Heat Wave Approaching! Should You Shave Your Pet?
Summer is in full swing, and temperatures are heating up nationwide. We know that as a responsible pet parent, you want to do everything you can to keep your best four-legged friends cool. So when you look at your furry dog or long-haired cat wearing a thick, fluffy coat, you might feel tempted to break out your grooming tools and give him a serious buzz cut.
While you or I would hate to sport multiple layers in 100-degree weather, your pets’ fur coats are actually providing them with heat relief. Acting like insulation, a dog’s coat keeps him from getting too cold in the winter, but also keeps him from overheating in the summer.
Our pets’ coats have several layers that are essential to their comfort in the heat. Robbing your dog or cat of this natural cooling system can lead to discomfort, overheating and other serious dangers like sunburn or skin cancer.
Don’t feel frightened about grooming your pet. It is ok to give your long-haired dog or cat a “summer cut”—trimming their long hair may make it more manageable. However, it is best to allow a professional groomer to perform the haircutting, and never shave down to the skin or try to cut the hair yourself with scissors.
If you prefer not to cut your pet’s hair, that’s fine. Dogs with thick coats naturally shed, so they have lighter coats in the summer. Remember to regularly brush your dog’s fur and bathe them frequently, as clean, brushed fur allows for better air circulation.
Pet parents should also remember to provide a shady area when taking your pet outside, and to provide plenty of water during hot days—hydration is key! For more important information on summer pet care, check out the ASPCA’s Hot-Weather Safety Tips.
The tips can help your pet stay cool during the dog (and cat) days of summer:
Fur also keeps all sorts of unpleasant things from coming in contact with your pet’s skin, such as allergens, insects and lawn care products. Without the protection that hair provides, your pet may be more likely to develop painful rashes or bites after spending a little time in the yard.
Although wearing a fur coat in the summer might increase your risk of heat stroke, the same isn’t true for your pets. Their coats actually provide a built-in heating and cooling system. During the winter, your dog or cat’s fur offers warmth when it lays flat against the body. When temperatures soar, the individual hairs in your pet’s coat stand upright, maximizing air flow.
A summer haircut may help you feel more comfortable during hot, humid summer weather, but it won’t have the same effect on your pet. In fact, cutting or shaving your pet’s fur can actually compromise your furry friend’s ability to remain cool.
Cutting or shaving your pet’s hair interferes with your dog or cat’s ability to stay cool. Although you may have the best intentions when you turn on the clippers, your pet may have more trouble regulating heat after a shave or haircut. Shaving can even affect your pet for years to come if hair doesn’t grow back again after a shave or grows in an abnormal pattern. The problem is particularly harmful if your dogs’ undercoat doesn’t grow back completely. Without that protective layer of hair, your dog will have trouble handling both hot and cold temperatures.
As it happens, I own a dog with a double coat, a Great Pyrenees mix named Watson. Pyrs are a kind of mountain dog originally bred to guard sheep on a French mountainside, not walk the mean streets of Philadelphia in summer. In an attempt to make him more comfortable in the city, I brought him to a dog groomer.
Most cases of heat stroke in dogs do not happen in late summer, but in the cooler temperatures of spring. Cohen says as soon as the days warm up, owners itching to get outside take their dogs running before they have adapted to the season. It’s the dogs that suffer from the owner’s enthusiasm.
Dog fur is complicated. Many dogs – even some short-haired breeds – have two layers of hair, an undercoat and an overcoat. In winter, two fur coats is a great idea. In summer it may seem unbearable, but dogs do not experience heat the same way people do.
It’s hard to be a dog during the dog days of summer. The heat of July and August can be uncomfortable for Fido, at best – at worst, tragic. For some dog owners, it may seem intuitive to take off that fur.
When the stifling heat and sweaty humidity of summer comes crushing down on you, imagine putting on a fur coat.
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Its totally natural to think a shaved dog will remain calm, cool, and collected when the temperature rises. After all, they have all that fur (well, except for the Mexican hairless dog!) which has to be uncomfortable.
While all dogs need regular grooming, they rarely—yep, you read that correctly—require shaving. Why? Susan Divine Sholar, president of the American Professional Pet Groomers Association, says dogs dont necessarily ever need to be shaved. “Their coats serve a purpose for the environment and activities they live in,” she says. “Most groomers are happy to help you understand whats necessary in maintaining your pet and how often the pet should see the groomer.”