White Shepherd mom Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 With summer approaching and having 2 seniors who are already feeling the heat, I was thinking about getting them a couple of cool beds - the types you fill with water and they help draw the heat away from the dog's body. Has anyone tried them for their pooches? I'm looking for any feedback please. I'm looking at this one specifically: Cool Bed (please don't all buy them up at once :D ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 We have a few boarders who bring there sin with there dogs,i haven't seen any lay on them & they never feel cool nor inviting to the dogs . They also weigh a tonne & those are the small dog ones would hate to think how much the large dog one weigh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cornell Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 I agree that they are heavy and that our dog would not seek it out to cool her down. However we are sooooo glad that we have it. We put it on our bathroom tiles in her usual cooling spot. It has a memory foam feel so it protects her elbows from the hard tiles as it cools her. She uses it every day. It is more stable and does not smell like the gel ones. We use the Silver Eagle mats for the car and the Ruff Wear cooling vest for walks. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CavsRcute Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 I have had one made by a fellow DOLer( using the crystals) and my Cavalier absolutely loves it She was also given one of the expensive Silver Eagle ones and won't go near it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffyluv Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 I have had one made by a fellow DOLer( using the crystals) and my Cavalier absolutely loves it She was also given one of the expensive Silver Eagle ones and won't go near it Ollie dog used to have one like that (I think we got it from the markets)... You just soaked it in the laundry tub for a few minutes and the crystal swelled up. He used to lay on it all the time in summer... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chezy Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 I have these, at 1st my dogs were not keen on laying on them, I put the covers from their reg beds over them and they were never off them, when my aircon broke down once I layed on one and yes it was def cooler :laugh: mine are old now and the seams are giving, one has already died , so I need new ones Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silvawilow Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 My friend has these type of beds and her dogs love them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gallomph Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 I got one of the el cheapo ones, where you zip a frozen gel pack into the base of it. Two of my oldies used it, the 3rd wasn't interested (he was short haired though). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CavsRcute Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 I have had one made by a fellow DOLer( using the crystals) and my Cavalier absolutely loves it She was also given one of the expensive Silver Eagle ones and won't go near it Ollie dog used to have one like that (I think we got it from the markets)... You just soaked it in the laundry tub for a few minutes and the crystal swelled up. He used to lay on it all the time in summer... That's it. It stays cool for a long time and has a cotton cover Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Shepherd mom Posted October 24, 2012 Author Share Posted October 24, 2012 thank you for all the replies! I'd forgotten I'd posted the question Can I ask, the ones with the crystals, how often do you have to soak them? If I used a bed with these and left it outside in the shade (Casper's favourite spot) would they stay cool during a very hot day? I believe the memory foam one that you fill with water does not have to be emptied again (probably because it's too heavy to move!). Has anyone put these outside in the shade on a hot day? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starkehre Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 (edited) thank you for all the replies! I'd forgotten I'd posted the question Can I ask, the ones with the crystals, how often do you have to soak them? If I used a bed with these and left it outside in the shade (Casper's favourite spot) would they stay cool during a very hot day? I believe the memory foam one that you fill with water does not have to be emptied again (probably because it's too heavy to move!). Has anyone put these outside in the shade on a hot day? Hi WHM, we distribute Polar Pads, which are the crystal polymer style cooling beds. A Polar Pad used in the conditions you describe will need resoaking approx every 2-6 days depending on temperature, wind, useage, size, water quality and amount of original activation/soaking. In a scenario such as this we would suggest to the customer to try a small top up soaking every couple 2-3 days to keep the Pad at an ideal or average activation point. More for convenience and routine sake than anything else. That said, the Pad produces as much of a cooling affect when it is first activated until it is relatively close to being dehydrated. It does not need to be rock hard and fully soaked to be working optimally. Edited October 24, 2012 by dyzney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CavsRcute Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 thank you for all the replies! I'd forgotten I'd posted the question Can I ask, the ones with the crystals, how often do you have to soak them? If I used a bed with these and left it outside in the shade (Casper's favourite spot) would they stay cool during a very hot day? I believe the memory foam one that you fill with water does not have to be emptied again (probably because it's too heavy to move!). Has anyone put these outside in the shade on a hot day? It stays really cool for a good couple of days but this is inside. I liked the crystal ones because they are easy to move. I also use it in the car. With the a/c and the mat she is always comfy She feels the heat really badly and also has a throat issue,so this suits her really well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Shepherd mom Posted October 25, 2012 Author Share Posted October 25, 2012 A Polar Pad used in the conditions you describe will need resoaking approx every 2-6 days depending on temperature, wind, useage, size, water quality and amount of original activation/soaking. So does the bed actually feel wet to the touch? Also, is it fairly firm when the dog walks or lies on it? Do you have a price list Dyzney? Thanks!