Groomers - will coat grow back as before?

[mollichop]

My friend has just phoned me in tears her Malamute is currently at the groomers having a bath and groom as her coat has become matted. The groomer has said he cannot get them out and suggested shaving it. She agreed to her tummy where the matting is but not a close shave as a compromise.

He has shaved her all over except for her tail and head She is upset that the coat wont grow back and undercoat will be ruined.

She is currently in discussions with groomer re not doing as she asked and money owed etc...

Anyone with experience of how her coat will be affected/damaged please?

 

[CorvusCorax]

Nice time of year to pull a stunt like that

Gonna PM you a link to a similar story involving a LC GSD.

 

[NOISYGIRL]

I had a long haired GSD who sometimes had matts where his bloomers were, I just used to snip them out. I suppose it depends how bad and how many there are

 

[blackcob]

Oh dear, your poor friend.

The only experience I have is with a sibe - the lady that did our home check for Ricoh bought along one of hers and I remarked on the very unusual coat when I stroked her, it looked nice and plush but had a harsh spiky feel to it. She said that her previous owners had clipped her repeatedly as they couldn't cope with the coat. She'd had her for several years at this point and the coat had remained the same.

Hopefully as this is just a one off it may be okay - was the dog in full coat and due a 'blow'? It's that time of year, hopefully the new undercoat will be due to come in.

If it's a close clip then sunburn is a worry, they tend to have very little pigment in the skin, the coat is their UV protection.

 

[s4sugar]

No way to tell if the coat will grow back ok. It may or it may not.
All I can suggest is thoroughly rake out the remaining undercoat or loose coat to keep the hair follicles stimulated.
Malumute coats will de matt easily and should not need clipping or shaving unless, for example, the dog has a health problem which precludes brushing or matt splitting. I use a HV dryer to lift the clumps out and have groomed chows with three layers of coat felted down to the skin.

If the dog won't tolerate the dryer (sounds like a Hoover) I show the owner how to section the coat & reshedule for when the owner has split down the matts.
If your friend can get to me -J27 M1 - in a months time I'll give them a lesson in coat care so this doesn't happen again.

 

[SusieT]

Why did the dog have matts? My guess is shaving was the only option-lesson learnt, brush your dog more regularly! She will probably need a coat if she's going to be outside much as is shaved all over.

 

[mollichop]

Thanks for the replies! Yes BC moulting and about to blow - I walked with her on Monday and she was losing a fair bit.

Thanks CC will pass it on to her

S4sugar i'll ask her - that's a kind offer - cheers.

SuzieT - yep, they may have felt it the only option, matts weren't visible but I guess they were mainly underneath. She looked like she needed a good brush but not overly bad.

So brush to stimulate regrowth? She uses a furminator - is this o.k or will it be too harsh on the shorter hair?

She's a house dog so should be warm enough, she will probably put a jacket on her for walks until it grows back.

 

[PucciNPoni]

You might find just now while dog's got a baldy that the furminator a bit abrasive on the skin (depending on how short they went).

With luck after a single clipping it won't ruin the coat, and keeping it brushed should help stimulate as suggested.

While I'm not defending the groomer, nor the fact that the dog may have been matted - in my experience Mal's don't matt up that easily if hte coat is correct - so wonder if perhaps there was a hormone problem which caused the coat to be overly soft and therefore easy to matt - which would also explain why the groomer couldn't blast the excessive hair away.

Hard to tell without seeing it. Hope there's not lasting damage!