Cooling off the pet

I have never heard that giving pets cold water was bad for them! I usually freeze a bowl of water and give it to my dog in the summer. I usually make sure the water is cold I will give them some room temp and see if they will drink it. thanks for the info.

For the cats, I put ice cubes or an ice pack in a ziploc bag and wrap it in a towel. I leave that on the bed or somewhere they like to lay. Then if they want to come and cool off on it, they can. The dog gets to go outside, so he can take advantage of any breezes outdoors. I also keep my son's pool filled with water and he splashes through it (even lays down in it sometimes) when he wants to. I don't chide him for it -- it's perfectly allowed.

Dogs who are kept outdoors should always have a shady spot where they can get out of the sun, and keep them off asphalt which can burn their foot pads. Some dogs will enjoy playing in a shallow kiddie pool. Take them on walks in the morning or evening when the heat is less intense. Dogs with heavy coats should be brushed regularly to remove shedding hair, and can have their coats trimmed to within 1" of the skin. White and light colored dogs are especially susceptible to sunburn, so limit their exposure to the sun. Signs of heat exhaution in dogs are similar to humans: glassy eyes, staggering, heavy breathing. Cool them down by placing them in front of a fan with cool (not cold) towels on the neck and chest area. If they don't come around in 20 minutes or so take them to the vet. My dog doesn't like ice anyway. In the past when I put ice cubes in her water she picked them out and left them on the floor!

We keep a kiddy pool out side for the dogs and then around the yard are water troths for the dogs to drink, one in the frount and two in the back. My dogs are pretty smart they like to lay on top of the vents in the house, they are on the floor and our big dog will lay on top of it when she comes in form the outside. They will also lay by the side of the kitchen vent to cool off. We also have plenty of coverd places in the yard for them to have a little shade during the day. If I am home I let the dogs come into the house during the hots parts of the day.