Ice packs are really not going to resolve anything. I know people mean well but this is like trying to heat a house with a lighter.
Let’s start with this: those “icepacks” are a solution of water and antifreeze to lower the freezing point. They do not absorb more heat, they just absorb it at a lower temperature. While this may be desirable in your cooler it is not desirable for this purpose. Plain ice is better. At any rate, you can make yourself “icepacks” with plastic bottles, water and some antifreeze of the type used in RVs (propylene glycol). I do this all the time as I need massive icepacks on the boat. Do not use the type of antifreeze used in cars as it is poisonous and tastes sweet so pets will ingest it. But as I say, if this were a viable solution, just plain ice would be better.
Now, suppose you fill 1/2 gallon or 1 gallon jugs with water and freeze them. Let’s calculate how much heat they will absorb. About 1300 BTUs per gallon. The smallest AC unit would be about 4 times that per hour so, a gallon of water frozen solid would give you the equivalent of 15 minutes of the smallest air conditioner.
Even if you are very close to it most of the heat gain would be from the room. If you want to provide a dog with any significant degree of refrigeration you need to leave quite a few lbs of ice. A small ice pack is just not going to make any substantial difference.
While giving numbers is difficult I would say a bare minimum to make any difference for several hours would be to leave 6 - 10 gallons of frozen water (50 - 80 lbs of ice) and that is if the pet would be close to it. (I hope I got my calculations right. If not someone please correct me)
Think about it. Cooling a room with ice does not work for you and it won’t work for your pet unless you use massive quantities of ice. OTOH you can stand high temperatures if you rest and drink plenty of fluids
Firstly, the idea of my dog being a Packer Fan is too horrible for even an open minded independent thinker like me to fathom. We’ve established long ago that our dog is a Seahawks fan…a team that both Mr. Jarbaby and I can deal with.
Second, and more important: we bought an airconditioner last night, which resulted in sound, beagle-snoring sleep for the pup, who was glad to be cooled off. She woke up spritely and happy, and today it IS about fifteen degrees cooler in the windy city.
So, thanks for the advice, all…marge is a happy camper.
For future reference, and if anybody else has the same problem…
First off, don’t give her a gelpack if she’s a “chewer”. She might shred it and ingest pieces of it and get sick.
Second, born and bred Illinoian posting from Downstate where it was, if anything, even hotter than up there (“cooler by the lake” ), I would like to say that I have never heard of dogs dying during heat waves. Elderly people in their apartments, yes. Babies accidentally left in parked cars, yes. And dogs left in parked cars, yes. But a dog left in an apartment, no. I have never heard of a dog left in an apartment all day during a heat wave dying of heat stroke. Especially a short-haired dog with access to plenty of water.
And just to be sure, I did a quick Google search under “dogs heat stroke” and found out that all the references to dogs having heat stroke are referring to dogs being left in parked cars, or forced to go jogging with their idiot masters when it’s 95 in the shade, or chained out in the middle of the yard in the full blazing sun. Nothing about “don’t leave your dog alone in an apartment during a heat wave”.
Several websites did mention that fans help, so leave the fans running.
DDG, got a cite on the fan thing, the logic is sound that dogs don’t sweat, ergo blowing warm air across them won’t help.
Also, do you suppose that dogs dying in the home due to heat doesn’t make news because lets face it…its a dog. Someone’s Grandma dies from the heat, it makes news and people start asking why the family didn’t check on her or offer help. Dog gets left in a parked car in public and dies, people see it and call the authorities on the asshole who did it, that makes news. Dog dies at home, in private, the family grieves and buries it in the backyard, no news story there.
While I agree that a dog probably isn’t in dire harm when its 90 degrees out, I don’t suppose the dogs enjoying it much either. Then again if there is a bay window and the inside is 120 vs the 95 degrees outside, then you could be talking about someething entirely different.
sailor, I don’t think anyone is suggesting you use some ice to cool the room using ice packs, most of the suggestions are to create a cool bed which the dog would rest against, not a cold room. However you’re right that the cooler full of ice idea won’t work.
I saw them in the “In the Company of Dogs” catalog. I cannot link directly to the product page, but here’s the website. Just search for “Cool Pad” and you’ll be there. Maybe this product is available at a local pet store for you.
), I would like to say that I have never heard of dogs dying during heat waves. Elderly people in their apartments, yes. Babies accidentally left in parked cars, yes. And dogs left in parked cars, yes. But a dog left in an apartment, no. I have never heard of a dog left in an apartment all day during a heat wave dying of heat stroke. Especially a short-haired dog with access to plenty of water.