Cool bedding?

rising_from_the_ashes

Any ideas greatly appreciated .....

My lab has a duvet in a cover (then folded in 1/2) for his bed - easy to keep clean, wash and seems to be comfy!

However, it's so humid here he's roasting!

My bedroom's particularly "oven like" and was a sweltering 26 deg last night:(

I don't particularly want him lying straight on the floor - he has arthritis and tends to get sore if he lies on it for long periods.

So, have you come across anything that's soft but they won't get too hot lying on at night?

Thanks

Darlyd

Funny thing, I was thinking about this last night. I threw her duvet and cover in the wash ready to hang out today, so We used a slippery sleeping bag, shiny side up.. And she was fine. Mind you we also had our fan on in the bedroom, and I wore ear plugs.. lol.

tanith

Animals will usually find a cool spot if they are too hot, my cat lies at full stretch on the wooden floors when its hot like this.. having open windows back and front of the house cools the air at night if you are able to leave them open.. I'm sure he'd move if he got too distressed..

rising_from_the_ashes

Thanks, the only thing I've come across so far is this http://www.dog-online.co.uk/Dog_Beds/c317/p9012227/Petrol_Blue_Waterproof_Deep_Filled_Luxury_Duvet_Dog_Bed/product_info.html - although the cover looks like it'll be cooler I wasn't sure if he'd be just as hot overall as it looks quite thick (bit like a sleeping bag).

I wish he'd stay downstairs (lot cooler down there) but he's always slept in my room and gets really anxious and howls if I try to leave him down there.

Fire_Fox

If you Google "dog bed cooling" there are a surprisingly large number of hits. But if the room is too hot then the room is too hot there is only so much that can be done through conduction, won't the pet bed equalise with the room after a while? Can you keep the curtains closed when there is direct sunlight and throw all the windows open for the last hour before bed? Or add a blackout/ thermal curtain lining?

YorkiePud_3

It's a problem, isn't it ... ?

Short term, through the day I stick two halves of a towel in the freezer ... when they're both icy (I usually stick em in overnight), I put one half at a time on the dog's bed. When the coolness has gone out of that, I stick that back in the freezer and replace it with the other half from the freezer. It's not wetting, just very cold and does the trick as long as you're around to keep replacing the pieces!

Usually though, I keep my bedroom windows open through the day and the curtains closed all day, as shown me by a friend in Sicily ... it really does the trick and keeps the room much cooler than if you had your curtains open.

Got to say though, there's myself, mutt and a ferret (in a cage!) in my bedroom and the best thing I ever did was to buy a pedestal fan ... sometimes it's enough to have had the curtains closed all day but in extreme circumstances (like last night!) then there's nothing like having that on to cool the air for you!

Focus DIY stores are closing down, so if you've got one locally, you might get a good price on one as they're selling stock off cheaper now I'm told!

rising_from_the_ashes

Thanks everyone, good idea with the towels!;)

The curtains are drawn all day but unfortunately I can't leave the windows open when I'm at work - I do open when I get back but they open out so I've got a hook on them as the cats have a horrible habit of chasing each other onto the sill and I have nightmares about them going straight out if I leave the windows open any more than that! :eek:

TBH the last couple of days, it's been so humid there's no air outside to help try to get any "flow" through the house - I have an air conditioning unit so can cool the room before I go to bed, but it's just as bad within an hour:(.

He does go and move onto the floor but I'd rather have him "on" something as his shoulder gets really sore & stiff if he does this - it's obviously got to the point where it needs the extra cushioning that the duvet gives.

I've done some more hunting around and have come across this http://www.netpetshop.co.uk/p-32718-cosipet-dog-bed-tough-pad-navy.aspx and was thinking that with the waterproof cover it may stay cooler than a fabric one.

Has anyone tried anything like this before?

Fire_Fox

I live in a flat with windows only on one side as do a number of my friends and relatives; you won't get air flow unless it is breezy or you open the windows wide or both. I get noticable cooling doing one room at a time with the doors closed, tho you have to do the whole upstairs/ whole flat in stages, or the warm rooms just equalise with the cooler ones. You can purchase window protection to prevent cats leaping to their death, to be MSE you might just do your bedroom. If the windows are the same size in more than one room you might be able to apply the fixings and move the screen from room to room. I just think you are treating the symptoms not addressing the root cause, surely you will need your house cooler when we hit July and August as well as your dog? Being too hot won't be helping your sleep quality.

rising_from_the_ashes

Fire_Fox wrote: »

I get noticable cooling doing one room at a time with the doors closed, tho you have to do the whole upstairs/ whole flat in stages, or the warm rooms just equalise with the cooler ones.

I think that's one of my problems!

Dog was rehomed (from a not very nice home before:mad:) and literally goes nuts if doors are closed:( - I close the bedroom door to cool it down before we go in, but as it's then open, the heat just comes back in.

The heat is an issue every year .... the upstairs is like an oven and downstairs is cool (wish they'd been "upside down" houses) - great in the winter as I never have the heating on upstairs but awful in the summer.

I put extra insulation in last year as this apparently helps the house keep cool in summer as well as warm in winter and it has helped a bit - last summer it got up to 35 deg:eek: in there - the highest so far this year has been 27 - but still too warm to sleep comfortably.


Note to self - add to pro / con list for "to move" / "not to move".


I'll look into the window "things" for the cats, thanks.:)

SnowyOwl_2

What about a couple of hot water bottles filled with cold water slipped in under the first or second layer of fabric? And perhaps you could fill a few big plastic bottles full of water and place them on their side around his bed so that he can put his back against them, or lay his head on them? Obviously they would need something to wedge them in place, unless you can find some square shaped bottles. You could fill them all an hour or two before bedtime and put them in the fridge so that they are nicely chilled. A cold hot water bottle under your pillow might help you too.

I've heard that if you put a frozen plastic bottle of water in front of a fan it will help to chill the air a bit. I guess it's worth a try (though only fill the bottle about three quarters of the way up, and don't put the lid on it so that the water has room to expand as it freezes).

Youdontseeme

Sort of the same idea as SnowyOwl and I'm not sure if this will work, but how about filling a few hot water bottles and putting them in the freezer (if it keeps them hot should keep them frozen for a while??) then popping them inbetween the fold of the duvet?

Thinking about it I might do this for myself this evening!!

Good luck
YDSM