Pets
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Pug Owners - shaving pug?
Has anyone shaved their pug during the summer? my pug dog has very thick fur and he seems pretty miserable in the heat and scratching. I've been using a special wash to help with the scratching but I'm considering shaving his neck area where the fur is really thick the help him cool down.
He's an indoor dog pretty much and we live in a mild climate so I don't think I'd be doing anything harmful to him but I am curious as to what other things.
Re: Pug Owners - shaving pug?
I have 2 pugs and would never shave them - it's really not a good idea. Their double coat actually helps keep them cool in the summer, and shaving it can mess up the hair growth permanently. It also makes shedding even worse (contrary to what a lot of people seem to think). Keep him in a cool room, limit walks to evening or early morning, provide plenty of water. You can also provide a wet towel for him to lie on or spritz his chest and belly with cool water when you're outside to keep him cooler.
Shaving also would not help the scratching. What special wash are you using? How often are you bathing him? Too often can actually dry out their skin and make the itch worse. Also, what type of food do you give him? The scratching could be food allergies, environmental allergies, or a bunch of other things, many of which can be fixed.
Don't shave your doggus.
I'm a Pug owner myself, and I wouldn't advise on shaving your dog. Mine is an indoor dog and get's pretty hot during this time of year. But when ever I go for walks I always carry a doggy water bottle for her to cool down. Even giving her a quick shower (which she LOVES) to cool her off helps. They cool down pretty quick once they are done with their hyper mode. lol. Bella usually just plops down on the carpet and takes a little nap.
I would deffinately speak with your vet and ask for any suggestions if it is a growing concern.
OOOPS!!! I need to read the post better, sorry!
(People that keep dogs outside infuriate me.)
But I have heard that it is a fallacy that the dog's
coat helps keep them cool, so I vote shave.
Can you point me to where you saw this fallacy? I'd like to know whether this information is from a trustworthy source. My understanding is that dogs shed their undercoat in order to stay cool in the summer, so shaving both the outer coat (guard hairs) and the undercoat doesn't really help. Also, even without the cooling benefit, as I noted in my prior post, you can permanently mess up the fur growth, and it actually makes shedding worse. There are much better ways to keep your pug cool.
My previous job (of 6+ years) was a pet grooming. I wouldn't advise shaving any type of dog (or cat for that matter) with fur type coats. Eventually over time the coat grows back thicker. It damages the guard hairs and increases the undercoat. These dogs always came back in with THICK coats, and shed worse then before. It may not happen right away, but it does happen over time.
In some cases I have seen it over time lead to hair loss (alopecia) and different types of skin diseases in all different types of breeds. Google "coat funk" to see what I mean.
Pugs are a brachycephalic dog breed. It's well known that these types of dogs have heat aversions, and have a higher chance for heat stroke. Its not because of their fur, its because of their inability to efficiently cool themselves.