[DogsR4Life]

Last year Chase had a horrible skin issue during the cold seasons, and i thought i cleared it up. Well its that time of year again and im now seeing a pattern. Chase has worn a coat over the past week and he now has ingrown hairs in the areas the coat covers. Its not to the point of infection (last year was terrible), so i use a sterile needle to take the hair out.

Now, my question is, should he try and go coatless this winter? To me, thats borderline animal cruelty. In Canada temps can reach -40C and last year Chase was bundled up with three coats. I cant keep him inside, he will go insane, he needs at least 2 hours of outdoor exercise daily.

Has anyone experienced this? Is there a coat out there that can minimize this?

NOTE: He has been to the vets countless times last year for this, the vet suggested no coat.

 

[mmctaq]

I do not know if this applies to you or not, but I have seen one instance of a Doberman with awful skin issues only on areas of her body covered by her coat that I suspect was due to an allergy to either a laundry product or to the fiber from which the coat was made. Forty below is pretty damn cold! I cannot imagine that no coat is any kind of answer. Perhaps you could try a different coat (I would suggest one with a smooth lining, as versed to anything knitted), or try laundering his coat in a hypoallergenic detergent, adding a big slug of white venegar to the rinse, and then rinsing an extra couple of times as well... no faberic softener, either.

I really don't know if this will help your issue or not... hopefully so! If not, I would probably choose ingrown hairs over frostbitten and miserable, myself.

 

[DogsR4Life]

I do not know if this applies to you or not, but I have seen one instance of a Doberman with awful skin issues only on areas of her body covered by her coat that I suspect was due to an allergy to either a laundry product or to the fiber from which the coat was made. Forty below is pretty damn cold! I cannot imagine that no coat is any kind of answer. Perhaps you could try a different coat (I would suggest one with a smooth lining, as versed to anything knitted), or try laundering his coat in a hypoallergenic detergent, adding a big slug of white venegar to the rinse, and then rinsing an extra couple of times as well... no faberic softener, either.

I really don't know if this will help your issue or not... hopefully so! If not, I would probably choose ingrown hairs over frostbitten and miserable, myself.

Thanks for the reply. I have thought of switching his coat from wool to cotton, or silk lining. I contacted a coat designer and got a coat custom made for him, havnt tried it yet because its too small Ill be contacting the designer again to see if she can make changes or make another coat altogether.

As for hypoallergenic laundry detergent, I do wash with it, and no softener. Ive also tried putting an undercoat on him, to minimize the rubbing.

Does anyone know where i could possibly get a slinky for dogs? I see it on show horses all the time to keep the hair flat, maybe this will work for Chase?

 

[thea2003]

Last year Chase had a horrible skin issue during the cold seasons, and i thought i cleared it up. Well its that time of year again and im now seeing a pattern. Chase has worn a coat over the past week and he now has ingrown hairs in the areas the coat covers. Its not to the point of infection (last year was terrible), so i use a sterile needle to take the hair out.

Now, my question is, should he try and go coatless this winter? To me, thats borderline animal cruelty. In Canada temps can reach -40C and last year Chase was bundled up with three coats. I cant keep him inside, he will go insane, he needs at least 2 hours of outdoor exercise daily.

Has anyone experienced this? Is there a coat out there that can minimize this?

NOTE: He has been to the vets countless times last year for this, the vet suggested no coat.

I live even further north than you, in cottage country- the snow belt. Rarely does saph wear her coat. Just watch your dog if he starts lifting feet or shivering bring him in for a while to warn up then go back out. As long as your dog is keeping active, he shouldn't get terribly cold.

 

[Zeus's Mommy]

Try K9TopCoat they have really awesome stuff

Here's Zeus in his.

 

[Ninabug]

I'd wonder about an allergy to something in the coat. A friend of mine (and was/is here on DT) just found out his dobe has a cotton allergy. I mean...he was full-blown hives for almost a year while they figured it out (he was too young for reliable skin testing until just recently). There were other allergens too, but cotton surprised both of us.
I'd try a different fabric for the liner and possibly the fill.

I really like our coats that are made by a horse blanket company. Super warm and the fit is adjustable.