Hi. I have a 6 year old lab who has a rather long double coat. I've so far stuck to the belief that one shouldn't shave a lab. However Coby has been suffering from skin issues for quite some time -hotspots, yeast and bacterial infections etc. The weather here in Singapore is very hot and humid. His coat is so dense that it takes ages to dry completely. I used to bring him swimming for his dysplasia but he ended up with a severe case of fungal infection. Quite a few owners of lab/golden Retrievers have resorted to shaving their dogs because it's so hot here. I'm thinking too that since it is never cold here, he doesn't need a long dense coat. Altho the inner coat is supposed to keep him cool, I now think a shorter coat would be better.. Also trimming/shaving (not to bare skin tho) would definitely help with the yeast and skin problems.
Thank you. He recommended blood test for allergies which I did and am now feeding Coby foods he's not allergic to. Usually what's given is antibiotics, anti fungal meds and anti histamines. I even wondered if I should give him the latter on a long term basis except that Coby has kidney issues as well. I feel his skin problems would be reduced if he didn't have such a dense double coat in our type of weather.
Hmm I don't have any experience with this either. I suppose my first option would be to find out what the cause of the skin problems are. If it is an allergy and can be managed or cured by switching foods or using proper medication that would be the first thing I would do. But while you are trying to get this under control I suppose I would think about shaving if it would help him heal up quicker - maybe you could try just the area affected to start? I don't think I would be inclined to completely trim the whole cast, though. Just my very uneducated opinion - I would definitely be having a long chat with the vet as well as a skin specialist about it.
Yes I'm bringing him to another vet who's supposed to be good in skin conditions. I don't think we have an actual skin specialist here. I'm also giving him lots of supplements including fish oil, vit e, coconut oil. I was just wondering that even if he had no skin infections, would he be more comfortable with a shorter coat since the weather here seems to be getting hotter and hotter.
I know lots of people say don't shave them... And normally I wouldn't. But if your vet says it would help him, and as long as the fur isn't so short that he wont have protection from the sun, to be honest I think I'd seriously consider it. He wasn't made for hot, humid weather, poor lad!
I would first ask if my vet would find it ok to shave it so that it's enough to protect from the sun (wouldn't shave it down completely that would just be horrible). i wouldn't find a reason for it to not be helpful to do so at this point though if it's that kind of climate.
Quite a few people clip their dogs here (Australia) in summer if they're long coated breeds. I've never seen a clipped Labrador but it's no different in theory to clipping a Poodle. I don't think it'd be detrimental to your dog and it'd mean he'd be cooler and could dry a bit faster. Good to hear that you and your vets are working on the skin issue. Hope you can get that sorted out
I think it's probably unusual to clip what's already a short coat. Have you got any groomers you could speak with? They may have ideas on how to strip the coat and effectively thin it out so it's not so warm but hopefully still provide protection from the sun.
Hi there. I was wondering if a Furminator might be an option rather than shaving/clipping? If you get it too short might it increase itching?
I don't like the idea of shaving a Labrador. I think it would be very different from clipping short a coat that grows long. Labradors have a double coat that is already short. When Charlie has been shaved (many times now for surgery) he has a) had quite bad clipper rash and b) rapidly grown his undercoat back through a period of it being really a bit itchy to do so. It takes much, much longer for the top coat to grow back. I'd say the time it takes for the undercoat to grow back is double quick when shaved - much quicker than I think it would normally take to shed out an undercoat. So I'd worry that you'd end up with a dog that sort of grew lots of undercoat, perhaps like dogs that live outside do. That said, this was in a UK climate, so I don't know if that makes a difference. I'd definitely consult a professional that knows about the pros and cons of shaving a Labrador in the climate that you live in before doing it. Edited to add: I'd also worry that Charlie would carry on doing the things he does now where his coat protects him - running through brambles and so on, and swimming in icy water. Appreciate the icy water thing might not apply to you.
I expect that a groomer wouldn't do a really short clip/shave of the kind that happens when a dog has surgery. Hopefully not because that'd also leave your dog vulnerable to sunburn. Agree that a really good go with a Furminator or similar would be a better thing to try first. That can really thin the coat out a lot.
Thank you everyone for your comments. I've never sent Coby to a groomer on the assumption that since a lab's shouldn't be trimmed, I could groom him myself. I read on a groomers website that they don't shave labs but I'll call some groomers here to ask their advise. Yes, I'm also fearful that he may get more itchy with a trimmed/shaven coat. Some areas of his coat was shaven before bec of his hotspots, I don't think he got itchy from that and his fur grew back ok. Still I do worry about possibly making him more itchy. Is a furminator meant to remove excess inner coat? I guess that may help somewhat but would his coat end up uneven? Once again thank you everyone for your advice.
That's a good idea. Call some groomers that don't shave Labs and ask why they don't, and some that do and ask why they think it's ok. Then you might end up with a set of pros and cons you can consider.
I can't help with the shaving question - I agree that you're best to seek professional advice for that - but I can tell you that I've been using a Furminator (well, similar) on my dogs since we've been in Spain, and it's been working fantastically. They were going through their seasonal moult when we arrived and the amount of undercoat I got out in those first few days was enough to stuff a duvet. The dogs are certainly a lot more comfortable after a good brush, and it's helped Willow's black coat look a lot glossier, too - during the moult, she can look a bit more "matt" than normal, as the undercoat works its way through. It doesn't pull or chop the hair, just removes any hairs that are already loose, which are effectively insulating your dog and making him feel like he's wearing a jumper I've not had any issues, with recent daily use, of their coats looking uneven or patchy.
I've spoken to a groomer and she says they don't shave labs but they do remove the undercoat. I've just been reading up on the removal of undercoat using the furminator that you wonderful people have been talking about. It sounds like an excellent idea to keep him cooler and to dry him more easily. I'm going to try that now. Thanks so much everyone, Karen, Lisa, Millieboo,Oberon,Bbrown,drjs@5,and snowbunny.❤
Hi there ,sorry I've not been around to have a chat to you about this....I live in Dubai so I know all about coping in the heat and humidity.Im sorry your boy seems to be bothered by skin conditions ,I'm sure that the climate won't be helping ,even if it's not the cause. Vets I trust here don't recommend even the longer haired dogs being shaved ...the double coat actually helps to keep them cool as well as warm .....a really good groom with the furminator will help to thin out his coat. I trained with a GSD the other night,I've not seen him for about 6 weeks.He is about 18 months old and has quite a long coat .He looked really neat and actually a different colour after being groomed with the furminator ...his owner said he's much more comfortable. Has Coby always lived In Singapore? ( A city I love by the way :: ) My vet always recommends weight to be controlled too to help the dogs cope in the heat and humidity....I know it's a recommendation we should all adopt generally but I've known quite a few dogs that are heavier than they should be to have like 'chafing' injuries. Losing a couple of kgs has seemed to help. Best of luck with helping him be more comfortable,great to see you on the Forum x
Hi Dexter! Yes Coby has always lived in Singapore. I've just started using the furminator like comb on him for a few mins just now. I don't dare do too much at one go..but I'm quite optimistic now that it would help him feel more comfortable and also help his coat to dry faster and more completely after bath/swim. I've been ensuring Coby keeps his weight down since I realised he has hip dysplasia. His vet tells me his hips are still pretty good for his age and condition Thank you. .I'm really grateful for the time and effort given to help us
