The best cooling mats and pads for dogs

• Cooling mats come in two styles: self-charging and those you fill with water.
• We tested three of the most popular cooling pads for dogs with two hounds for a month in the midst of a heatwave.
• Read on for our notes on durability, cleaning, and weather-resistance and what the dogs loved about them, too.

Can a cooling mat help your dog cool down when the mercury rises? I was pretty skeptical until I tested three pads with my dogs during some of the warmest weeks we had all summer in the Pacific Northwest.

I have two senior hounds that sometimes struggle with the heat. My beagle mix, Sherman, is almost 15 years old and pants a lot when the temperatures go above 70 degrees. And Walter, my 8-year-old dachshund, tolerates the sunny spots on our deck for only a few minutes before he moves back into the kitchen.

We've tested elevated dog beds before, and those can help in the heat. But for this guide, I set out to find cooling mats that will keep them comfortable in their crates, out in the backyard, or on a camping trip. These mats are either filled with water or a nontoxic heat-absorbing gel. I tested two pressure-activated gel-filled pads that cool a dog down by absorbing its body heat. The third mat I tested is a water-filled pad that keeps a dog cool by wicking heat from the body and providing a cold surface for them to lie on.

I asked Dr. Krista Miller, DVM, known as Dope Black Vet on YouTube, about the usefulness of these mats. "I think cooling mats could help a lot with overheating in pets, especially after playing and sitting out in the backyard, or even at the beach," she said. "They could also be very beneficial to brachycephalic breeds like your French and English bulldogs who can overheat quickly."

But just like with any mat or bed, you'll want to supervise your dog the first few times they use one of these. Miller emphasized the importance of ensuring that dogs don't consume the gel contents, which can cause gastrointestinal upset and other issues.

And although you might think a cooling mat can be used in direct sunlight, you can't leave any of these mats in the sun. I tried this with all three, and it impacts their performance, which their user guides note. In order for them to be effective, they need to be placed in the shade.

I tested the three mats for this guide over the month of July. Each one was provided as an editorial review sample by its manufacturer. I evaluated them according to their design, intended use, and effectiveness.

• Best cooling mat overall: K&H Pet Products Cool Bed III
• Best cooling mat for travel: The Green Pet Shop Cooling Pet Pad

Prices and links are current as of 8/21/20.