why-animals-do-the-thing:fleshcircus:why-animals-do-the-thing:chazzfox:honor-among-thieves:I’m under
why-animals-do-the-thing:fleshcircus:why-animals-do-the-thing:chazzfox:honor-among-thieves:I’m under the impression this dog is a malamute mix. Tumblr, I’m going to do the thing that you hate and ruin all your fun: shaving a double-coated dog is very bad for them. Shaving a double-coated breed of dog can permanently ruin their coat, especially if they are older. Instead of explaining to you how this works I’m just going to plug in a few easy-to-read blog posts about this that will explain everything you need to know as to why you should never do this to your dog:http://animatch.ca/blog/why-you-shouldnt-shave-your-double-coated-doghttp://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/why-you-shouldnt-shave-your-dog-in-summer/The added information seems like it would be good for @why-animals-do-the-thing to reblog and share?I actually originally had this response to their regular shaving of Leo, too - but it turns out this is a specific circumstance where it was more okay. I can’t find the original post that mentioned it, but basically what I remember is this: Leo is old and doesn’t groom himself well, and may have been shaved previously before coming to OFSDS. They shave his coat to help him in the summer heat because he does have issues with it - it is easier to maintain that way, they can add layers to keep him warm but allow him to stay comfortable without it - and as old as he is, his comfort is more important to them than keeping his coat in good condition for the rest of his life. If anyone knows the source for where this was originally discussed, please do add it. In almost all other cases, never shave double coated dogs. According to his profile, he was found very matted with lots of bruised skin.. so even if it were possible to efficiently comb out his matts, it was probably preferable to spare his skin and shave it off.Apparently now, hes super sensitive and doesnt like his coat being brushed or messed with at all. He had to be sedated to have his coat shaved.. so presumably regularly brushing him is not a very promising option lol. I think they are doing the best that they can. (This is all info available on their facebook page)….I didn’t think to check FB. Whoops. -- source link