# Soothing razor burn/itch?



## Dechi

A bath with oatmeal shampoo maybe ? Let the shampoo sit for a few minutes and rinse with water as cold as he will tolerate.


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## PoodleFoster

lisasgirl said:


> Poor Archie wound up getting shaved today because I was a doofus and let him get too matted. Now he seems very itchy, especially on one of his front legs. I don't see a rash or anything, but I think the skin is irritated from being cut so close.
> 
> HELLO
> I'm sorry about the itch. There are several things you can do.
> Firstly, do NOT give him an oatmeal bath! (If he is a grain free pet, you shouldn't be using oatmeal.)
> SEcond, since he's short, why not give him a soothing shower? Finish with a apple cider vinegar/water rinse, do not rinse off. 50% water, 50% apple cider vinegar.
> You might give him some antihistamine, look up dosage online for his weight. (or call your vet for dosage) Crush the pill and administer with a dab of plain yogurt , pnut butter, or coconut oil.
> You can also pamper him with coconut oil, that is soothing and won't hurt him if he licks it off. (he probably will like it, so don't give him too much.)
> Good luck.
> 
> PS I had a foster dog for 3 months this spring with severe skin issues. These are some of the things I did to relieve his itchiness.


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## Dechi

Oatmeal bath seems so much simpler and doesn't involve giving medication.

Lots of info about it too. I don't see how it could harm your dog.

Oatmeal Baths for Dogs with Skin Problems: Recepies and Recommendations


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## hunny518

If it's just a patch of razor burn then rub some coconut oil on it works when ever I accidentally irritate my girl. I use a 40 blade because she is a show dog and sometimes I still irritate her skin here and there, but the coconut oil takes out the inflammation almost immediately plus, if she was to lick it, it won't hurt her


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## Poodlebeguiled

I hate to contradict people but I'm saying this from a standpoint of a medical background. I would not use vinegar on your dog. Razor burn is minute ouchies...holes in the skin and vinegar could really burn and irritate more. Personally, my inclination would be to soak him in a tepid bath for 10 for 15 minutes with a little oatmeal shampoo. (unless he has an allergy to oatmeal or some other ingredient)Typically it's a soothing thing as far as I know. (haven't yet looked at Dechi's link) Baking soda is another thing used to soothe skin. It will get better probably in 2 or 3 days. Another thing that is soothing is Bag Balm. But make sure he's not allergic to that first too. And I would rub most of it in your hands and then put thinly on him. It can be pretty messy. Personally, I'd probably not use it just because it's so greasy but it's something used a lot for sores or irritations. You could do the same with some Neosporin. 

Do prevent him from licking, biting, scratching. That can cause further problems. If necessary get an Elizabethan collar.

Clipper burn can result from dull blades. The groomer probably didn't have fresh, sharp blades and also when the clipper gets hot...that can exasperate things. 

Anyhow, this will heal up soon no doubt. Don't let him get matted again. It is so much easier to maintain a shorter coat. But if you want a long one you really have to brush and comb every square inch, down to the skin every day...no getting around it. That's why I switched my dogs to a short clip...that and I like their perky-dog look. Good luck.


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## Tiny Poodles

It won't help you now, but for future refer my breeder says that coat handler skin works is amazing for clipper burn. I bought some to have on hand, but have not had to try it yet.
PS, don't blame the groomer, it is tough for them to shave mats without hurting the skin as the skin can actually be caught up in the mats. If they did it without any immediate visible skin injury, they did an outstanding job!


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## zooeysmom

All great ideas. I have to say, coconut oil has been wonderful for Maizie's feet for the first couple of days post-groom, or if her face is irritated. (Thank you Charmed for the recommendation.)


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## Mysticrealm

Sometimes dogs can be itchy after a groom due to the little bits of clipped off hair that may be caught against the skin under the dog's coat. Giving him a quick spray off could help.
If can also feel funny for a dog that was long and matted to be short. Those matts would have been pulling on the skin as well and it will feel weird to have them off so it may not have anything to do with the groom other than that the dog no longer has long hair and matts.
The best thing to do is to prevent the dog from licking or scratching.


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## sidewinder

When I was a working groomer, I had a red minipoo who always got an irritated skin after grooming, no matter what blade I used. Those redheads have sensitive skin! Her whole body would be enflamed, even with a 5 or 7! I asked my vet what I could do about it, and she said to put hand lotion on her with an aspirin mashed up in it. 

So when I was done grooming her, I'd crush an aspirin, mix it in some hand lotion, and put it on all the spots that were clippered. Worked great! Today, I'd do the same if I needed to, but I'd use coconut oil instead of the hand lotion. Of course, if the coconut oil works alone, you don't need the aspirin.

The vet said the hand lotion had some alcohol in it to disinfect, and the aspirin would soothe the inflamation, but if it looked infected, you could do the same thing, but use bacitracin or something like it along with the aspirin.


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## lisasgirl

Thanks for the tips, everyone! I absolutely blame myself and not the groomer, as I was the one who let the mats develop. He has tricky hair that turns into a mat factory at a certain length, and when his hair grew out I didn't step up my brushing to match.

He seemed to be itching in lots of different places this morning, so I gave him half a Benadryl (1mg per pound of weight, rounded down) and put aloe on any place I noticed he'd been licking. The Benadryl has him pretty drowsy (he keeps just moving from one lap to the next and napping on people) but he isn't licking or scratching. I'll do the oatmeal bath a little later and see if that'll take care of it without needing to give him meds. His regular shampoo has oatmeal in it and has never been a problem, so I might try the oatmeal/baking soda mix from Dechi's link. 

I'm trying to avoid giving him a cone collar unless it's absolutely necessary. Hopefully the itch will clear up very soon.


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## Streetcar

If it's very isolated areas, Bactine could be useful maybe. Just be sure he doesn't lick there. Or if he's okay with oatmeal, maybe even an oatmeal-based conditioner bath without the shampoo, just dilute conditioner.


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