# Need a 2nd opinion!



## Yaichi's Mom (Jul 21, 2012)

My opinion on this is a definite NO. 

Goldens are double coated dogs. Shaving them destroys the top coat. 

https://albertnorthvetclinic.wordpr...ng-your-dogs-coat-should-you-or-shouldnt-you/

I have seen Golden's skin conditions worsen for those who get a "summer cut", which is basically a shave and the coat never grows back the same.

I think you are doing all the good things: keeping her groomed as you are doing and keeping her dry if she swims in the warm months is all you need to do IMHO.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Regwizard said:


> I had Maggie (soon 10 years old) to the Vet this morning for her itching allergies and a hot spot. The Vet I saw is new to the practice and hasn't seen Maggie before. She told me that Maggie has very dense hair near her body (not matted) and to avoid the itching and possible hot spots during the fall and spring I should have her shaved! Maggie goes to the groomer about every 4-5 months and I brush her daily. I told the Vet that I didn't think I could have her shaved. Has anyone here ever heard of this? Is it something that is beneficial? Maggie has such a beautiful coat I can't bear the thought of shaving her. Thanks for any help.


If it helps at all, I think there's something to look into if your dog has skin problems. There's grooming methods you can use in the really thick areas to thin things out enough so air gets to the skin. A lot of dogs grow excess fur around their necks and under their ears. You can thin all of that out.

Getting groomed every 2-3 weeks would actually be a big benefit for your dog. It would help clear up any issues with her skin (if her body is producing too much oils, etc). 

Depending on where you are - there's options that are not as expensive as buying your own grooming equipment or actually paying a groomer every month. 

Petsmart is one of those stores I do not shop at if I can help it, because they import so much from China and places like that. That all said, the Petsmart near where my sister lives has a "do it yourself" bathing section which was really clean and nice. This had everything from bath tubs (they were stone tile) to dryer hoses coming out of the wall. 

Blowning your dogs dry after bathing does a TON to help clean up skin problems that would otherwise develop. I think a pretty big rule is don't let your dog go to bed at night with wet skin. I think that turns into yeast infections by the next day...

There's other do it yourself grooming shops you can use too... Anything if it means helping you get into a habit of really keeping her clean and dry. Without denying her the good things in life (dogs need to swim and run through bushes and so on).


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

You need a new vet, this one doesn't know what he's talking about. Unless you have skin irritation all over so bad the skin is raw and bleeding, do not shave a Golden Retriever. 

A good deshed and blow out on a regular basis will take care of the excess undercoat that needs to be removed. 

I think you should get a second opinion on her allergies from another vet clinic.


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## Regwizard (Dec 17, 2007)

Thank you to all of you. And to Yaichi's Mom thanks for the article. I have taken Maggie to the same Vet group since she was 10 weeks old and always felt comfortable. Needless to say I will not be seeing this particular vet again. She told me that, except for the hot spot, Maggie's skin was in excellent condition. I think I will get out the furminator and use that to remove some excess undercoat and let the groomer know this too. Again -- thanks so much. I knew the right place to come to!


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## Goldens&Friesians (May 31, 2014)

I agree with everybody else! I am a professional groomer and I used to work at a vet clinic. Very rarely do dogs actually need to be shaved for medical reasons and even then its usually just shaving an area as part of surgery prep. Often the immediate area around the hot spot can be shaved so that it can heal, but my bridge girl, Autumn, got hot spots all the time, and I stopped shaving the area because I got sick of her always having shaved spots. I would just brush the area (because the hair where the hot spot is will fall out), part the hair and spray on the betagen spray (which is what we used for her hot spots). Its hard to know what your vet saw without actually seeing your dog and getting my hands on her, though. I've found that many people who claim to brush their dog everyday, either are lying or don't know how to brush properly. (I'm not saying you are lying or don't know how to brush, just making an observation.) Often people will do a really good job brushing down the dog's back, but they skip areas like the ears, leg feathering, tail, or belly. Those areas on goldens are all prone to matting and becoming thickly undercoaty if not brushed properly. I would recommend much more frequent professional grooming or else bathing on your own (at least monthly) at a place like Megora suggested. If you do it on your own, two things are extremely important: rinse the dog very thoroughly, you don't want shampoo left in the coat; and make sure that you get the dog THOROUGHLY dry. With a forced air dryer, this could take an hour or more-dry til you think your dog is dry and then dry some more. And just so you know, vets rarely ever know a single thing about grooming; they can heal your dog's body, but they are often clueless about grooming. I once cringed when I heard our vet recommend to a client with a shih-tzu that they keep the hair a little longer for winter-that shih-tzu owner was the type who waited until the dog was a complete mat ball to get it groomed and the only option is to shave it. So don't be too upset with the vet for not knowing about grooming, its not part of their schooling.


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## Goldens&Friesians (May 31, 2014)

Regwizard said:


> Thank you to all of you. And to Yaichi's Mom thanks for the article. I have taken Maggie to the same Vet group since she was 10 weeks old and always felt comfortable. Needless to say I will not be seeing this particular vet again. She told me that, except for the hot spot, Maggie's skin was in excellent condition. I think I will get out the furminator and use that to remove some excess undercoat and let the groomer know this too. Again -- thanks so much. I knew the right place to come to!


Sorry, me again! I just noticed your statement about the furminator and wanted to let you know that a furminator is actually very damaging to the coat of a golden. Its meant for hair like labs, or I've used it to help strip terriers. I would recommend an undercoat rake like this for a golden: https://www.amazon.com/Master-Groom...id=1505338286&sr=1-20&keywords=undercoat+rake


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

Regwizard said:


> Thank you to all of you. And to Yaichi's Mom thanks for the article. I have taken Maggie to the same Vet group since she was 10 weeks old and always felt comfortable. Needless to say I will not be seeing this particular vet again. She told me that, except for the hot spot, Maggie's skin was in excellent condition. I think I will get out the furminator and use that to remove some excess undercoat and let the groomer know this too. Again -- thanks so much. I knew the right place to come to!


Be careful with the Furminator. It cuts the top coat and can permanently damage it. I would recommend a simple undercoat rake instead of the Furminator, you will get more loose undercoat out with a rake anyway. I use one like this:

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41i1CqFdY7L._SL500_AC_SS350_.jpg


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## Regwizard (Dec 17, 2007)

Thanks for the links to the rake. It arrived yesterday. Today I started raking Maggie. Good grief!! Daily brushing certainly wasn't getting everything. Maggie was very cooperative and we worked in 20 minute sessions over an hour and a half. I cannot believe all the undercoat. And it's still coming. I only have done her back and sides so far. She looks thinner. And the hair is so soft! I'll keep working at it. Should I keep doing it until I don't get any undercoat? I think a few hours at a time is all Maggie and I can take.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Why on earth would you strip out your dog's undercoat? 

These dogs are SUPPOSED to have undercoats.


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## Peri29 (Aug 5, 2017)

There is sth I could not follow up? What is wrong with having undercoat???


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