To shave him or not to shave him

[AdoreMyDogs]

When I say 'shave' i don't mean with a razor, I'm talking a close buzz cut with pet grooming clippers. If I do "shave" him, it'll be a very, very short buzz cut. Like how Poodles are cut in the non fluffy parts. When I've bathed him, I've always let the soap or concoction sit on his coat for upwards of 20 minutes before I rinse it off. When I put the skunk remover on him, I left it on and never rinsed it off (per bottle instructions)

[buttercup132]

lol I know what you mean I'm a groomer.
It still doesn't grow back the same and ruins the coat and it's feel, any groomer on here will tell you that.
GSD's don't have the same type of coat as a shihtzu,poodle,bichon etc. whos coats come back looking the same.
Plus he will be even hotter, the summer isn't over yet.
Shaving him won't get rid of the smell, it's imbedded in his coat and skin.
If a human gets sprayed on lets say their arm, the smell is in their skin it's not going to come out for awhile.
And shaving with a blade that short you could seriously hurt your dog, there are alot of areas where if you even nick them they will bleed and bleed and can die from blood loss. Or you could nick a tendon.

[jenluckenbach]

Shaving would probably not help. The smell is in his pores. And the majority of dogs get the spray in the face (not much hair to shave off of a GSD face).

As you are finding out, nothing helps 100%. And when he gets wet, the smell will escalate again.

Our grooming shop uses a baking soda/hydrogen peroxide mix that works fairly well. But the hair must be totally saturated and must stay in contact for at least 15 minutes. Then rinsed.

The hard part is getting the face soaked without getting it into the eyes.

The best commercial product I ever used is called Skunk Off. EXPENSIVE, but good stuff usually is. http://www.amazon.com/Skunk-Off-32-o.../dp/B0002XJ10K

[Sirrahsim]

Poor baby! I don't know a thing about skunk odor, but I hope you find something that helps!!

And shaving with a blade that short you could seriously hurt your dog, there are alot of areas where if you even nick them they will bleed and bleed and can die from blood loss. Or you could nick a tendon.

She's not talking about going after him with a straight razor, silly

When I say 'shave' i don't mean with a razor, I'm talking a close buzz cut with pet grooming clippers. If I do "shave" him, it'll be a very, very short buzz cut. Like how Poodles are cut in the non fluffy parts.

[buttercup132]

Poor baby! I don't know a thing about skunk odor, but I hope you find something that helps!!



She's not talking about going after him with a straight razor, silly

I know but she said as short as when a Poodle is cut in between the poms which in a show Poodle (which I'm assuming she is reffering to with the big poms on the body) get shaved in a # 30 which is a surgical balde used for shaving off areas like when they are prepping for a spay or IV. It's soo easy to nick the dog with something that short.
lol I think it would be REALLY hard to do any dog in a razor other then my dog it would get hairy so fast.

[lizbud]

I don't think shaving him down will help at all, just make Boone look silly.

Like some others have already said, the smelly stuff has been absorbed into
his skin. Does your Vet have any suggestions? Seems like a lot of good things
to try has already been mentioned. Best of luck with this Leslie.

[pitc9]

I would take him to a groomer and see what they can do.

I would not shave him.

[k9krazee]

I definitely wouldn't shave him, not only would it not work but there's the chance that he wouldn't look the same afterward. I shaved half of my long haired white cat at the beginning of the summer and it didn't grow back looking or feeling the same, and it's probably not something I'd risk again. Plus, like the others it has been absorbed into his pores.

My Micki got skunked a few weeks ago. He has very short hair and smelt awful for the longest time as well, I couldn't imagine what it'd be like with a dog with a lot of fur. We did the peroxide/dish soap concoction and it seemed to work well. But the majority was on his face and this mixture CAN cause blindness so we pretty much stayed away from his face...and that's where most of the smell was. Only time will get rid of it, unfortunately. I'm sorry that it's that unbearable that he can't be in the house.

Here's another to try if you haven't..
Carbonated Soda Bath
Step1
Bathe your dog with two bottles of any brand of bottled carbonated soda.
Step2
Wear plastic gloves and work soda into the coat.
Step3
Rinse thoroughly with water.
Step4
Wash the dog with baby shampoo.
Step5
Rinse and repeat if necessary.