Little Gifts Posted April 19, 2013 Share Posted April 19, 2013 Tempeh is a Tang style, horse coated shar pei. This means she has a very fine coat which gets finer down her legs and her undercarriage is basically bald. Being a Tang means she only has wrinkles around her head so there is not fat protection on the rest of her lean zoomy machine of a body. She is almost 1 but wasn't surrendered till she was 5 months so I expect she spent last winter snuggled up with her littermates that were surrendered with her. This winter is going to be another story. Temp likes to sleep in her soft crate at night and likes lumpy bedding. It is a little cooler at night now so I have put the sides down on her crate and added a fleece blanket. The side door stays open all the time so she can come and go. Even though we are yet to have a really cold night she is already getting on one of our beds during the night shivering. I usually give her a bit of a rub down and she settles between me and my SBT Stussy for warmth. If I try to cuddle her she jumps off the bed and we start the process all over again. If I try to lay a light fleece over her she panics - even if fast asleep, jumps off the bed, then comes back and we try and warm her up again. The best I have been able to manage is to kind of bunch a blanket around her legs and face. Anything around her back and she freaks. Stussy on the other hand can be wearing pj's AND be under a doona and blanket and still be perfectly happy! My house is pretty temperate so before winter really kicks in I'm going to need some other options to try for poor cold Tempeh. I was thinking of a heating pad for her crate. Does anyone have suggestions on good/safe brands and can they be temperature controlled like electric blankets? What about stuffed toys that can be heated up to replicate a litter mater - anyone tried one or know of a good brand? My other thought was that I could fold back the open crate door half way (triangle shape) to trap warmth and wondered if you can buy heating rolls which I could wrap in fleece and put around the inside edges of the crate so she could snuggle into them. Again does this exist, has anyone used it and can you recommend a brand? The crate itself is already covered but I could put more blankets over the whole thing if that also helped. I have no problem with her sleeping on my bed but unless she chooses to snuggle/cuddle her back area will still be exposed to the cold and she will just keep shivering. Even this morning, when I got up early she was crying for me to come back to bed and keep her warm. Poor bubba. Any advice from others with a dog who is scared of being covered but who suffers from the cold would be appreciated. No idea how she will cope during a cold winter's day if I have to go out if she wont dig into those blankets! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted April 19, 2013 Share Posted April 19, 2013 What happens if you try to put PJ's on her? T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Gifts Posted April 19, 2013 Author Share Posted April 19, 2013 She panics T and runs, even if she is sleepy or asleep. Nothing over her head and certainly nothing touching her back. I can't even accidentally drape anything on her back. Maybe it is uncomfortable on her sticky outy spikey hair? She even wears a step in harness because of the head thing (even though she loves face and head smooches). I will keep trying coats and blankets as winter progresses as she may get desperate enough to give it a try but I really don't want her to develop new fears as she can be a nervous nelly and we have worked hard to keep her balanced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulesP Posted April 19, 2013 Share Posted April 19, 2013 Yeah I would be trying a coat on her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulesP Posted April 19, 2013 Share Posted April 19, 2013 Maybe some training with a coat then. Put her on lead, put the coat on and feed her treats and tell her how pretty she looks! My dogs have always been a bit WTF about coats at first but end up loving them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted April 19, 2013 Share Posted April 19, 2013 Can you run your hands over her back when giving her a pat? Could she have hypersensitive spots there? Pickles has hypersensitive spots on her neck which means no collars or the like or she goes nuts - but we know the cause of Pickles' issues... T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Wildthing Posted April 19, 2013 Share Posted April 19, 2013 Electric heat pads of various sizes that can be temperature controlled (like a human electric blanket) are available from a company in Melbourne. At the moment I cannot remember the name of the company - sorry. There is also a very small human standard temperature controlled heating pad available. I think they are marketed as useful for back pain. I had one donated and have found it very helpful when hand raising unweaned orphan kittens. Heat wheats may be helpful, but the heat gradually goes, so they would not last the night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christina Posted April 19, 2013 Share Posted April 19, 2013 A thick fleecy blanket under the crate will help stop cold coming up through the floor. Another blanket over the crate insulates & helps keep it warm inside. If you made wheat bag pillow to heat in the microwave would she chew it ? If not you could also make wheat bag sausage roll shape things like doorstops to fit the edges of the crate & heat them up at bedtime to make the crate warm all around. Sheepskin rug on the bottom plus light blankets. If she really hates pajamas she may struggle & get tangled up in them trying to get them off. I would never make a dog that hated them wear them. A bit of an initial kick up is fine but if they won't accept them quickly I wouldn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espinay2 Posted April 19, 2013 Share Posted April 19, 2013 You can also get heated dog beds. A lot of the big hardware stores have them from time to time and you can get them online. For example: http://www.dealsdirect.com.au/pet-supplies/pet-beds-heated/ They dont get overly hot, but will warm enough that they should help keep her