# Study on vested dogs and heat



## mel boschwitz (Apr 23, 2010)

http://news.health.ufl.edu/2012/19118/colleges/ college-of-veterinary-medicine/uf-study-looks-at-role-of-vests-in-heat-related-illness-of-working-dogs/ 

Anyone have any personal experience with vested dogs and heat? Cooling vests?


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## rick smith (Dec 31, 2010)

there has been a thread related to this with a few vests mentioned ... 

unfortunately only spending 19k for a "preliminary" study can hardly result in much that you could hang your hat on
.... maybe a baby step in the right direction, but not much beef in this burger although i'd like to read the full report

maybe they studied the effects of using various muzzles in hot weather since at least they seemed to understand how dogs cooled down ... but i kinda doubt that was studied 

will be very interesting to see which vest maker refers to this study to prove how effective their product is


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

I would be interested in the actual results.

A fellow who has helped us train (LE) said his department did an analysis of one of the early phase change vessts, and felt the added weight was a wash for working while wearing them but that they could help for cooling them during down time.


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## Jennifer Coulter (Sep 18, 2007)

Nancy Jocoy said:


> I would be interested in the actual results.
> 
> A fellow who has helped us train (LE) said his department did an analysis of one of the early phase change vessts, and felt the added weight was a wash for working while wearing them but that they could help for cooling them during down time.


I have been thinking about this big time. My dog sucks in the heat. My feelings so far are same as the as "the fellow". I think if the dog is resting with a cool vest on it will help. As far as working a high output activity, I think the insulating value soon starts to cancel out, if not outweigh the evaporative effects.

I am just starting to test the ruff wear one, I think they are coming out with a new one soon too, I will also try it.

Sent from iphone


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## James Downey (Oct 27, 2008)

So what did the "study" tell us.

Dogs get hotter in the summer and have a harder time cooling themselves off.

Working dogs, preforming work, get hot.

And that cold things applied to a dogs body will accelerate cooling.

Glad they did that one...I mean wow! that's some neat shit. 

And I highly doubt that the vests don't make a difference. If my dogs lay there on the bed and are fine, but I put a blanket over there body, within minutes they are panting. I call bullshit. I also understand how hyper/hypo thermia happen. Heat is lossed through the body through the radiation of the skin, Conduction of cold things applied to the body, Evaporation of moisture, and Convection, Where matter touching the body is heated and then moved and new cold matter replaces it.

So a Vest removes, radiation...the heat is not allowed to leave the body, A body at work is generating heat...more and more. So where does the heat go, when the dog has a vest on? it does not magically disapear. and conection and conduction cannot happen if the temp outside will allow for it. Since dogs do not sweat evopartion is not a way they naturally cool.


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## David Frost (Mar 29, 2006)

James Downey said:


> Since dogs do not sweat evopartion is not a way they naturally cool.


Not exactly accurate. Dogs dissipate a great deal of heat while panting and that is through evaporation. The tongue is a giant radiator.

DFrost


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

You can still use evaporative cooling to cool down something that does not sweat.....in a dry climate of course.

Before insulated bottles, we would put socks on the water bottles on our bikes and wet them down worked GREAT on a trip through Oregon and Idaho, not so good in rural GA. Kept the water nice and cool like that cover on metal canteens if you soak it down. 

The idea behind the phase change vests is simple conduction only difference being the phase change material changes phase at around 50F so it won't close off capillaries like ice will. Because it changes phase at a temperature much higher than ice too, youi can recharge in an ice bath.

We use phase changes for shipping sensitive biologic materials. Ours phase at 4C, which is great because it prevents materials from freezing in cold environments and overheating in hotter environments.


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## James Downey (Oct 27, 2008)

David Frost said:


> Not exactly accurate. Dogs dissipate a great deal of heat while panting and that is through evaporation. The tongue is a giant radiator.
> 
> DFrost


 
Okay I'll give you that...It's not accurate. A more accurate post would have been...compared to animal that is hairless and sweats....dogs suck at regulating thier own body tempature through very inefficient means of humdification to cause evaporation.


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