I never said we clip him to the skin ! We clip him to make it easier for him with his many baths to dry quicker and make it easier to apply creams when he needs them, he is on steroids so his hair is very thin in places anyway. Also Duncan has very little hair on his chest naturally he just never grew much hair there. What would you suggest I do ? Just leave his hair long ? We do what our vet has suggested to make his life as comfortable as we can. I am very glad he is ours and not yours with your attitude to protecting him.

I'm late with this thread and I admit I haven't read all the replies yet...

I have 2 Miniature Poodles and I like to keep them clipped very short.
It makes life easier for both of us... they don't particularly like being brushed, and I don't particularly like brushing them so a #10 blade all over suits us both well. Plus, Brody loves water and if you have ever tried to dry a poodle let me tell you, they don't dry quickly when they have long hair.

Anyway, they LOVE their coats, when I get them out of the cupboard at night they do a little dance then stiffen up so I can put them on easier.

My Chinese Crested on the other hand goes beyond a 'dance' he goes crazy for his coat, he hates being cold and he thinks he is just the best thing ever strutting around with his coat on.

Mine don't wear them all the time as they are indoor dogs and we have heating in winter, but at night they have them on in their crates if it's particularly cold.

Tom gets referred to as Del Boy in his coat ! But who cares he is a skinny hound who feels the cold !

Do they? Not heard that, Ive seen loads of grass allergies in dogs, never seen one with weeping sores, just red blotches that are itchy. If they skin in nearer to the grass its logical it will be worse. Obviously a dog that has such weeping sores will have been wrongly exposed to the grass.

Im not "assuming" anything. I do think its counter productive (never said stupid nor would I, only you did, please dont imply I did)

Yes Id leave his hair as it should be, I wouldnt expose him more to anything he may be allergic to, never.

Apologies if I assumed incorrectly, but it is how your post came over (to me at least). I think we have to remember that just because 'we' have never seen or heard of something that it doesn't exist (believe me, in the case of severe allergic reaction, weeping sores can be common).

'Wrongly exposed' can mean anything from rolling a reactive dog around in grass to a dog accidentally brushing against a clump of it. Some exposure can be avoided, some cannot

Sorry, but this is a bit like the argument that parents should never take their eyes off their kids for a single second. It may sound semi-reasonable in theory, in practice it is impossible

old and arthritic dogs need regular short exercise! its a necessity.
imo its cruel to let them fester

Duncan is allergic to many things including grass, pollens are actually the worst thing for him and I have no idea apart for putting him a plastic bubble for the rest of his life how we could possibly not expose him to them. If it was so easy to do we certainly would be doing it as he gets not just reddened skin patches but big teenage type spots which when they pop turn into sores, skin then blackens and all the time it is intensely itchy for him. His skin around his eyes swells and his eye lids close to slits. Thank goodness for steroids as this keeps him comfortable most of the time and thank goodness for companies who make clothes for dogs as that stops the worse of the allergens touching him.
He has to be bathed after every walk and malaseb bathed once a week.
If we could stop this we would love to do so as it is not nice for him at all. But why anyone would think we chose this is beyond me

Same as humans - exercise, gentle exercise, is the best thing for arthritis - as a sufferer myself, I speak from experience. Despite agonising knees, I NEVER take the lift, and during the summer months bike for miles along the canals with the dogs. It hurts like hell sometimes, but is definitely good for me. The day I sit down and give up is the day I would start a steady decline towards being incapacitated.

Same with our dogs, they need exercise, however old, however crippled. You just need to tailor it of course according to their particular disability.