Black dogs in the heat - coats

[Fibrous]

Hi, I have a black greyhound who struggles in the heat (and is terrified of flies) but still wants to go out. We avoid daytime walks but even morning and evening have him looking super hot compared to our cow print greyhound who loves the heat. He also hates the water and won’t even stand in a puddle, which doesn’t help things.

Does anyone use any uv reflective coats or other cooling wear on their dogs with any success? I’m thinking a coat might help him with wasps/horse flies as well which do seem to be overly attracted to him, and then the poor guy has a panic attack and spends hours agitated which doesn’t help his over heated ness.

Thanks!

I live in Australia and have a black coated dog. She’s always fine in the heat. I’m struggling to understand how a dog in the UK can be impacted by heat. In any event, wouldn’t a coat make it worse?

Because dogs in the UK aren’t used to extreme heat. They really struggle when we get a heatwave because we generally have cooler summers.

Because UK dogs aren’t acclimatised to these kinds of temperatures.

Ive got a cooling coat from PawDaw of London. Have tried a few cooling coats but this one is the only one that works brilliantly. Only do early and late walks still, but she's clearly a lot more comfortable with it on.

I have a cooling jacket that I put on my black cocker spaniel after walks. It's basically a chamois leather feeling fabric with Velcro across the chest and under her belly. I leave it on her for about 30 minutes after a walk. Not only does she have black fur but she's long haired so I'm always conscious of her temperature. I also have a cooling mat and she often lays on that in the shade. 🐕‍🦺

She doesn't like water so a paddling pool or sprinkler is out of the question.

I also give her frozen fruit or vegetables periodically during the day and put ice in her water bowl. She like to lay in front of a fan too.

Who said my dog is spoiled? 🤣

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My black lab will lie outside in the sun, always having to go out and get him. My yellow lab will lay on the cooling mat.

My black dog gets overheated too. Went out for a big group walk with dogs of the same breed, every other dog (not black) was fine and mine was not.

Doesn’t have the flu problem though. That’s an added difficulty.

These are great suggestions, thank you!

@Flutterbees I follow a lot of Australian greyhound Instagram accounts and they do seem to suffer in the heat. Greyhounds are particularly prone to having all the feelings. My mutt is the biggest wuss imaginable.

the coat is supposed to reflect the heat rather than absorb it into the fur/skin. My black hound feels noticeably hotter to the touch than my white hound.

We've got this cooling vest, which we haven't tried yet to be honest because we've been doing really early walks, but I bought it after a friend with two black dogs recommended them last summer.

I have not found the reflective coats much use or seen them cool down the dogs.

I have a cooling coat from freckles which is basically a chamios and put in water and then put on the dog. It is unrestrictive for the dogs. I have put it on my elderly foster black dog and he stopped panting and fell asleep so I guess he liked it. you do have to watch out that the coat does not dry out or it willl actually heat up the dog.

Freckles cooling coats

Have a look at dog & home, I’ve bought several items from them for our black hound so can say the quality is good.

dogandhome.ovh/gb/33-cooling-coat

I have a black show cocker (UK) and he really struggles with the heat, anything over 22° and he’s unhappy! We get him clipped short in the summer as well, so he doesn’t have a full coat. I just keep the house dark and as cool as possible when it’s hot. He’s got a cooling pad that he likes. Haven’t tried the jackets, but am interested to know if they work.

What a ridiculous comment. Why? Do you think we never get hot weather?

I would worry an extra layer means they can't regulate their own body temperature. Dogs don't lose heat in the same way as humans and it is generally better to give them access to cooler spaces so they can pick and choose where to go, rather than stick another layer on which they can't remover.

We had black lurcher and greyhounds when I was growing up and they loved having access to a paddling pool to dip in and out of.

Yes unfortunately we only have a tiny yard, there’s no space for a paddling pool. He hates water but my other grey would like one. They’d like some grass to lie on for sure but we don’t have that either. Our house was built before gardens were a thing.

the house is pretty cold inside on the ground floor but he insists on walks and will only pee on walks too.

Greyhounds have no fat or hair to insuate them from heat or cold, so do suffer more. We go hiking a lot, not when it's this hot though, and carry a cloth and water so we can wet the dogs underneath. It's the evaporation that cools them and covering them can stop that happening.

@Fibrous This is a good idea. We have black labs now, so are up early and out before the heat, with fans on at home during the day. If we didn't have access to enough space for a pool, this is probably what we would do.

Yes I do this now, he's 9 so he's had a few hot summers by now. We go out early and late. He absolutely hates water so you have to be careful not to put anything too wet on him. He wont tolerate a wet towel, for example. He's managed to have 7 years with us without ever having to have a bath, he likes to keep himself very clean!

I've bought a cooling mat, maybe he'll use that.

We have a black collie that seems to cope but we have a large cooling mat that he loves, we’ve put it inside in the shade for him. It wasn’t dear either - it came from B&M & they had different sizes. It’s a few years old now but still works really well.

Also iced the water bowl. Luckily he likes water so damp cloths also work. Haven’t bothered with a paddling pool as he’d destroy it.

It’s thunder that’s the issue for us, and fireworks. I’ve ended up getting Valerian drops for him - 3 on a treat seems to work well.

I have a Kurgo cooling coat. It works by evaporation - the material keeps the moisture near the dog's coat and it's the evaporation that keeps them cool. As someone said upthread, you do have to ensure the coats don't dry out, but I always have water with me too.

My adolescent male dog isn't black but because of his age he struggles in the heat, and as won't poo in the garden unless desperate, I do have to take him out at least twice a day. The coat, which I've only just started using, makes a noticeable difference to how cool his coat feels to the touch, how much he's panting, and generally how comfortable he is.

He still doesn't enjoy the heat, so I also make sure I walk him in the shade, avoid walking on hot pavements etc; and luckily I have a cool dining room and air conditioning in one bedroom, so I can cool him down enough to nap and sleep overnight, but the poo outings were a source of real stress for me before, and now that's much less the case. If I were you, I'd go for it.

Our black labrador loves the sun and spends a lot of time sleeping in the sun. When she gets too hot she retires to the kitchen, which has a porcelain tiled floor, and spreads herself out to cool down. DS is convinced that she is solar powered.

She has also realised that the aircons in the bedrooms are great so will sneak upstairs if one of them is running. I don’t mind because she is generally not shedding in the summer.

Interestingly friends with yellow labradors say that they hate the sun.