5 Ways a Cooling Vest Benefits You and Your Whippet

Our seasons have become less predictable, with hot days appearing in spring or sudden chilly spells arriving in summer. This shift in global weather patterns means we need to be more flexible and ready for any eventuality. For whippets in summer, that might look like putting a jumper on in the morning and switching to a cooling vest by the afternoon - a bit mental but here we are!

As with everything I design at Occam, my ideas come from lived experience as a whippet owner, this cooling vest was initially designed for my own whippet but I know others will benefit from it too .. Below are just five reasons I think this cooling vest is essential for whippets and their owners.

• Holidaying You might be lucky enough to be planning a summer holiday with your whippet and if so this cooling vest will help with travelling in hot cars or trains and keeping cool by the pool or at the seaside.
• Sensitive Skin Whippets have delicate skin prone to sunburn and heat rash. This cooling vest helps protect the skin on their torso and tummies where most whippets have less fur! If you have a whippet with dark fur you may find that the white cooling vest will be of extra help as white reflects light!
• Commuting Trains, buses, and tubes can get very hot, especially during summer rush hours, and whippets struggle to regulate their temperature in these conditions. A cooling vest keeps their core temperature down, helping to stay comfortable and calm in busy environments.
• Protection My whippet was attacked pretty badly recently (more on this below) and I now want to protect his torso from any further trauma. Many of you have had a similar experience and therefor understand how an extra layer like this could help prevent serious harm. This vest can be used as a breathable layer for extra protection. This can be worn for injury cover or prevention.
  
• Sitters / Daycare / Dog Walkers When leaving your whippet in the care of others it's a really good idea to make them visible. As this vest is lightweight it can be worn indoors as well as outdoors all year round. It's a bright visual marker for those taking care of your dog. Visibility is helpful for a dog walker too, incase your dog goes further afield or god forbid goes missing.

Seymour's been wearing a cooling vest for wound protection

My whippet Seymour was attacked a few weeks ago and he has some pretty big wounds on his sides as a result. We were really lucky he didn't have a punctured heart or lung.

For recovery our vets instructed us to use a big long cone so Seymour couldn't lick his wounds whilst healing, Seymour couldn't get comfy or rest in a cone. I made him a small lightweight crop top vest to sleep in and I took it to the vet for approval - we got the go ahead to abolish the cone! This crop top instantly made the situation better - the wound was protected and we could walk again or sleep at night!

As Seymour had to cover his wound at all times he's worn the cooling vest in most temperatures recently, he's been happy in this vest (dry, not wet) in up to 20° .. this information is helpful if you want your whippet to wear a vest for protection in warmer weather.

This whippet cooling vest comes in sizes 5 - 9 for whippets, you can shop our summer edit here.