SHAVING??

Topics, guidelines and tips for coat and skin care and grooming Chow Chows.

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Stacey
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SHAVING??

Post by Stacey »

Can you get the Chows shaved the the warmer months??? :D
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Jeff&Peks
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Re: SHAVING??

Post by Jeff&Peks »

The fur is what keeps them cool, insulated and safe from skin problems such as skin Cancer, except for a trim here and there forget the shaving. The groomer I use for my Chow refuses to shave or cut my Chows hair she will bath, use a blower and comb thats it, no shaving, cutting or trimming. Its hard to get my Chow groomed so when I do finely call in the groomer Pekoe is a mess, the abused Chows in shelters look better then she does.. Most Groomers would say the hell with it and shave her down and try to start fresh but no way with my groomer she will fight with Pekoe for hours to keep her looking like a Chow. I won't say what its costing me to keep her fur and from being shaved but the jobs gets done. So no don't shave. My opinion of course the ones that believe in shaving we can argue with when they are fighting Skin cancer and skin diseases 6 years from now.
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Laura
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Re: SHAVING??

Post by Laura »

Some people shave their chows in the summer. It is not something I do personally nor would I recommend it. Regular brushing to rid them of their undercoat...keep them inside with the AC, do walks early or late and you should have no problems. I live in the hottest place on earth..well ok maybe not technically, but it's gotta rank up there, and my two are just fine.
If you do decide to shave please leave a couple of inches...do not shave to the skin and be warned that sometimes the coats do not come back in the same and/or it takes a long time to grow back.
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Stacey
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Re: SHAVING??

Post by Stacey »

yes but i have read that they can have problems dealing with the heat??
what are some good ways to cool them down then?? I am worried when i am at work and its gets hot and really humide as it does in Brisbane (aus) that they will be harmed...
so its not really from grooming I dont mind doing that Im worried about them getting to hot... :|
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Re: SHAVING??

Post by Stacey »

sorry i replyed to that before I read the other reply..... I wont be shaving my chow!!! :oops:
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fatima
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Re: SHAVING??

Post by fatima »

DO NOT SHAVE YOUR CHOW!
I shaved mine, well i didn't my dummy hubby told the groomer to shave Bear. And it took him almost 2 years for it to grow back. Even with his fur fully grown again, it was never the same and he's had issues with his skin ever since.
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kaihauashley
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Re: SHAVING??

Post by kaihauashley »

Fatima, I'm sorry to hear that Bear has skin issues. May I know what food are you feeding him - homecooked, kibbles, raw??

I did the dumbest thing - I shaved my Chow! And I am kicking myself hard for this! I wished I read this earlier!!!! Any idea how fast Chow fur grows?
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fatima
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Re: SHAVING??

Post by fatima »

kaihauashley wrote:Fatima, I'm sorry to hear that Bear has skin issues. May I know what food are you feeding him - homecooked, kibbles, raw??

I did the dumbest thing - I shaved my Chow! And I am kicking myself hard for this! I wished I read this earlier!!!! Any idea how fast Chow fur grows?

Well this happened when we were stationed in Germany. The Vet on the base had no clue what was going on with him. We decided to take him to a German Vet. As soon as she saw him she knew right away what it was. She called it Post Clipping Alopecia (think I spelled it right). She recommended we give him Melatonin, I can't remember if it was 1 or 2 per day. She said it would help him grow his fur out quicker; And it did. A month later we moved back to the states and we took him to a vet that suggested changing his food. We used to give him Purina dog chow, but we switched it to Science Diet Sensitive Skin formula, plus she gave us omega 3 fatty acid pills. Since then his fur has grown in completely, but it's not really the same anymore. Hope this info helped out!
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kaihauashley
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Re: SHAVING??

Post by kaihauashley »

Thanks Fatima! Is Malatonin available in pet stores?
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fatima
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Re: SHAVING??

Post by fatima »

kaihauashley wrote:Thanks Fatima! Is Malatonin available in pet stores?
Actually it's for humans, not animals.
Melatonin is a sleeping aid. The German Vet just told us to go buy it over the counter and give it to him. We just ordered it on Amazon.com
I would check with the vet first just in case..
Good luck!
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kaihauashley
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Re: SHAVING??

Post by kaihauashley »

Thanks Fatima! I will just monitor the fur growth for now and see how it goes. :)
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WildThings
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Re: SHAVING??

Post by WildThings »

Fiona gets her "pants" trimmed on occasion because her fur gets really long, then she pees on it :roll: but that is all the trimming either of my chow girls gets. Fiona has been shaved before, when she was first found, and her fur did grow back really fast, but Tess is just the oppisite. Tess has some mats behind her ears many years ago. My dad, not wanting to hurt her by picking through the mats, just shaved them out. It took over a year, two shed cycles for the fur to grow back. She looked ridiculous. Towards the end of last summer, she got a large number of burrs stuck in her tail that ended up having to be cut out. This was in August, it's now February and her tail still looks stupid because the fur really hasn't grown back in at all. It wasn't cut short, but it's shorter than the rest of her fur, so it looks like she only has half a tail.

Best advice, just keep the undercoat brushed. It will get thin in the summer so they are not so hot.
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Re: SHAVING??

Post by chow fancier »

Teddy was shaved to the skin when he came to me and it took a full year for his fur to grow back in.
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chowpups
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Re: SHAVING??

Post by chowpups »

Rather than shaving the fur a trainer suggested to me to get a water mattress.. It keeps them cool and helps with keeping hotspots down on my chow.. We also travel with it in the back of the car ,cause our dog loves the car. I think its called a Kool bed for dogs, I forget now but you add cool water every so often and it really helps keep them cool. My dog sleeps next to the air conditioner on her mattress in the summer months.. In the winter months we just put a bed quilt in there on top of it and she still loves it.. If your dog is crate trained it can fit inside the crate too.. they come in different sizes.. Hope this helps.
my kids tease me, they say the dogs bed is more comfortable than theirs.. LOL..
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shybabyboo22
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Re: SHAVING??

Post by shybabyboo22 »

my chow was shaved, not all the way down to the skin though. his hair is growing back pretty good i guess. i just wish i had read this earlier :P i'll definitely keep in mind to not shave again if it isnt completely necessary
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Re: SHAVING??

Post by summer_rose03 »

As a groomer, I don't recommend it. I have seen many double coated breeds have their coats never grow back right, whether it be from one time shaving, or many. It may not happen the first time, but the more often a Chow is shaved, the more you risk ruining the coat.

If you are concerned with keeping the dog cool, shaving a strip up the belly will help with this on thicker coated dogs.You can't see it, and the coat is likely to grow back just fine because the body isn't trying to insulate the whole dog. To prevent matting in the summer months from swimming, a "feather trim", which is trimming up longer areas, such as belly, rear, legs, mane, and tail, will leave you with less hair to mat and tangle without damaging the coat.
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Re: SHAVING??

Post by Cole »

I shaved my Chow Sasha for the last couple years of her life because her hips could no longer take long grooming sessions. I never had problems with hair growing back, and never had a single skin issue. It was also nice to time it near her check-ups so the vet could do a thorough examination of her skin. I never did it to her when she was young, but at 15 with crunchy hips, it was an act of kindness.
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