CHARLOTTE, N.C. — We all want to protect our furry friends during the summer when the temperatures rise. One viewer wanted to know if shaving their dog's fur coat will keep them cool.
THE QUESTION
Will shaving your dog's fur coat actually keep them cool?
OUR SOURCES
THE ANSWER
No, shaving your dog will not keep them cool in the summer. In fact, shaving them could expose them to the sun's harmful rays.
WHAT WE FOUND
Belzer said shaving down your dog does not keep them cool. In fact, if it's a double-coated dog, it will actually make it worse for them.
"You're taking away the protection from the sun," said Belzer. "The only way your dog really sweats is through their tongue. So removing that protection and extra coat is not the way to get your dog cool."
Belzer said it's easy to look at a double-coated dog in the sun and assume they're sweating in the heat, but she said dogs don't sweat like humans.
"They do not sweat through their skin. They sweat through their tongue," Belzer said.
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Doherty said if you shave your dog's coat, you could expose their skin to the sun.
"A shaved dog is much more at risk for sunburn and maybe more likely to overheat without the protection of that fur to block out some of the sun's rays," Doherty said.
Instead of shaving a pet? Doherty said pet owners should brush their dog's fur every day to ensure air can move freely through their coats.
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