Keeping crated dogs cool overnight in the summer - any suggestions?

[aliceandlouis]

Might seem a bit bizarre to be posting about this on a day when snow is forecast, but it has been on my mind recently ....  Last summer (remember it?) was the first year we had a crated dog in our family and the issue of heat was never relevant.  This year we have two dogs, crated separately, to consider and I understand from a fairly reliable weather-forecasting site that this summer could be very, very warm (Hands up here, I hate the heat with a passion).  Does anyone have any tried and tested methods for keeping dogs cool in these circumstances?  At present their crates are covered overnight with old sheets - I have spotted crate covers that have a silvery reflective covering that is said to keep things cool, but the reverse is described as waterproof (the cover is reversible) and I would be concerned that this would stop air flowing freely    Would love to know how others cope ...

[terwish]

my 2 have crate fans which i bought from PAH for about £8 each - They clip onto the crate on the outside and just circulate the air for the pups.

Trish

they look like they have gone up to £9.99 but you might get them cheaper elsewhere?

http://www.petsathome.com/shop/keep-cool-pet-fan-by-lazybones-13705

[AnnieM]

Mine are all in covered crates, but at the moment they are in a north facing porch which keeps cool all day long.  They are soon moving into the annexe into individual dog runs, but it is a very cool building, so not a problem.  You can buy coolmats, not sure where from but I have definitely seen them, I think you wet them but the dog doesn't stay wet IYSWIM.  I have the cage fans for in the car, but never had to use them in the house, they are quite heavy on batteries, so use them with the cigarette lighter in the car.

[JaspersMum]

I think I'd be more inclined to stick an mains oscalating/circulating fan in the area near the crates rather than a cage fan. 

A blanket might allow the air to circulate more than the silver backed covers although if they are the ones from Dog Health, the sides are velcro so you can fold back a couple of sides to allow more air round.

Can the crates be moved to a cooler area of the house during the day?  Ours are usually in the conservatory but this gets too hot in Summer so they move to the kitchen last year and will be in the office this time.  I've even had them in the garage in the past as it's attached to the house and cool.  I just leave the house door open and lights on so not the black hole 

I take it you're being optimistic that we are going to get the opportunity to get hot this summer then 

[supergirl]

If you have a look at the link below, scroll down - there is a pet cooler mat which looks quite useful for keeping animals cool

http://www.hubintsecured.co.uk/acatalog/Body_Cooling_-_Body_Heating_Products_-_Car_Vents.html

Canine cooler
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canine-Cooler-Soothsoft-Ltd-Small/dp/B000AOCGNU

You could also fill a fizzy drink bottle with water and freeze.

[Colin]

If you have a look at the link below, scroll down - there is a pet cooler mat which looks quite useful for keeping animals cool

http://www.hubintsecured.co.uk/acatalog/Body_Cooling_-_Body_Heating_Products_-_Car_Vents.html

You could also fill a fizzy drink bottle with water and freeze.

I bought a similar cooling mat a few years ago but the dogs hated it and refused to use it. I put it in the car crate eventually thinking they'd have no choice but they tended to bunch up to one end of the crate to avoid it. It got really smelly too and was difficult to clean as the ridges go rock hard when dipped in water so you can't put them in the machine, so overall - not recommended. The frozen water bottle gets the thumbs up though. 

[black taz]

i have bought black out curtaining to cover Kira's crate - as it is white i am hoping it will keep her cool in the summer, but i will monitor the situation closely.

[weenieangel]

Hi - I also own Chinchillas and they cant sweat / pant so summer is a nightmare, as they shouldnt go above 22 degrees 25 max or they could overheat and die

I have a portable air conditioner ( not evaporator ) - you can get cheap ones on ebay now, but leave it much longer and prices hike up !

So other chin owners who do not have AC freeze tins ( cheap baked bins whatever you have ) and place on top of cages covered with a thin white sheet works well as cool air goes " down " add ice cubes to water, and cool / freeze a slab of terracota / tile for paws to sit on as they hold the coolness for ages.

I use the plastic chinese take away containers fill with water and freeze and place these on top of cage / crate and have a box fan, pretty much the same as a stand up fan, but stronger and circulates with different levels of strength, i guess this would also help with dogs too ? same as a hotwater bottle filled with water frozen and placed in a fleece cover  ( if you dont have a major chewer ! )

[aliceandlouis]

Thanks everyone for brilliant suggestions.  Was really beginning to fret over this but now feel armed with positive strategies - mind you, hard to think of summer with sleet driving into my eyes on the dog walk this morning 

[tracey]

The crate covers you describe Barbara are more for outside use really, which is why they are silver on one side to reflect the sun I wouldn't use them inside in the Summer they are too thick and wouldn't allow the air to circulate. Best sticking to a thin sheet. If it gets really hot I remove vet bed and the dogs sleep on cotton sheets.

If it gets really warm then I would invest in a portable air conditioning unit. I have a couple and they are a god send when the weather is really hot to keep the dog's cool. Buy the best you can afford and one that will cool a large area. I have a large wall mounted unit waiting to be fitted in the kitchen in anticipation of some nice weather And don't leave it too long if you going to buy one soon as it gets warm everybody wants them

[aliceandlouis]

Thanks Tracey - really good advice. We have a free-standing air con unit but it is noisy +++ and there would be the issue of how to collect the water (I guess that makes it an evaporator?)  - overnight  I think there would be so much that it would overflow the container - and that would lead to another problem!!   

I already have a heat-reflective blind that I pull down once the sun gets onto the back of the house where the utility room is and that really helps to keep it a little cooler - and we are thinking of leaving the internal door to the garage open which will again increase the volume of air that can flow around with the help of a fan ....  We also switch off the boiler that lives in the utility room when it gets really, really hot and use the immersion heater instead to heat hot water which again helps to keep the doggy bedroom cooler.

Just you wait and see, after all this thinking and planning it will be another wet and windy summer    In the meantime I will look out some old sheets for Alice and Louis to sleep on and hold on to some large plastic bottles to fill and freeze as per the advice of others.

[weenieangel]

Hi If you do have an Air Con and not an evaporator you can attach the small hose fitting that came with it to the back of the AC outlet and have constant removal to go into a container / drum type thingy that you can get from garden centres ( or if you have any shops near you that "cook " you could ask for one of thier little oil drums to clean out and use )

If you only cooling a small space the AC shouldnt have to work too hard and the water dispersed should be minimal.

You will need to obviously place the main AC hose out of a window or similar though for it to work.

There are some cheap portable AC's on EBAY at the mo