# Shaving undercarriage advice (at vet's recommendation)



## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Welcome to the forum, sorry to hear about Moose's health problems. 

I've never heard of a vet suggesting this but if the Vet felt it would help regulate his body temperature and recommended it, maybe it's worth doing. 

Do you have a cooling mat for him? 

I've also seen bandanas and a scarf like thing that goes around your neck that you put into the freezer before hand and it keeps you cool throughout the day. 

Amazon carries mats and scarves-bandanas, Chewy the bandanas, didn't check for the cooling mat there. 

Good luck with Moses, hope he's doing better soon.


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## tiffnk (Aug 15, 2013)

We have 3 cooling mats in the house and an evaporative cooling vest already. Thanks for the suggestions!


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

How warm is it in your house? 

Do you provide cool water all the time for your dog? 

Is your dog obese? 

Has your dog had heat stroke before? <= I think dogs might be like people and be more vulnerable after a bad attack. 

To me - if my dog is suffering after brief exertion/exercise inside the house, my primary concern (assuming you don't keep your house at 76+ degrees) is there's a health reason causing my dog to have hyperthermia. 

You can thin out your dog's coat, but basically that's not going to stop your dog from overheating if you keep your house like a sauna, if he's already prone to heat stroke, and/or if there is another reason why his system can't tolerate exercise without him having hyperthermia.


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## Catgondek (Jul 3, 2017)

I didn’t know that overheating was a thing, poor darling, it must be frustrating for you! My baby bottoms out if she gets hot on a walk and simply won’t go one step further till she can lie in the grass and cool off. Often she will roll out her back, legs up, if someone has a sprinkler going on their lawn. Her favorite place to sleep in in the cool, tile shower. My husband gives her ice cubes in her water, but I am always hesitant for fear of her getting belly cramps 

Which cooling mats do you have? We are in Florida and my baby gets so warm. I have been looking at cooling mats on Amazin but didn’t know which to choose.

Sorry I don’t have any answers for you, only more questions but it sounds like you have a lot of experience with what to try.


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## tiffnk (Aug 15, 2013)

My dog is not obese. He is quite muscular, particularly for a golden retriever, as noted by several vets. He has no known underlying medical issues and has been seen by three vets and specialists at the teaching hospital. My house, as of right now, is 64 degrees and he has access to cool water all day long. We run the AC in the summer and we purposely don't run the heater often in the winter because he clearly prefers it colder. I am not potentially ignoring serious medical conditions that may be present. Moose is my life. 

To the poster who asked about cool beds, I am more than happy to strategize and share! 

I have 3 large size K&H cool bed III's. They occasionally go on sale on Amazon and I pick more up then. They have a foam core and are filled with water. He really likes these for long periods of sleeping. They're sturdy but I have them all over the house and I had one get punctured by a broken suit case wheel. Customer service was great and replaced it! 

I also have an extra large arf pets self cooling gel mat from Amazon that is thin and doesn't use water but is surprisingly cold (I can't stand to be on it for more than five minutes). It's very versatile and large enough that we even drape it over the couch, but it generally just hangs out next to the coffee table. It's biiiiiig but he loves it.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

tiffnk said:


> My dog is not obese. He is quite muscular, particularly for a golden retriever, as noted by several vets. He has no known underlying medical issues and has been seen by three vets and specialists at the teaching hospital. My house, as of right now, is 64 degrees and he has access to cool water all day long. We run the AC in the summer and we purposely don't run the heater often in the winter because he clearly prefers it colder. I am not potentially ignoring serious medical conditions that may be present. Moose is my life.


I'm sorry if my comment sounded accusing. I primarily meant that I don't think the dog's coat is the issue if he's indoors in a cooled building when he experiences hyperthermia. 

