How long for shaved GSD hair to grow back? - Page 1

My 6 month old just had OCD surgery on both shoulders. They shaved him from shoulder to just above his wrists(?) on both legs..and one back leg for IV. He is so itchy and looks pretty pitiful ( we have a tshirt and donut on him to combat this)...we have a ways to go recovery wise, but alls well so far.. So I am just wondering how long it will take for his coat to grow back?

Normally it take a few months depending on where he is in his natural shed cycle. But most dog that i've seen in surgery have pretty much a full normal coat back in place in about 4 months. Even dog's i've shaved as a groomer are usually 4 to 6 months before they are back for a reshave. (i groomed in florida and everyone wants everything shaved.) You can help his by gently brushing the area shaved with a boar bristle brush at first and then as the coat starts to sprout a slicker to stimulate the area and remove the dead clipped coat. Sounds crazy but it does help with dogs that suffered posy clipping alopecia.
Best wishes in his speedy recovery.
Fry

When my border collie had his shoulders and chest shaved for his OCD ops it took about 4/5 months for the hair to grow back. He was extremely irritated by the shaved areas and actually they broke out into wet eczema.... so while the area was sore I used Dermisol Cream to sooth it and he wore a t-shirt... then I used a very light covering of Aqueous Cream + t-shirt for about 3 weeks.

Thanks for the replies! That makes me feel much better. I had been doing some googling myself and came upon a couple horror stories here or there where it took 1+ years or came in spotty.

He is currently wearing a tshirt and donut while unsupervised/sleeping, but last night in his crate he must have scratched pretty bad at himself. While he still has his stitches I was told not to put anything on his legs, but any other ideas to relieve this?

Once the stitches are out, I will look into the Dermisol/Aqueous Cream...are these prescription or over the counter? I will have a follow up with the vet next weekend to remove the stitches so I can also ask him about something to soothe his skin.
 

When they do surgery they shave that area in a #40 blade and unfortunately most vet techs don't really know the correct way to use the blade. Hence the clipper rash. I've shaved hundreds of poodle faces and feet in the same blade and never has a dog breakout not even the white ones. Witch hazel is good for reducing skin irritation and can be wiped on with a cotton ball. Also trim and file his back nails so that are less likely to do damage. It's gonna suck for him for about 3 weeks until he gets over the itchies and his irritation goes away.
In the mean time keep his mind of his itchy skin with really good treats and puzzle toys. Kongs stuffed with goodies are awesome.

Here in the UK Dermisol and Aqueous are non-prescription.

Aqueous cream is a cheap over the counter cream usually in a big tub and only costs £2.99

Dermisol is really good but its not so cheap 

Vetericyn works well for shaved and irritated areas, non-stinging as well. Have used it for many conditions on the dogs, cats and horses with very good results. Since dogs are now starting to grow their winter coats in with the shortening day lengths, you may see good growth in as little as two months. 

Areas of hair that do not grow back at all, especially on the shoulders at first, or in tufts can be indicative of adrenal or thyroid problems. So then you would want to run some bloodwork to check levels. (Always helps to support the adrenals first if there are thyroid issues.)  Your boy looks fit and healthy, so you should a full coat before you know it.

Best of luck with the post-op rehab!

Thanks for all the input!

I definitely don't think the tech who shaved him did a good job, he has quite a few nicks and scrapes, but the rash looks better(i think)...but I don't know what the norm is for shaving at all so maybe this is to be expected.They did trim his nails while he was out, so that has helped. Once he has his stitches out I'll start looking into what creams to use. Anything I decide on I'll okay with his surgeon first just to be on the safe side. Is dermisol sold in the US? Everything I have searched for has come up in the UK.

He did have blood work prior to surgery and everything came back normal, so hopefully his coat will come back in no time. I will try methods suggested to encourage its growth.

Right now we will just try to keep him occupied with some busy toys!