[echo8287]

My brother has a mixed breed dog that I know has a lot of Chow in him. He has a blue tongue. He has reddish orange bushy thick hair. It has been about 90 degrees lately and I have been doing some work on his house, and I noticed the dog seems really hot. He is shedding big chunks of hair. I have read that it is not a good idea to shave down a Chow, but my neighbor had a couple of them and one died from heat exhaustion a few years ago. Can you shave down a mixed breed like this or not? I was going to take my clippers with me next week when I work on the house.Thanks ,David

[FourIsCompany]

You shouldn't shave a dog with a double coat. If he's shedding big chunks of hair, he should be brushed, not shaven. The long hair actually protects the dog from the heat (and cold).

So, take your brush instead of the clippers. I actually use a rake (made for brushing dogs) and a wide-toothed comb. Or better yet, inform your brother that he needs to take care of his dog by brushing him.

Also, make sure he (the dog) has plenty of water to drink, lots of shade and even a kiddie pool with 6 inches of clean water in it to cool himself off if needed.

[animalcraker]

Shaving the dog down wouldn't make much of a difference if there's still loads of winter coat hanging out on him. Which sounds like that's the case because he's still shedding chunks of hair. A professional groomer will be able to get all that dead undercoat out and make him feel much better. You can also try brushing him out at home. An undercoat rake works quite well on chow type coats, you may have to part the hair so you can get all the way down to the skin. Brushing him out during a bath will also help. You'll also want to use a high power blow dryer or shop vac on reverse to dry him out, so long as he tollerates it. The force of the dryer pulls all the dead hair out of the coat and blows it away from the dog.

[six pack]

90 degree heat can be pretty miserable for everybody. I would suggest removing the undercoat as the previous posters have said and perhaps trimming up the abdominal area would help. In that kind of weather, it is best if you notice the dog starts minding the heat to send him/her inside.

[echo8287]

Thanks, I'll take the brush's instead of the clippers. I had already told him NOT to give him a haircut till I checked on it. He stays outside and it is pretty shady where they live. There is a lake nearby also and my brother said he takes an occasional swim in it. David