New project: dog cooling vest
Jul. 7th, 2010 02:21 pmI've got a new, hopefully easy project: a cooling vest for Max.
Mr. Trot N. Grin, in the park.
Bully breeds tend to overheat easily anyway, and so do older dogs. Max is an 11-year-old Staffie. With what passes for a heat wave lately, he has been getting hot more easily than he did last summer, even. I'm sure the mostly-black fur doesn't help. We've been carrying along sports bottles of water for him to drink and to douse him with, but he's still been dancing on the verge of serious overheating when we've taken him out. So,![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
vatine thought of making a cooling vest for him.
Come to find out, there are a number commercially available. If you want to pay £40 or so. He's certainly worth it, but something made from an old towel ought to work just about as well.
I was looking for sewn dog vest ideas, and ran across something easy and very suitable indeed: cool coats for greyhounds, which should be easy to resize.
I had been considering using the purple towel Max uncharacteristically grabbed up and ripped last month--seemed appropriate!--but the color's too dark, as I'd been suspecting. Looking at our stock of towels, I think I'll adapt the general design to use a couple of terrycloth tea towels instead. We have some just about the right size to go over his back--and if I roll one end down and stitch it to shorten the back, it should work somewhat like the cooling snood from that link around his neck. I may put a pocket for a sopping sponge at the neck. Add a chest panel and a wide belly strap from another tea towel, and we're set--without very much sewing required. (Especially good, since I haven't quite gotten comfortable with the "new" sewing machine, so will be doing it by hand!) I'll try large buttons, and go for the velcro or snaps if that doesn't do the trick.
Things have been quieter today, BTW. :)
Mr. Trot N. Grin, in the park.
Bully breeds tend to overheat easily anyway, and so do older dogs. Max is an 11-year-old Staffie. With what passes for a heat wave lately, he has been getting hot more easily than he did last summer, even. I'm sure the mostly-black fur doesn't help. We've been carrying along sports bottles of water for him to drink and to douse him with, but he's still been dancing on the verge of serious overheating when we've taken him out. So,
vatine thought of making a cooling vest for him.Come to find out, there are a number commercially available. If you want to pay £40 or so. He's certainly worth it, but something made from an old towel ought to work just about as well.
I was looking for sewn dog vest ideas, and ran across something easy and very suitable indeed: cool coats for greyhounds, which should be easy to resize.
I had been considering using the purple towel Max uncharacteristically grabbed up and ripped last month--seemed appropriate!--but the color's too dark, as I'd been suspecting. Looking at our stock of towels, I think I'll adapt the general design to use a couple of terrycloth tea towels instead. We have some just about the right size to go over his back--and if I roll one end down and stitch it to shorten the back, it should work somewhat like the cooling snood from that link around his neck. I may put a pocket for a sopping sponge at the neck. Add a chest panel and a wide belly strap from another tea towel, and we're set--without very much sewing required. (Especially good, since I haven't quite gotten comfortable with the "new" sewing machine, so will be doing it by hand!) I'll try large buttons, and go for the velcro or snaps if that doesn't do the trick.
Things have been quieter today, BTW. :)
