Should you shave your pet's coat in summer?
Looking at your furry dog or long-haired cat, you might feel sorry for them in summer and be tempted to shave off their fur. As you're sweating in the heat, you could find yourself wondering if your pet is overheating, but before you do anything, please continue reading!
Why should you not shave your pet's coat in summer?
Most pet experts will warn against shaving pets for this simple reason: your pet's hair isn't designed like yours. Did you know that your pet's coat actually provides them with heat relief? Pets' coats act as insulation and keep them warm in winter, but also prevent them from overheating in the summer! Interfering with their natural coat can lead to not only overheating but also discomfort, sunburn, skin irritations, skin cancer and abnormal hair growth.
Our pets’ coats have several layers that are essential to their comfort in the heat. When we get our pets shaved, we think we're doing them a favour, but actually we're taking away their natural, biological cooling system. Their coats are naturally designed to keep our fur babies' body temperatures regulated! It's also important to mention that dogs and cats naturally shed their coats during summer which allows their skin to remain cool.
Often, when animals are shaved, their coats grow back to make them even hotter, and usually grow back to be more thick and coarse. Shaving your pet's fur can cause irreversible change to the quality of their fur, as the fur follicles don't grow back properly like our hair does.
If you have shaved your pet and notice their fur not growing back normally, there are a few things you can do to encourage healthy skin and coat:
- Feed your dog a highly nutritional diet for a healthy skin and coat (view all our pet food and treats here), or even a raw food diet, instead of commercial pet foods, which are full of preservatives, colourants and other harmful chemicals!
- Skin & Coat Tonic helps to restore healthy skin and glossy coat, strengthens hair shaft and follicle, prevents bald patches and helps fur to grow back.
- A good quality supplement like AniFlax Flaxseed Supplement is fantastic for vitality, skin, coat, joints and more!
How to keep your pet cool in summer
Instead of shaving your pet's fur to keep them cool in summer, it's ok to give your long-haired dog or cat a slight summer trim. 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.
Keeping your pet cool in summer goes beyond just their coat. Please read THIS ARTICLE containing important guidelines to follow, to ensure your pet is healthy, safe and comfortable during the hot, summer months.
If you have any health-related questions, please contact us or leave a comment below for FREE advice. We always love hearing from you!
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