Doggie bath time/ dry skin

[kathi pennington]

I was bathing my baby Bear with mild dog shampoo but when I had taken him to the vet for his 2nd set of shots and check up you could really tell he had dry flakes in his fur. she said use soapless shampoo. What can I buy at Walmarts or a pet shop....please help I live in a very small town. One large store( WM) one pet shop small and lots of vets but because there is alot of farms..ie horse, cattle. Bear also just got his first frontline yesterday at the vets.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

How often are you bathing him? Dogs should not be bathed more often than every 6-8 weeks, and brushed frequently to remove dirt & dander and distribute the natural oils throughout the coat. You would be surprised how much dirt you can remove with a good towelling and then brushing. You might try doing a search for soap-free shampoo on-line, a lot of the on-line pet supply companies have a much bigger selection.
Jack has severe allergies and has very dry skin. I use a shampoo called Douxo Calming Shampoo which I order on-line, which is very effective for dry skin & allergy-issues, but I'm not sure if it's soap free.

[kathi pennington]

thanks I was bathing him once a week but also I live in the deep south and fleas are a very big problem not to mention other bugs. he was too young to use annything else so no that he is on frontline i will just comb him and only bath him once a month and see how that works out.

[Jenn&Bruce]

Karen, I checked out the Douxo shampoo, but it says to avoid eye's/mouth. I'm wondering if you have come across anything that I can use on Bruce, it's so difficult when his itchy area is only from the neck up :( very hard to target the area, but keep the eye's and mouth safe.
he's doing a little better these days, scratching only a few times a day, not every 15-30 seconds like before :)
keeping fingers crossed for a happy healthy summer for both our doodles! give Jack a big squeeze from us Newfies!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Jenn, doesn't it say that about avoiding the eyes and mouth on all shampoos? I had gotten something from the allergy specialist, but honestly, the Douxo was better. Another girl I know whose doodle also has atopy likes it best, too. I can't imagine it's any worse than anything else if it gets in the eye/mouth areas, but I don't know for sure.
I'm very glad Bruce is doing better. Jack started flaring earlier than usual this spring, because the pollen counts are really bad this year and the blooming season got thrown off by the late snows we had. But we have it under control for the moment. His worst season is August thru November, and I'm hoping the antigens will have kicked in enough by then that he won't be as bad as last fall. Keeping my fingers crossed for both our guys.

[Jenn&Bruce]

I was thinking to myself once I posted, I don't think any shampoo should be eaten, or used as an eye rinse?! I think I'm gonna give it a try. I start groomer training the beginning of June, so maybe I can order it through work for cheaper ;)
sorry to hear about Jack's flare up, I was worried that the spring was going to bring on the itchies, but it's still quite chilly here for the most part. but we do have some very nice tulips bloomed in the front garden!
I'm going about 10 weeks between bathing Bruce now, doing all the eye trims and brush outs at home. his coat looks fantastic now compared to when he was on the prednisone.
anybody tell you Jack looks like he has "glitter" in his fur. I had a bengal cat once, and he was full of what the cat breeders called "glitter".
we'll just call it Jack's "Bling" lol

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Yes, thank you! Several people have commented on how his coat almost looks metallic. One person asked me if I use some kind of hair product on him, lol. I think it's just a combination of the platinum "highlights" when the light hits them, and the texture...his coat is not very thick or wooly, it's really silky in places. Of course he sheds, though. The wooly coats have the advantage there. And maybe the primrose oil capsules help, too.

[Noble Vestal Labradoodles]

Well I would try less bathing first. Really they should be able to go many many months before needing a bath. Next time your dog is dirty try brushing first and see if that solves the problem. When we over bathe them their natural oils get stripped out and they get dry itchy skin.

As for shampoo sugestions, we love Mink Sheen (google it), you can get soapless shampoo at Petsmart and I think even Walmart. I have used human soapless shampoo on my dogs but it is way expensive~

[Mommy2Max]

They sell soapless shampoo online for dogs but, check out the baby aisle in your grocery store or Walmart. Aquaphor sells a soapless baby wash.