westiemum

I find human grade roo is terrific for the westies when they need to lose some weight. They love it and for people in Adelaide I pick it up at Adelaide dog on Payneham Road ('the formula') or at the supermarket - but there it's not cheap.

Thanks SC - 2 out of my 3 are seniors so this will be helpful.

Nacho 10, Moosey 0!!

What a beauty B!!! He's so clever! I think the extent of my skills might be a 3 wheel stroller locally which needs a damn good clean - but at least its 99c at the moment on eBay!

Thanks for the warning bozzieUD - but believe me my guys won't be outside next week except for toiletting. And I'm desperately trying to find air-conditioned spots to 'park' them for as many days as possible next week.

Hi Everyone - thanks very much for your posts and suggestions - so many will be brilliant when I get back into my own home. I have investigated a number of solutions for me at night and the westies during the day. For SA DOLers, I headed to Mile End Bunnnings first - not one evaporative cooler - there's been a run on them and apparently they've not had any since Thursday. So went next door to the Good Guys in the Homemaker Centre there - and the nice man there said if you want 'cool' in the sort of heat we are due for next week then the evaporative coolers will be next to useless. Apparently portable refrigerative is the way to go and thats out of the question cost wise. So I stood in front of the display of fans and decided to go for Perse's low-tech solution. I bought a 30cm desk fan to go right next to my bed and after I assembled it at home (grrrr!) I put a face washer across it - it fits perfectly between the clips - and will damp down the face washer on the extreme nights. Then to PetBarn - bought a dog cooling mat for the westies to sleep on - or I might sleep on it myself! Enquired at two bedding shops about the cool gel mats for hoomans - and the very nice lady at Snooze said they hadn't been as successful as they'd hoped, they only had a very small one left and she basically put me off it. They were pretty expensive too - the very small one they had left was $79 . So I thanked her very much and backed away... So I think for the westies on the days they are home it will be a combination of the cooling mat, frozen 3 litre bottles and ice treats, and for us all at night it will have to be fans and face washers. Then for the other days it will be a combination of doggy daycare, and westie-sitting with my very kind mother and possibly one other friend. And hopefully that will get us through to the cool change next Saturday. Hope everyone stays safe and cool.

Mnm… DOLers and so clever… thank you all for your suggestions. 'Cause I want it to be able to go across grass I think a three wheeler is the go - and I've found one in Melbourne second hand on eBay that I might see if my brother can pick up for me… otherwise as others say I think eBay or Gumtree is going to be my best friend. Admire those home-grown solutions… but I'm not the least bit handy unfortunately! But B will be very interested in how your cut-down pram turns out! Pics please!

I could see Mac in that one, sitting up in his red harness.

Gem! Thanks Ness!

I'm so sorry to hear about her dog - it's really hard as they get older. If you feel it's an OK thing to do that would be great if you see her - thank you. The only ones I've seen so far that seem to be the right size and have pram handles are over $300 shipped. And that's not in the budget at the moment.

Ok - have worked out if you search on dog bike trailer a whole raft of these low to the ground doggy mobiles come up. Will investigate further and come back after I've solved next weeks heat problem - which is much more pressing - but please keep any other ideas coming!

Thanks B- the cooling mat is a great idea - I've just found a new one from Snugglesafe who do the heat lads that I swear by - so will probably order a couple of those from eBay. The cool gel mat looks really good too and is easily available but very 'spensive.

Thanks cowanbree - I think you're right. Its just that I'm having a little difficulty coming to terms with the fact that my darling old boy really is slowing down… I'll have to try leaving him at home with the house-mate so I can see how he reacts… to be honest I think I'll probably have more difficulty with it than Mac will... Yes, it comes as a shock to discover that your once bundle of energy with whom you could walk for over an hour puts the brakes on My youngest is now 10 and because I have had so many really old dogs, I still think of her as a puppy :laugh: :laugh: . Whereas I used to walk twice a day for up to an hour each time, I'm our for less than 3/4 hour and that long only because we walk at a snail's pace. Myrtie, at 11 and a half, is still the most sprightly, and if I take her out on her own, we have a pretty racey walk. Beautiful photo, Westiemum, and one to treasure. The photo that Marion 01 posted is gorgeous as are the links Piper posted. The only issue I would have with them is that they are so far off the ground that the dogs wouldn't get all the smells that they love. On the other hand, maybe that is a good thing so they wouldn't be trying to jump out. Just wondering really. Thanks DD - juice has just posted about something that is lower to the ground... I'll search but hopefully someone can comeback with more info. I had to see the Yankallilla vet while down the South Coast between Christmas and New Year - she is a great veg and kept calling him 'precious' - which he is. I don't know how long we have left so I just want it to be good for him regardless of how mobile he is.

Juice that sounds really good too. Have you seen any around to buy?

Ash I'm sorry to hear that you had to work so hard to keep your guys cool - and your description is exactly what worries me here about next week… might bite the bullet and get a cooler...

kc or anyone else - do you know if those portable evaporative coolers work well enough and quietly enough to be of any value in 40+ degree heat in a bedroom? I found this one at Bunnings - and its less than the price of two days of doggie daycare… thoughts? TIA

These are great - I'll go and check Gumtree as well...

Yep agreed - thanks Ness - one of our favourite haunts is Scammell Reserve on Fisher Street - and despite it being a relatively short walk from the old house recently I started driving so Mac could come too. He was very happy pottering about, conning treats from the other park users! That's my boy!!!

Thank all - great ideas. And thanks for how you did it and/or where to source. We all love going places together and Mac still gets as excited as the others when his harness comes out - just that he stops at the carport and wants to go in the car rather than for a walk! We love going to things like Moonlight Cinema in the Botanical Gardens and to have a westiemobile of some sort would be very helpful with that hike from the carpark. Here's his favourite spot at the moment - on a chair in his 'snooze' next to my desk a moment ago…

Thanks cowanbree - I think you're right. Its just that I'm having a little difficulty coming to terms with the fact that my darling old boy really is slowing down… I'll have to try leaving him at home with the house-mate so I can see how he reacts… to be honest I think I'll probably have more difficulty with it than Mac will...

OPSHOPS often have old sun proof curtains :) 3 ltr bottles last much longer than 2 ltr , if you can get them . The housemate uses 3l milk bottles… will see if I can snaffle a couple…

Trots off to look up Homeart… thanks P.

Marion thank you - that's brilliant. Do you know if you can buy them somewhere or are they a homemade jobby?

Thanks kc and piper - the usual DOL brilliance. I'll go a retrieve a couple of the 2l bottles I've thrown out in the recycling in the last few days. They have a doggy door which they can get out to a small brick courtyard which has some dirt beds in it… I'll damp it all down but the dirt beds are in the sun… gee that alfoil idea is a great one piper - thank you - I would never have thought of that in a million years…

Out walking the westies this week its become apparent that the days of Mac keeping up on a decent walk are over. After his laryngeal paralysis and tie-back surgery mid 2013, he's become really exercise intolerant and in the last couple of weeks he baulks literally every couple of steps and gets progressively more and more unhappy. Not even checking out the pee-mail excites him like it used to. I had to carry him most of the way yesterday - and while I don't mind the work out, its not always practical to lug his lordship around so the others get a decent walk. Yes I could leave him home and just take the younger two, and some days I'll certainly do that. But Mac is likely to be distressed and I think its important to get him out and about. So… the time is rapidly approaching where I think I'm going to need some sort of westiemobile. Happy to look at dog prams or similar as long as they don't make him (and me!) look silly. Or any other ideas? How do others move their elderly immobile dogs any distance apart from the car? TIA.