# Shaving?



## APBTLove (Feb 23, 2009)

Would it be better to shave Dutch for the summer?
She is miserable, even indoors we do not have an AC for now, the basement where she goes IS cooler, but she is very hot, I'm doing my best to get the shedding hair out, but she gets very stingy about it after 4-5 minutes. 

Will shaving help her out?
I did it before, and it seemed to help a bit.
If so, what is the best shave for a GSD? I shaved her body and left her legs, tail, and under her neck (too many old-lady fold to try to maneuver around!). 
I will admit, she look HORRID afterwards, but I don't think she cares, she's 14 and hot.


----------



## Jazy's mom (Jan 5, 2004)

DO NOT SHAVE A GSD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You can actually cause them to die by doing this. 

If you are having trouble getting all the dead fur out, take her to a professional groomer that may have more experience with difficult dogs.

If you still think she is hot, then they make dog beds that have a gel in them that help keep the dogs cool in the summer months. You can also wet down some towels for her to lay on as a temporary solution.


----------



## APBTLove (Feb 23, 2009)

How can they die? Seriously, I need to know.

A local breeder told us to do so, as she does it with all of hers.

Any ideas on how to get her hair out then? I would not want to get her to a groomer and stress her out, because she will nip if they hurt her, then be muzzled and freak out.


----------



## Alto (Nov 18, 2008)

I'm not a proponent of shaving coated dogs even in hotter climates but I would take her into a good groomer that will be able to blow out her coat & has the various tools to make stripping out the old coat easier on her; assess her diet if she isn't letting go of her old coat, if it's matted etc, also how is her skin?
Has she had a geriatric panel done? 

Have you looked into any of the cooling beds?

Will she use a wading pool?
Does she like ice chips?

If you can get some of the large block ice & have fans running across the ice, that will lower the temp somewhat.


----------



## Alto (Nov 18, 2008)

> Quote: I would not want to get her to a groomer and stress her out, because she will nip if they hurt her, then be muzzled and freak out.


Find the right groomer - if her coat is in a bad way, book a few shorter appointments, she doesn't need to be done all in one go.


----------



## APBTLove (Feb 23, 2009)

Her skin is obviously bothering her, she chews often, and it is irritated in some places, I was about to post this as a question on the best thing to do for her skin.
I've read fish oil can help them blow their coat, true or not?
She'll lick and ice cube if I hold it, but has no interest otherwise. 
She does swim, but the only place she can is the rather stinky smelling salt water in front of our house, I think it may be drying her skin out, also.

We do the blocks of ice thing, I put them in her basement bedroom area so the cold will stay longer. 

No matted. She didn't blow her coat this year at all. 

Her diet currently is:
Ground beef (at her age we cook it with a bit of rice)
Raw chicken every other day with dog food
1lb beef heart once a week or so.
she gets frozen meatsicles (a mix of different meats and treats in an ice cube) every 3 days or so, unless we have extra.

What food will make her skin and coat healthier at this age? I know with age their skin health goes down with them, but I want her to be comfortable.

I'm going to wring the life out of that breeder, I just read up on what can happen from shaving.


----------



## APBTLove (Feb 23, 2009)

I will look into a local groomer who can either come here, many here will with a grooming van, or will break up her groom into a few visits.
She's a big girl, it takes quite a while to get done with one leg.


----------



## Jazy's mom (Jan 5, 2004)

Someone else may be able to explain it better than me, but their fur can actually act as barrier/ insulator from the sun and heat. Just like the insulation in your house keeps you warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Without their fur they can actually be more prone to heat exhaustion

I would be very concerned if a GSD breeder is recommending this. A reputable groomer will refuse to shave a GSD. Call around to some groomers and see if any of them have experience with senior dogs and are willing to take some extra time with her. You may be surprised. Don't bother with the chain groomers such as PetSmart. 

I agree with Alto. You may need to have some blood work done to see if there are any health reasons why she is hot. I believe thyroid conditions can cause you to feel hot all the time.


----------



## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

I have always heard the gsds stay cooler with their coat thing but I have several friends who ended up shaving their older gsds b/c they were miserable in the heat. The dogs were much, much more comfortable and none of them died.









And my first gsd has a plush coat and was SO hot in the summer. Her coat certainly did not moderate her temperature.


----------



## angelaw (Dec 14, 2001)

I saw one in boarding/training one time. Shaved all over. Dog didn't die. Looked hideous, but didn't die.


----------



## Jazy's mom (Jan 5, 2004)

I didn't mean to imply that if you shave a GSD it WILL die. I just meant that this COULD do more harm then good. 

If the dog is mostly inside and is not left out in the sun all day, then obviously the chances of him/her dying from heat exhaustion are much less.

I still think you should take the dog to a professional groomer and see what they can do first before shaving the dog down. A trip to the vet is also not a bad idea.


----------



## Alto (Nov 18, 2008)

You might try adding some chicken favor to the ice cubes - just make a light broth by boiing up some chicken bones or shredded meat etc (shredded breast/thigh meat rather than pre-ground will allow you to control the fat content).

I'm confused why you would cook the beef but feed raw chicken ... or is this just to make the rice more palatable?
As she's itching, I'd remove the dog food from her diet & see if that helps - I'm assuming this is a kibble which usually contain many ingredients ... (thyroid issues may also contribute to itchy skin, kidney & liver function also affect skin & coat).

There are some recipe ideas in this topic which you can use for replacing the dog food.

Some supplements you might look into:
Show Stopper 
sorry can't find the ones I was thinking of ... basically liquid supplements containing Omega 3's (salmon oil is a common source, flax seed but it should be fresh ground for optimum effect)
If you haven't been giving her oils, start at a low level & gradually increase to the recommended dose on the label.
As her coat quality improves, it should shed out easier.


----------



## suden (Jun 5, 2001)

Please do not shave her. We talk many clients into not shaving. what we do is to shave the Belly and give a ShedLess Bath. But finding a groomer that knows how to do this is another subject. Most will shave because it pays more and is quicker. I have had a dog in the tub for an hour. Do a Shedless Bath(use a HydroBath) then rinse-then Condition-let soak-rinse again-Blow Dry. All the undercoat will come out during the BlowDry.

Vikki


----------



## acurajane (May 21, 2008)

I shaved my not young but not old gsd when she was with us. I didn't shave her all down but down to about 1 1/2 inch and groomed her costantly. She did look ok but she was comfortable. Think if you do it wisly then your dog will be ok. You know whats best.


----------



## Alto (Nov 18, 2008)

Why not to shave your coated dog (professional pet groomers association posting)

Stated again in another way.
Post-clipping aquired alopecia is most frequently seen in Chows, Samoyeds and Siberian huskies.

In the past, shaving a dog was considered to be a great way to cool them down, but that dogma changed awhile back - not sure if there are some professional grooming courses that still advocate shaving of coated breeds & this is why there is such contradictory advice ... I was looking for actual peer reviewed articles but some days I just seem to get nowhere with web search engines


----------



## 3K9Mom (Jun 12, 2006)

> Quote:
> You may need to have some blood work done to see if there are any health reasons why she is hot. I believe thyroid conditions can cause you to feel hot all the time.


This bears repeating. In your shoes, I'd book that appointment today. The Senior Dog Blood Panel is what our local lab calls it. Sounds like other labs call it the Geriatric Panel. Ask for it by name.


----------

