Do dog cooling mats actually work?

Reviewers across r/dogs and r/puppy101 generally agree they provide real but temporary relief. Gel and Q-Max fabric mats draw heat away from the dog rather than feeling ice-cold, so they're "neutral to cool" to the touch. Multiple community threads note the mat needs to "recharge" (be left empty) once the dog's body heat saturates it, typically every 2-3 hours.