Any experience of these? (before I shell out for one!)
Bumf says you soak in water then leave in fridge/freezer...... do they fold up well and fit? (not much room in our 'stocked for a nuclear winter' fridge or freezer :rolleyes:)
Do they stay cool for a decent amount of time?
Chew proof????????
Much appreciated, any comments! :D

I bought them last year and they're ok. I had the larger size (x2) which I found a bit bulky bulky to put in the fridge (for the same reasons as you....OH seems to know about some impending famine that the rest of us don't :rolleyes:). I found they needed to be 'refreshed' pretty frequently but were fine for the job on very hot days. My two aren't chewers but I don't think they'd withstand a dedicated chewer ;)

I now have of these canine cooler beds which Lola chooses to sleep on most nights (even in winter ). I did have to buy it in from the US as I couldn't find one in UK. As it's water filled (21 litres in the largest size) it is difficult to move around but is great if you just want a cool spot in the house for Storm to lie. The bumf that comes with it gives details of filling with less water for use in the car etc and the smaller sizes will be lighter again, of course.

If you are just looking for something to help keep him cool in the car on hot days, I'd stick with the thermo thingys as the canine cooler really isn't that portable but the benefit of it is that once it's filled, that's it. No more soaking, refrigerating etc. :)

Probably not that helpful but there you go :D

>Probably not that helpful but there you go<

ya' kidding me?????? No, thats brilliant J thanks for taking the time to do that great help!! (The canine cooler type one was actaully what I was orgionally hunting around for)
'cool' thanks!! :D

Took this idea and used it on Saturday when we went to Newbury show.   It was blisteringly hot in the car afterwards despite plenty of cool air rushing in :( so I poured water on the vetbed used to line the dog cage and wrung it out leaving it very damp and left a little water in the tray ;)  (cage was also covered so no sun got in but plenty of ventilation ;) )  result - one really cool relaxed dog all the way home :)  she didn't even pant and nice moist nose :)   I think we were the ones suffering on the way home as the sun was directly in front of us the whole way :(  Bet the canine cooler works even better :)

Re. the Canine Cooler beds, ShaynLola, have you given it a try yourself?  I was debating buying one for myself as I am at the "hot flashes" stage of life and they sounded as if they might help with sleeping at night.  Do they actually feel cool?

Well, I haven't actually lay on it for any length of time but as it takes up a considerable bit of floor space, I regularly walk over it and it does feel cool rather than 'cold' and would probably be quite comfy to lie on as it has 'memory' foam stuff that supports the joints :)

Probably far cheaper for you too as I had to pay shipping and import tax :rolleyes: but it stops Lola wandering around and panting during the night so worth every penny in my book ;)

Yep, I have three of them I bought for my Mals. None of them will go anywhere near them and I don't think I'll even bother pulling them out of the cupboard this year :rolleyes: I doubt if they are chew proof at all

We just live with soggy Labradors during the summer as they get hosed down at least two times a day.They lie on the quarry tiles in the conservatory which are alway very cool even in very hot weather

We also tend to do the walking first thing in the morning or later on in the evening which normally involves a swim :D They tend to get too over heated if they do anything strenous during the day :rolleyes:

Lucy
xx

>they get hosed down<

Im just preparing myself...for if (when :rolleyes:) our water authority go to 'Stand pipes' as is liberally being threatened (hope its just that..a threat :( )

Who are you with ?

Bloomin Thames/East Surrey :O(
Just as we are having a new kitchen put in as well...uuuurgh!
(nobody panic!! )

We are with Thames but they have only the first ban on and have said they will review the situation. With the amount of rain we have had over the last few weeks All the rivers etc are full to the gunnels so hopefully this may have helped although I doubt it :rolleyes: As far as I am concerned the welfare of an animal is far more important ;)

I have thought about buying Misty a paddling pool to lie in and cool off but she'd probably chew it within a week.  Anyway there is nothing she likes better than sunbathing (silly girl, we have to cajole her with treats to get her to come indoors and cool off)!  She is casting her coat at the moment too, so we're eating husky fluff for breakfast, lunch and tea. :D

>I have thought about buying Misty a paddling pool

Yep, got one of those too :) You have to cover all bases with a Newf ;)

We have a cheap one from Argos...it's blue and shell shaped, comes in two halves (one is supposed to be a sandpit) and is made of very strong plastic (an inflatable wouldn't last 2 minutes here :rolleyes: ). Cost about £13 and was well worth the money as Lola loves it. She's far too big to lie in it but she can sit in it very comfortably :)

Just found the link for it :)

definately recommend a paddling pool :D
she'll love it (we got a hard shell one from Early learning centre) you can look around and pick them up fairly cheap, ours is quite durable so would withstand the eagerest chewer I think.

If you want it for home use I wonder if an air mattress filled with water would work. I had a friend who just refused to give up her horrible water bed from the 70's and it was horrible to sleep on when the heater was off. Even if it was 30 degrees outside it just sucked the heat out of you. Just what a snow dog might enjoy on a hot day. I bought a cheap one from Argos that has a tough, velvety exterior. Might be worth a try for 15-20 quid.

I'd love to find a hard shell paddling pool. I looked everywhere last year. I ended up using some sleds, plugging the drainage holes up with chewing gum (I know, dirty girl!)

Like the shell paddling pool! Cheap too, especially when you get 2 for the price of 1 :D  Funny how she hates the hose or shower but jumps in any still water she can find.  Air bed filled with water would be good, but how do you get the water in it? 

>Air bed filled with water would be good, but how do you get the water in it?  <

I could shove a garden hose in mine. That's for us northerners with water. I'd shove a hose hooked up to a water butt in the desert.

I use a plastic dog bed and fill up with water to the stepover bit so the dogs can lie in it if they get too hot. Easy to tip out when it gets muddy too.
Amos

Ours have got a paddling pool too. They love it. It's even useful for watering the garden when the water gets a little bit dirty we tip it over the lawn and get some out in the watering can over the nearest flower beds so at least the garden gets some benefit. The hosepipe ban I believe allows for filling ponds and paddling pools
Kat

Mine love their paddling pool. :-)