Obesity with these dogs is about 20# over the breed specific weight. So for golden retrievers, that would be 90+ pounds. And a heavier dog may well have less tolerance for heat (but even there, it's concerning if heat has nothing to do with it since the dog is inside the house when his temp goes up).

https://wagwalking.com/condition/malignant-hyperthermia

https://www.vetinfo.com/malignant-hyperthermia-in-dogs.html


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## Catgondek (Jul 3, 2017)

It is so hard when a Vet tells you something, and you want to believe them and do what they say but you just wonder if they know as much about your individual situation as you do. I know we obeyed my Vet and waited till after the parvo shot to start classes with Bella and I feel like we missed some valuable lessons to be learned by keeping her “safe” from 12weeks to 16 weeks. Trainers and classes would have accepted her at 12weeks. But that is in the past and I feel we play a bit of catchup with her socialization because of it. I am now fighting the vet’s suggestion for early neutering, so while I go to this Vet because I trust his education and wisdom, I try to do my own research and discuss her medical care instead of following blindly 

If she had a health thing and I was told to shave her, I would certainly reach out for other opinions from this forum for others who had perhaps experienced the same thing. Better to talk with a bunch of golden people than to just follow blindly what a Vet says who doesn’t see this breed day in and day out or see her misery at being hot day in and day out. 

Anyway, I feel your pain, and I really appreciate your input on cooling mats. I may order one tonight ! Bella will be ever grateful to you. So ... thank you!


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## tiffnk (Aug 15, 2013)

No worries. I appreciate the info and the concern. It's always better to be safe than sorry. They've ruled out malignant hyperthermia, which is primarily a pharmacologic response vs excercised induced. 

He's a lean 68-72 lbs depending on the day. 

We definitely know that shaving his coat isn't going to solve any of this, but if it can even help a little it may make the difference between organ failure and not.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

I have no experience with laryngeal paralysis but found some info at this site-

https://www.acvs.org/small-animal/laryngeal-paralysis

And it says this in one part of the article-



> Because animals use their breathing as a means to cool themselves naturally, pets with laryngeal paralysis are more prone to overheating under conditions that would not make a normal dog hot. This may be a simple walk outside on a sunny day or vigorous play on a cool day.


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## usually lurking (Apr 21, 2017)

What about a fan that he could lie in front of when he's hot? Even better if it's positioned near a floor vent where your AC comes out. My dogs have always enjoyed lying on the vents when they are hot. Obviously, it's not an answer to the shaving, or the reason for the hyperthermia, but it's another option to help him stay cool, if you aren't doing it already.


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

Shaving his belly/undercarriage can help by giving more direct contact with floors, the cooling mat, etc. My old boy had a thick coat, which got really thick after he was neutered. He was most comfortable in his “puppy cut” with his belly shaved. The groomer shaved his body down to an inch or so of coat, including his legs and tail. He looked exactly like a giant puppy


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## tiffnk (Aug 15, 2013)

We've also got large box fans and live in a place where the air returns are in the ceiling. 

Glad to hear someone has had some success with the belly trimming. Thanks for the advice!


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## Lambeau0609 (Aug 3, 2015)

My golden is groomed and gets hair cuts every 3 months. I live in AZ and prefer my golden with short hair. I know many people will disagree with me but my dog isn't a show dog and with the amount of time he spends in a pool and out in the AZ heat I just prefer his hair short.. And less of a chance getting hot spots from not drying fast enough after swimming. And I get many compliments on how gorgeous of a dog he is.


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

The summer my Brady had abdominal surgery for a blockage, his whole belly was shaved from his back legs to his front. If he was standing, you would not even be able to see, looked like he had a full coat. It took that whole summer for his fur to start growing back. What I noticed was the high 90 degree heat did not bother him that summer. He loved staying outside in it and loved sleeping on the hot concrete (his choice not mine). Although we recommend not shaving a golden, there might be some truth about shaving or trimming down the undercarriage for health reasons. My Brady's fur is also a lot longer and thicker than most goldens. Spay coat too.


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