Everything You Should Know About Emotional Support Dog Vests.

“Emotional Support Animal” term is not so alien anymore. Everyone is aware of what these animals are and the role they serve in human lives. Still, for a quick overview;

“Emotional support animals are the animals that assist the patients in alleviating the symptoms of their emotional or mental illness.”

Learning this, you must be convinced why emotional support animals are a big deal these days, especially after viewing the rise of mental disorders in the United States.
You must have seen the dogs wearing colored clothing with “Emotional Support Animal” written on the material. This clothing material is called Emotional Dog Vests.

These vests are not some fancy clothing piece but serve a great purpose. If you are also an emotional support dog parent and thinking, What is the intent of emotional support dog vests, and should you also take a dog vest for your Dog? Then, you have reached the right place. Keep reading till the end to learn everything about emotional support dog vests.

• What are the types of Emotional Support Dog Vests?
  • Do Emotional Support Dogs need a Vest?
  • What is the Best Material for Dog Vests?
• How To Measure Your Emotional Support Dog?
• What do I need other than the ESA vest?
• Process to get an ESA letter

What Are The Types of Emotional Support Dog Vests?

There are several emotional support vests to choose from. We are mentioning below most of them. Take a look and select the one that is best for your dog.
Backpack Vest
These are the best vests to wear to your Dog when traveling with them. The Backpack vests have small pockets where you can put your Dog’s stuff. It will limit the headache of mixing up your Dog’s belongings with yours and help you manage better.
Mesh Vest
Dog parents with thick fur or have multi-layered coated dogs use Mesh coats for their emotional support dogs. These vets are very useful in the summers as the thick coat dogs are more susceptible to heart strokes during summers, so wearing mesh vests keeps the ventilation on point.
Cotton (lightweight) Vest
Cotton vets are considered under the Lightweight vest class due to the weightless nature and comfy cotton material used to make these vests. You can wear it in any season to your Dog. It is best for daily use, especially for dogs with sensitive skin.
Padded Vest
Padded ESA vests are not all-weather vests and are beneficial only in winters. They are just like warm jackets and very helpful for thin-coat dogs that cannot survive low temperatures. These vests are specially engineered to give insulation but don’t compromise on the lightness of the stuff. Some of these vests also include handles to carry small dogs.
Tiny Cape Vest
Tiny cape emotional support animal vests are not only cute but also a perfect fit for small dogs. These are lightweight, unlike other vests; they are not suffocating for small dogs. The material of these vests is quite long-lasting. Therefore, these can be used for a more extended period.
Alpha Harness Vest
It is one of the most expensive vests designed by considering several factors. An Alpha Harness vest consists of;

• Three welded rings
• Two patches
• Comfortable padding

Along with this, it is made up of waterproof poly-coated material, making it preferable.
If your Dog belongs to thick fur breeds, choose a similar type of alpha harness vest with a messy cross-linked jacket. This type of assembly makes this ESA dog vest more breathable.

Does My Emotional Support Animal Need a vest For Identification

Honestly, no. But with that being said, we don’t deny that ESA dog vests are extremely useful.
Emotional Support Laws don’t demand dogs to wear vests to certify them as emotional support dogs. For that, dog parents need to get an ESA letter.

“An ESA Letter is an official document signed and written by a licensed health professional. It claims that the pet is part of the treatment plan to treat the patient’s mental or emotional illness.”

So, emotional support vests are not necessary, but they are highly suggested.
As we mentioned earlier, it is not just a mild piece of clothing. These vests serve a great objective. Some of these roles are described as follows;

Identification
Not any vests, but the vests that have an Emotional Support Animal patch on them, can help to identify that your Dog is an emotional support dog. You might be aware that emotional support animals are not some different kinds of animals. It’s just the role that they serve that makes them different. So, these ESA Vests highlight the task of Emotional Support Dogs.
In some cases, the condition of the pet owners is pretty severe. Their emotional support dogs are protective toward their owners and get aggressive quickly in the crowd. In such scenarios, if the Dog wears an ESA vest, it will make the other people cautious. Therefore, people will step back and understand these are not ordinary dogs and shouldn’t be petted.
Most airlines also suggest pet owners wear ESA vests on their emotional support Dogs. It would help the other passengers to identify that the Dog in the air cabin is not ordinary and needs to be with its Owner.

Regulation of Body Temperature
Padded Emotional Support Animal vests are perfectly handy in winters. Dogs who don’t adjust in winters, especially the single-coated breeds, can wear padded vests to regulate their body temperature. These vests help in retaining the body temperature of these dogs.