comfortable. Perhaps put a 'bolster' around inside the crate to raise up the sides inside and help insulate and stop drafts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Gifts Posted April 19, 2013 Author Share Posted April 19, 2013 Nope, she is terrified of even light fabric over her back or face but is fine about being touched and massaged in those areas and I can hand brush her fur in the opposite direction. She wont let me use the grooming glove on her though on any part of her body. She became a FF due to exhibiting fear aggression in response to a traumatic incident so I am not willing to do anything to take her back to that dark place. She trusts us with everything we need to do with her and to her again now and her coat issue is not just a dislike but an expression of fear and flight from that fear so I need to look at other options. Wheat pillows will go cold so I will put blankets on the carpet under the crate (we have timber floors under the carpet so they are not overly cold) and I will create a blanket buffer around the inside as well as put more over the top to try and keep warmth in the crate. I'll also check out the heating pads and probably just keep on a low setting to keep the heat generating through her without causing overheating. But if anyone can think of the brand name for the heating pads that would be great as I don't want to electrocute her or buy something that wont last. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted April 19, 2013 Share Posted April 19, 2013 Something like THIS?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ams Posted April 19, 2013 Share Posted April 19, 2013 Snuggle safe Pet Safe discs. http://www.snugglesafe.co.uk/heatpad.htm I use these for myself. They stay warm all night. They are not suitable for animals that cannot move away from the heat source if they get too hot. Shop around because the price varies a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justrace Posted April 19, 2013 Share Posted April 19, 2013 Can you raise the crate off the floor? Even with blankets on the floor the cold still comes in. What about a panel heater that is free standing or you can attach to the wall & have her crate in front of that? Just leave it on low, no way that she could get burnt through that (I used to have one under my desk at work & I'd put my feet on it LOL. I do love the look of those snuggle safe heater pads :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Gifts Posted April 19, 2013 Author Share Posted April 19, 2013 Thank you Pers and Ams - why did I not think of these given I've seen them at your place Ams??? I'm so blonde some days! I can put them up one end of her crate and if she gets too warm she can move to the other end. Ams would 2 be too many or should I just get 1? Thank you for the suggestions everyone. I think this could be my best option and I can also put it on my bed if she decides she wants to sleep there instead some nights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Her Majesty Dogmad Posted April 19, 2013 Share Posted April 19, 2013 Make sure the crate is on a thick mat of some kind - I buy mine for $10 in Bunnings ... Line the bottom of the crate with newspaper before putting the bedding on. In the cold weather I also cover the crates with blankets to try and stop drafts. It's very hard when you get a dog that won't wear a coat - I've got one here like that, I just rescued her after her owner died. She hates a coat with a passion and doesn't like being covered over by a blanket but being short coated, she's feeling the cold! She came from WA so perhaps it was never cold enough over there to wear a coat etc. She sleeps on my bed but I'm trying to find her a nice home with more attention and hopefully somewhere cosy. I also have a heat pad I bought off ebay for $40 - 4 mins in the microwave and it stays warm for many hours - all night. You would need 2 for a larger dog so maybe it's not as practical. Is there any way you could put a doggie door in rather than leaving the door open? This might make it a little less cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Gifts Posted April 19, 2013 Author Share Posted April 19, 2013 Her soft crate is in my bedroom and it is only one of the crate doors I leave open for her to come and go - not a house door. So no cool breezes! When it gets really cold I will have my air con heater on to keep the room warm. I've just made an offer on 2 snuggle safe's on ebay - $30 each plus $9.50 post. If they don't accept the offer they are only selling them for $34.50 each anyway (plus post). It is the cheapest I have found and they are in Brissie so I wont have to wait long for them. Often Temp takes herself to bed early so I might put one in early on cold nights then put a fresh one in later when I go to bed to see her through the night. I've already pulled out a big dog doona and some fleecies to line and cover her crate a bit better from tonight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diva Posted April 19, 2013 Share Posted April 19, 2013 As well as the suggested things I would adjust her diet too. Higher fat content for winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 One thing I used to use when Mitch & I visited friends in cold areas ... like frost & sleet .... was a 2 inch thick foam mattress rolled into a cylinder , secured , backed against an interior wall , and filled with bedding :) he would crawl in there and be warm, draft free and very comfortable !! The mattress just lay flat when not being used ..and took a couple of minutes to set up. It worked brilliantly!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulesP Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 What about something like a memory foam bed? That might retain some heat. I've read about people complaining that memory foam mattresses have been too hot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_PL_ Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 What about something like a memory foam bed? That might retain some heat. I've read about people complaining that memory foam mattresses have been too hot. They are! Great in winter though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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