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Clipping My Keeshond Due To Infection


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My 8 year old Keeshond has a skin infection due to a flea or 2 that missed the frontline.

I saw the vet's today and he needs me to wash her back half daily in Malaseb medicated shampoo.

My dog is used to being washed and groomed so this wasn't a problem but as the scabs are coming off they are matting her coat.

I have decided to have her clipped (her first and only time) to help get rid of the infection and also make fighting the infection easier.

What do you think?

Obviously it is not the ideal but with 2 small children to look after by myself, I think it is the best option for both of us.

I will then buy her a coat and hope that she keeps it on through winter.

Would love any advice from anyone who has gone through a similar situation.

TIA

Mer

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It wont help but all it will do is make it easier.

We have clipped a number of Keeshonds off but they where elder dogs whose time had come to enjoy minimal brushing.

Honestly if you can put up with it i would do so,it would want to be a very bad infection to warrant clipping the coat & remember the coat your dog has is its age

Not a fan of malasab but many vets suggest it .

Is it infections or little hot spots??

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No, infections. Her skin is very red and all scabby. She is on antibiotics as well.

I googled clipping Kee's after I had posted that and now I am not sure.

Her coat has been getting thinner as she gets older and now I think if I clip it, it will never grow back.....

Guess I need to find a good de tangling comb and hope she will let me sit down with her and comb them out.

Any recommendations?

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I have only ever clipped off one Keeshond and he was a rescue dog that had been matted very badly and his skin was infected. I can't remember how old he was but his coat took ages to grow back.

If you can I would try a good steel comb and try and get the scabs off using that.

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I would highly recommend against clipping, particularly if it's a skin issue...

At best, it'll just take a long time to grow back (probably a poorer coat though). At worst, it could make the skin irritation worse or not help at all (fairly common).

I know how awful and time-consuming it can be with a Keeshond with skin issues (my boy has severe atopic dermatitis), but I would personally never resort to clipping.

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I had a pair of Keeshonds from a puppy farm some years ago. One was very badly matted and didn't like being groomed (which was probably why she was matted). As they had not been handled much, I decided clipping her would be far less traumatic than trying to groom her out. She tried to run away when being groomed, and as they didn't have names, or any social graces, it was all a trauma, and I felt, not good for her eventual rehabilitation.

She was easy enough to clip, and it solved the mat problem, but her coat took a very long time to grow back. I think it took nearly a year for them to be ready for new homes, and her coat hadn't grown through properly even then, although it was on the way. It was still short, and quite hard get brushes and combs through, even though short. I remember using a very wide tooth steel comb to "break" up the hair.

I wouldn't do it unless there was no other way.

But that's my only experience with clipping them :bolt:

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I would take her somewhere where they have a force dryer. The force dryer will get rid of the scabs, remove any lingering moisture and help separate the hair thus avoiding any matting.

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I would take her somewhere where they have a force dryer. The force dryer will get rid of the scabs, remove any lingering moisture and help separate the hair thus avoiding any matting.

+1

That's a great idea. It may help a lot with removing the scabs and thinning out the undercoat enough to make future bathing and grooming easier.

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Thanks for all your tips ladies.

I have just ordered some Free Itch and a detangler comb with rotating teeth so hopefully I can get get the the matt's before they get too bad.

Let's just hope the order arrives on Wednesday.

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  • 3 months later...

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