The present invention is a water-absorbent animal cooling
vest made with an inner core of woven, hydrophilic /
hydrophobic polymer embedded fabrics (PEF) enclosed inside two exterior (a wicking fabric inside to the body and a breathable fabric outside to the air) fabric shells attached to the animal by criss-crossing two double-ended, elastic and adjustable hook straps over the rear of the animal's neck, which straps are then attached to sewn-on loops on the upper and lower parts of the
vest. The
vest is soaked in approximately 3-16 ounces of water (depending on the size of the vest and the size of the animal for which is to be used) for 3-15 minutes (again depending on size of vest) before use, thus allowing the inner core to absorb the water. This process begins the vest's evaporative process. The internal core fibers of the vest absorb many times its weight in water.
Excess water is wrung out of the vest prior to installation. The cooling evaporative process lasts for several hours based on ambient temperature, activity and level of
exertion of the animal. The purpose of the vest is to promote absorption of
moisture and body heat from the animal into the vest and enhance the natural evaporative cooling process to reduce body temperature and
heat stress, which can lead to heat
stroke, a significant
cause of death for equines and other four-legged domestic animals. The animal cooling vest may be reactivated by simply re-immersing in water for a short period and reinstalling. The animal cooling vest may be
machine washed and dried and is re-useable. Due to the flexible characteristics of the fabric materials comprising the vest and the method of
strapping the vest to the animal, the vest shapes closely to the animal's body for maximum direct contact to the critical chest area of the body while allowing complete freedom of movement.