Stripping

[Dempsy's Mom]

I started to strip Demps the other day. It was going quite well, I thought. I used rubber gloves and Demps really seemed to enjoy it. But Dempsy's hair is thin and it is just a little scary. When I picked him up at the humane society, that is what I noticed about him is how thin his hair was ... anyway I stopped and I ordered the book from this site on stripping - should be here this week. So Dempsy's main body is partially stripped, but his legs and butt aren't. I guess my question is do I take all the long hairs off? Does anyone have any bald spots after they are done? Because I think Demps might have some bald spots if I keep it up.

[sanford]

There are other subscribers to this site who have the knowledge & experience to answer your stripping questions for Dempsy. I've read here about Cairns that had thin or poor coats because they had previously been clipped instead of stripped. In some of those cases, when the Cairns were totally stripped down to their "underwear" the coats grew back healthier & fuller. Perhaps this will also hold true for Dempsy, if you go ahead & strip him entirely. It's just wonderful that he seems to tolerate stripping so well! Many Cairns hate it & don't cooperate at all. Dempsy sounds like a gem!

P.S. How is his leg doing? I was concerned re your posts earlier in the year, describing his rear leg problem. Has it improved?

[Dempsy's Mom]

I hope that that is the case and after being stripped Demps grows back a beautiful coat. As for his cramping, he hasn't had any major episodes since they occurred shortly after I got him. He has had some cramping, but it usually happens when he has played alot. I may see a twitch or two, but nothing that hangs on or makes his leg cramp up to where he doesn't use it. So all is going well with Demps.

[kintra]

When I don't see my grooming clients for awhile, their hair gets more thin and stringy. In a case like that I'll typically strip them down to their undercoat, then thicker hair will grow back in. Never worry about stripping bald spots we all make bald spots and the great thing about hair is it always grows back

[Dempsy's Mom]

Thanks Kintra!