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starkehre Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 (edited) A Polar Pad used in the conditions you describe will need resoaking approx every 2-6 days depending on temperature, wind, useage, size, water quality and amount of original activation/soaking. So does the bed actually feel wet to the touch? Also, is it fairly firm when the dog walks or lies on it? Do you have a price list Dyzney? Thanks!! When you soak the Pad, unless you hang it on the line for a while to allow the outer fabric to dry it will feel quite wet. If you do allow the fabric to dry it will feel relatively dry, however because the produced cooling effect is caused by evaporation, as this evaporative action takes place, the moisture in the polymers is rising up from the product, so there will usually be a slight damp feel to it whilst activated. You won't actually get a wet hand from touching it, but it may feel cool n sort of clammy, but only when a body is on the product, blocking some of the evaporation. It will feel dry if left alone. Some dogs do not enjoy this feeling as it is foreighn to them, others don't mind it at all. If a dog does not like the feeling of the possible dampness then a dry towel can be used on top. The activated polmers become gel like to the feel, providing a therapeutic property. depending on the amount of soaking/activation the gel may be harder or softer. Once again some dogs find this feeling a little different so require training or an adjustment period to become accustomed to it. other dogs take straight to the Pads with no issues. Out of our 4 dogs, two enjoy using the pads and do so of their own free will moving on and off them to control and cool their core body temperature as they should. One dog won't go on them unless I tell her to and even then she is not overly comfortable with it. That said I do not persist with her as she is not a hot dog and does not require other methods of cooling. Most dogs generally know best regarding their cooling needs and I definitely trust her on this. And the 4th dog is also not hot dog but will happily use a Pad if I direct her to it, she is a pup and at this stage has had no need to use one anyway. In my experience, I find most dogs that do not use Polar Pads have either not had enough training and time to be able to get used to the product or they simply do not require the cooling that the owner thinks they do. Of course as with anything, there will always be the odd exception. www.k9softdogcrates.com.au Edited October 25, 2012 by dyzney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronsoonWA Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 So glad I found this thread as I spent most of yesterday trying to decide on one for my old girl! I am leaning toward the the polar pads - however the thought of the absorbent crystals concerns me a bit. I will be giving it to her outside while I am at work. My concern is in the slight chance she chews it, I really don't want her swallowing something that is going to swell in her stomach. Especially as I would be gone for 6+ hours. Any thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starkehre Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 (edited) So glad I found this thread as I spent most of yesterday trying to decide on one for my old girl! I am leaning toward the the polar pads - however the thought of the absorbent crystals concerns me a bit. I will be giving it to her outside while I am at work. My concern is in the slight chance she chews it, I really don't want her swallowing something that is going to swell in her stomach. Especially as I would be gone for 6+ hours. Any thoughts? It is always a good idea to set yourself and your dog up for "a win". Therefore if you have purchased a new bed that you intend to allow the dog unsupervised access to and this dog is known to you to be a chewer of items such as this, then my recommendation would be not to do it. Not because of concerns over the dog ingesting the polymers as such, but more so for the buyer's hip pocket. My personal thoughts on things like this are don't invest more than you can afford to lose. Also, if we allow a dog to destroy something like this, we are inadvertently teaching it to do so, as the act itself is self rewarding. The reason I would not be overly concerned about the dog's health if polymers are ingested (and I can really only speak for Polar Pads) is that when a Polar Pad is hydrated, if a dog ingests the polymers, they will do the dog no harm. They are non toxic and will not swell because they are already swollen. The only time you need to be concerned with the dog's health when it comes to Polar Pad ingestion is if the dog swallows a significant amount of polymers that are fully dehydrated. As Polar Pads stay hydrated for a minimum of a couple of days (often up to a week or even more depending on conditions) and dogs that are given Polar Pads to utilize are generally not left alone for that period of time, it would only be an owner error that this would occur. We always recommend when Polar Pads are not in use that they be hung out to dehydrate and stored away from dog access. Common sense really. Not much different to leaving a wheat bag or a bag of rice or even a large quantity of cereal based dry food lying around in easy access. Edited December 10, 2012 by dyzney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarieEvans Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 We haven't offered cool beds to our dogs for the hot days. But we have observed them to prefer to lie on the floor as it is a lot cooler than their beds. I also just give my dog a bath especially when it's too hot outside and she enjoys it too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tara and Sam Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 I had one similar to the one in the pic for a few years Sam and Tara never used them ( although I did have it on the bed lol ) they were cooling when laid on the bed , but as mentione dthey can be heavy to move I need to drag it out again and hopefully my CKCS will use it , as last night she struggled abit with our heat ( she came from Tassie ) mentioned to her vet today about her and the heat and he suggested the portable water air cons as it keeps the air moist which can be better for smaller dogs sometimes better than other air cons which can deplelete the moisture for air thankfully have one of those to use at nights for her also I tried the crystal ones , but found they were quiet wet for them to lay on ? and she sleeps on my bed even though I made a outer cover for it I only wet it for about 15 mins runs of to look at the pola pads site Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronsoonWA Posted December 14, 2012 Share Posted December 14, 2012 I ordered one the other day, should be here soon. I have a feeling that she may continue to just dig a hole and lie in the dirt, but it's worth a try. She is already doing that now and it hasn't been very hot in Perth yet, so I think she may suffer come Jan/Feb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skruffy n Flea Posted December 14, 2012 Share Posted December 14, 2012 dyzney hi :) i've looked at your site and i can see the sizing and the postage, but i'm really interested in the cost of the product [all sizes]. i'm not committing to or promising anything but do you have a return policy? pm me if you'd prefer! thanks :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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