Evaporative Dog Cooling Vest
Soak it, wring it, put it on.
It cools by evaporation rather than by being cold. That means it works while it is damp and stops the moment it dries out, which is the one thing worth understanding before you rely on it.
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- Breathable mesh outer over a cool-touch lining
- Works by evaporation, no gel packs and no freezer
- Reflective trim for low light
- Adjustable, S through XL by chest measurement
- Pink, blue or orange
Colour: Blue
Size: S
Why you'll love it
Made for happy, healthy pets
Evaporation is the mechanism, and it has limits
Wet fabric cools while water leaves it. That works well in dry moving air and barely at all in humid still air, which is worth knowing before you rely on it on a muggy day.
It is not a licence to walk in the heat
A vest buys margin, it does not make midday safe. On a hot day the answer is still to walk early or late; the vest is for the warm walk you were going to do anyway.
Re-wet it before it dries out
A dry vest is just an extra layer, which is worse than nothing. Take water, and soak it again roughly every half hour in real heat.
Good fit if
- Hot spells where walks cannot be avoided entirely
- Thick-coated and dark-coated dogs, which absorb more heat
- Older dogs and flat-faced breeds that struggle in warmth
- Car journeys and days out in summer
Look elsewhere if
- You expect it to replace shade, water and shorter walks
- The humidity is high, which stops evaporation working
- Your dog is showing signs of heatstroke and needs a vet now
How evaporative cooling works
Water changing from liquid to vapour takes energy, and it draws that energy as heat from whatever it is sitting on. A damp vest against a dog's back is therefore continuously pulling warmth away, for as long as there is water in the fabric and air moving over it.
Two things follow. Dry fabric does nothing at all, so a vest that has dried out is just an extra layer and slightly worse than nothing. And humid air slows evaporation considerably, so the vest is least effective on exactly the muggy days that feel worst. On a dry breezy day it works well.
Why dogs struggle in heat
Dogs have very few functional sweat glands and cool almost entirely by panting, which moves air over the wet surfaces of the mouth and airway. That system is efficient in dry air and much less so when it is humid, and it is compromised in flat-faced breeds whose airways are already restricted.
It also has a limit. Once the body is producing heat faster than panting can remove it, temperature climbs, and heatstroke can develop quickly from there. A cooling vest adds a second route for heat to leave, which buys margin, but it does not change the underlying limit.
Using it properly
Soak it thoroughly, wring it until it stops dripping, and put it on. Dripping wet is not more effective and simply makes the dog heavy and uncomfortable. Re-wet it whenever it starts feeling dry, which on a hot day can be every twenty or thirty minutes, so carry water for the vest as well as for the dog.
It is one measure among several and the least important of them. Walk early or late rather than at midday, test the pavement with the back of your hand for five seconds before setting off, carry water, and take shade breaks. A vest supports all of that; it does not substitute for any of it.
In the box
Everything you need
- Cooling vest
How it works
Simple, from basket to doorstep
- 1
Browse
Shop by pet or category to find exactly what your cat or dog needs, no wading through thousands of listings.
- 2
Order
Check out securely with card, PayPal or one-tap Apple Pay & Google Pay. Free delivery over $59.
- 3
Delivered
Fast, tracked dispatch straight to your door, and a happier pet before you know it.
The details
Specifications
- Material
- Polyester mesh with cool-touch lining
- Fastening
- Side-release buckle, adjustable
- Reflective
- Trim along the edge
- Sizes
- S–XL, measure chest girth
- S
- Chest 40-50 cm, neck 30 cm, back 32 cm
- M
- Chest 50-60 cm, neck 35 cm, back 40 cm
- L
- Chest 55-75 cm, neck 45 cm, back 49 cm
- XL
- Chest 70-90 cm, neck 55 cm, back 59 cm
Size guide
| Size | Back length | Chest girth |
|---|---|---|
| S | 25–33 cm | 38–48 cm |
| M | 34–42 cm | 48–58 cm |
| L | 43–52 cm | 58–70 cm |
| XL | 53–62 cm | 70–82 cm |
A cooling vest should sit flat against the back and flanks with good contact, since the cooling depends on the damp fabric touching the dog. A loose fit that stands away from the coat works considerably less well.
Good questions
Before you buy
Only while it is damp. Once dry it is an extra layer trapping heat, which is the opposite of what you want, so take it off or re-wet it.
Much less well. Evaporative cooling needs the water to be able to leave the fabric, so a close muggy day gets far less benefit than a warm breezy one. On those days, shade and water beat any vest.
Measure the chest at its widest point behind the front legs and use that, not the dog's weight. Between two sizes, go up, because a tight vest restricts panting.
Whenever it starts to feel dry, which on a hot day may be every twenty to thirty minutes. Once dry it stops cooling entirely, so carry water for the vest as well as for the dog.
Cool tap water is right. Ice-cold water on a very hot dog can constrict surface blood vessels and slow heat loss, which is the opposite of what you want.
Yes, and it helps on a journey. It does not make it safe to leave a dog in a parked car, which remains dangerous regardless of what the dog is wearing.