes or rivers to cool off, plenty of water on the walk. The cats just benefit from wherever the house is cooler for them

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SouthAyrshireCouncil@reddit

Sunglasses and a packet of smokes rolled up in his sleeve.

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Immorals1@reddit

Cats have a water fountain that keeps it cool. Little fuckers still steal my water from my glass

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MandaZePanda84@reddit

My cat drinks bath water collected in my daughters toys after I’ve drained the bath. Won’t touch the fresh clean cold stuff haha

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Skinnybet@reddit

Avoiding walking my dog. Wetting a towel in cold water and wring it out a bit. Wrap it around him or see if he will stand on it. Freeze a couple of litre bottles of water and put it in the rabbits hutch. Rotating as they defrost. Rabbits will lie next to it.

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peach_clouds@reddit

We used to get the giant ice blocks that are a4 size for our bunnies. They loved them so much they would fight over who got to lay on them despite there being enough for one each lol

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sleekitweeman@reddit

Cool mat. In freezer for a while. Also my last dog was a springer so towel soaked in old water. He either wore it or lay on it.

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Awkward_Chain_7839@reddit

Kibble cubes and lettuce. Our dog is nuts about lettuce. I chop off leaves of iceberg, wash them and freeze them without drying. They’re a cold, semi crunchy snack. Kibble cubes. Soak kibble in warm water or bone broth. Let it cool. Stick it in ice cube trays (we have a silicon one with 6 very big cubes) and freeze. He’s also learned that if the fan is on to sit by it!

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EdmundTheInsulter@reddit

It's fully immersed in water.

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Exact_Setting9562@reddit

You may have a hippo.

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Responsible_Egg1398@reddit

wet some tea towels, wring them out a bit and stick them in the freezer.

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Exact_Setting9562@reddit

Dog chilling in the shade in the garden all day. Cat has a long long list of places to nap so he selects the coolest places. Remember to leave water out for dogs and animals passing.

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spillmonger@reddit

Dogs and cats naturally adjust to weather. What you must do is simply enable that. Make sure they have quiet, protected places to hide and sleep, plenty of fresh water, and don't put them in a situation where they have to over-exercise just to please you. We humans can manipulate our environment to suit us, but animals can't, so they will naturally do the right thing with a little help from us.

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MrBouvanizer@reddit

I've given up actively trying to cool mine, he wouldn't have any of it. So I watched him a few years ago on a blazing hot day. We have a spot at the bottom of the garden that basically gets shade all day. He just sleeps there on the grass. I put his water there, he sleeps all day, never pants. He's a double coat breed to. I used to chase him around with a wet towel, he would shake it off, put a cooling mat down in the shade, get him to sit, as soon as I walk away he is conked out a foot away from it haha. Ice cubes in his water bowl, he would pick them out and drop them next to the bowl 😂 so I was sick of it and thought please yourself then haha if you want something you'll pester me

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MomentoVivere88@reddit

We got an aldi pet cooling mat, which was great....granted I hogged it as perimenopausal. Unfortunately karma got me this morning and he nipped the corner and broke it 🤣😭 Also using pet sunscreen on his nose (he's white and he has less hair on his nose so can get pink. Limit his "sunbathing" to 10 mins and walk him early morning and evening.

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PamVanDam@reddit

Cool mat in the shade in garden , lots of cold water access and a big fan on in the room she likes to nap.

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Errror_TheDuck@reddit

We only have cats, but same logic applies to dogs too; Ice cubes in the water bowl semi regularly, just helps cool the water. Any room with hard floors such as tiles/laminate - keep as cool as possible so they can lie on cool floor. Frozen/chilled treats - what pet doesn’t love treats. Whack them in fridge for a bit first. Damp towels - if they like it, drape a cool towel over them. Kitchen roll works decently if they’re ok with it.

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