naked husky!

[liiikesunshinee]

a 14 year old husky came into the vet today and was matted almost completely head to toe with extreeeeeme undercoat. she had NEVER been groomed in her entire life and was basically neglected for the past 18 months because a vet misdiagnosed her warts for skin cancer so the owner has been waiting for her to die.

ive only been grooming for about three years and this was soo overwhelming.

i had to #10 shave her chest, stomach and halfway up the sides, and all of her read end, legs, and tail (that came off in one single mat!). when i pulled the mats away, she had completely bare skin underneath, NO new hair growth whatsoever. i managed to leave her head and back (i took out soo much dead overcoat though and the remaining hair was thin and damaged) and she had long hair, kind of like a collie, so it covers her sides. and i left little booties on her feet too.

anyway, i live in northeast ohio and were known for our bitter winters. im concerned about a naked old dog freezing her tail off out there and looking for some advice to give the owner to keep her husky warm?

[stewiedog]

1. Don't leave her out in the cold, no dog should be let alone a 14 yr old bald husky.
2. Petedge sells hoodies that I have sold to Great Dane owners, so there are clothes out there to fit large dogs.
3. Did they check her thyroid while she was in? Maybe that would explain/help the hair growth if there is an under lying thyroid issue

[gottalovegracie]

If he still lives outside at that age in the bitter cold, she should get him a heated bed I think. His old bones could use the warmth.

Beyond that, for NEXT winter...warn her to get him groomed! So doesn't have to be shaved down. That is one of my pet peeves (I know he needed it but...), I hate when owners of goldens, huskys, pyrenees, etc. want them shaved down...UGLY! And besides that, all that hair is there for a reason...summer and winter, alike! Keep them bathed/brushed and deshedded...but please don't shave them!! They think shaving them in the summer helps against shedding...I think they just shed smaller hairs, but they still shed! Why not defurminate the heck out of them so they won't shed?? Just a thought...

[Jenneversage64]

Good for you

Hope Santa brings her a warm bed, and a nice warm red sweater.

[4Sibes]

Ug. Sounds brutal for you and the dog.

This is a long shot...but any chance she lives IN the house?
If she's a house dog...there are companies that make dog coats styled in the fashion of horse blankets, w. thick, fleecy lining, and they are toasty warm.

If by chance she has a dog bed...plenty of companies sell heated inserts/mats for dogs that can go right into their dog bed.

My fear would be at her age, due to hormonal changes...that the coat will either NOT grow back, or grow back slowly and in patches....nothing sufficient enough to keep her warm. I've seen that in almost 50% of the female huskies that age or older...that had to be clipped down entirely.

If she's an outdoor dog, I guess the best I could recommend would be an insulated doghouse w/ an offset door, raised up a bit off the ground, a good thick dog bed and heated insert w/ lots of blankies.

Frankly, if the dog isn't permitted indoors this Winter, and I knew the people well enough, and they ASKED me my opinion...I would have to recommend something a little more humane than being outdoors, at this age, w/ no fur, through a bitter Ohio Winter.

[liiikesunshinee]

she says that normally she is an indoor dog but has been mostly outside lately (because she was waiting for her to die!). the owner is verry concerned about the dog being cold outside, so im hoping she will keep her inside.

maybe it is a thyroid issue? the dog is skin and bones, maybe 40 lbs TOPS, and has very dry, flaky and almost yeasty skin. lots of sores underneath the undercoat on her back too. i chalked the weight up to age and neglect, and the dry skin due to the matting. did i miss an illness?

i told the woman i would keep in touch, so should i suggest she take casey to the vet for a check up?

[liiikesunshinee]

originally she wanted me to completely bruush out the entire dog! oh lordd if you could have seen these mats.. tragedy, total tragedy.

[petgroomaustralia]

Those double coated dogs wont grow hair under bad matting, its common to shave it off and find bald skin.

[Alice]

she says that normally she is an indoor dog but has been mostly outside lately (because she was waiting for her to die!).

Wow, that's awful! That sounds heartless.

[4Sibes]

Based on your description of the coat...she definitely sounds like what we husky people call a "woolly", (which is a completely undesirable/disqualifying fault coat in the breed) and you did the only thing you could...by clipping her. There really is no way to humanely work out that mess when those coats go unmaintained.

Definitely, a vet visit would be a good start, and a thyroid test, but not to be surprised if thyroid comes back w/ in normal ranges. There really is no medical solution I am aware of if it is just old age hormone related. Just keep 'em warm.

I would just really put the "nice pressure" on for them to allow her in the house, and a cold garage is NOT the house. Concrete will suck the heat right out of an old, bony animal.

Thanks for being so nice to an old dog.

[mylady]

I used to live in Toledo so I know what the winters there are like. Wouldn't want any dog out in that for extended periods of time. Hopefully, now knowing she doesn't have cancer she'll keep the dog inside.
I had a client with an Aussie get diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in his nasal cavity. They were going to put him to sleep but then decided after he appeared to be feeling better to just watch him and let him enjoy what time he may have left. 6 months later they were at the vet with him and they got an "oh, by the way" and then were informed that after every dog they xrayed were coming back with some kind of "tumor" they found the equipment was casting shadows where there were no tumors and their dog did not have cancer. Didn't bother to call these people and what if they HAD put the dog to sleep? And how many other pets were put to sleep? So I tell EVERYONE, get a second opinion when you get that kind of news.