Similarly, in the summers, you can wear cooling emotional support animal vests for multi-coated breeds. The cooling patches help lower the Dog’s body temperature in the blazing summer noon.

What is the Best Material for Dog Vests?

It depends on the climate and type of dog breed. It is better to choose cotton and mesh-type dog vests in winters. Similarly, in the winter, padded dog vests will be the soundest.
You should also choose the vest’s fabric according to the dog breed. Tiny cape vests are Dog for small dogs, and mesh vests are suitable for thick-coated dogs.
Choose the Right Patch for Your Dog’s official ESA Vest
There are a lot of Dog vests. You have to choose the correct patch for your Dog’s vest, making your Dog’s vest an official ESA vest. Basically, there are the following type of patches;

• Emotional Support Animal
• Do not pet
• Working dog
• Service Animal
• Therapy Animal

Choose a high-quality patch that easily distinguishes your Emotional Support Dog from other Dogs.

How To Measure Your Emotional Support Dog?

It is an obvious fact that the dogs’ size varies according to their breed. Therefore, one vest won’t fit all the dog breeds. You need to pick it as per your Dog’s size and weight. It is crucial to get an appropriate-sized vest for your Dog. It would be best if the dog vest won’t be too tight or too loose.

These are the steps that you need to keep in mind while choosing a dog vest for your Dog;

• Take a measuring tape to measure your Dog.
• It would help to choose a soft fabric and flexible tape instead of metallic tape. It is because metallic measuring tapes don’t give accurate readings.
• If you don’t have a regular measuring tape, you can use a thread to measure your Dog and place it on the scale to determine the reading.
• While measuring a small-sized breed, measure the area 2-3 inches behind your Dog’s front legs just around the rib cage.
• For Medium-sized breeds, measure the area 3-4 inches behind your Dog’s front legs just around the rib cage.
• For Large-sized breeds, measure the area 5-6 inches behind your Dog’s front legs just around the rib cage.
• To measure the length of the vest, measure it from the Dog’s neck to the Dog’s tail.

The sizing chart might vary from brand to brand. It is an example of a sizing chart that most companies choose to make their emotional support vest for dogs.

Learning this, you must be convinced why emotional support animals are a big deal these days, especially after viewing the rise of mental disorders in the United States.
You must have seen the dogs wearing colored clothing with “Emotional Support Animal” written on the material. This clothing material is called Emotional Dog Vests.

These vests are not some fancy clothing piece but serve a great purpose. If you are also an emotional support dog parent and thinking, What is the intent of emotional support dog vests, and should you also take a dog vest for your Dog? Then, you have reached the right place. Keep reading till the end to learn everything about emotional support dog vests.

What Do I Need Other Than The ESA Vest?

ESA vests do help in the identification of emotional support dogs. However, it is not a valid proof that your Dog is an emotional support dog. You need an ESA Letter from your state’s licensed health professional for that.

Firstly you must have a qualifying mental illness as per DSM-V to get an ESA Letter. Some of these mental illnesses are:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Panic Attacks
• ADHD- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity disorder
• Substance-related disorders (alcohol, drugs)
• OCD- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
• Phobias
• PTSD-Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Acute Stress Disorder
• Eating Disorders
• Learning Disorders
• Personality Disorders
• Bipolar Disorder
• Sexual disorder
• Developmental coordination disorder
• Schizophrenia
• Autism and many more.

If you suffer from any mental or emotional disorders mentioned above, you can qualify for an ESA letter.

Now, if you are seeking a platform to get an ESA Letter, you can apply on Fast ESA Letter. We have an experienced team of licensed mental health professionals that can certify your Dog as an emotional support dog.

Process to get an ESA letter

Step — 1
Fill up and Submit ESA Evaluation Form
Start with filling out our ESA evaluation form and complete the form mentioning your and your Dog’s details. Once done, submit this form on the portal.
Step — 2
Get Evaluated by a Licensed Mental Health Professional
After you submit the form, a licensed mental health professional will check your form. They will decide whether your mental illness needs the assistance of an emotional support dog or not.
Step — 3
Get Approved, and Receive Your ESA Letter
If the health professional approves of your mental illness, they will write and sign an ESA letter for you. We will send this letter in your provided Email.

Once you have your ESA Letter and an ESA vest for your Dog, you can take your Dog outside without any worries. The ESA Letter you own can also help you stay with your Emotional Support Dog in a rental property or school/college dorm without paying extra charges.

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