Daddy has to help with bathtime or else I get soaked
Recently, Finley started scratching herself, a lot to the point where her normally pale pink skin is quite pink and noticeable through the fur. No, she doesn’t have fleas. It was the first thing I checked for…obsessively. When it wasn’t getting better, the next conclusion I reached was that she was allergic to something she was eating. We had changed her food not that long ago and the scratching started soon after the change, but I had gotten a kind that was grain-free and somewhat hypoallergenic, so I couldn’t be sure. The only real difference between the two foods, other than the grains, was turkey and potatoes, instead of chicken and small amounts of corn. I had been giving her some yogurt and new peanut butter treats. So maybe she’s allergic to one of those.
We finished up that food and went back to the one she was eating at the shelter. We got a free big bag of it from the neighbour since her dog can’t eat it (allergies), so she was getting a slightly different version. They had schnauzer so it was for that breed but the ingredients varied little from the poodle version we had been giving her and I wasn’t about to pass up a $50 bag of food.
All that aside, her skin was getting a little raw from the scratching and nibbling so I wanted to get shampoo or something that would help to ease the itch. She also has a couple of spots on her back where her fur feels very dry and coarse. This happens to me in the winter, to my hair and skin that is, but I couldn’t very well slather her up with moisturizer. Or I could but that would be awfully messy. Shampoo that moisturizers or helps with the itching is probably the best bet.
I ended up getting two kinds, something expensive and hypoallergenic – didn’t help in the least. I ended up using an oatmeal shampoo that I bought at Wal-Mart. This seemed to work rather well. Although by then I wasn’t sure if it was the food, the lack of giving her yogurt and peanut butter treats or the shampoo itself. For a couple days, she scratched herself less and then a little bit more over the next three days. Then I gave her another bath with the shampoo.
Which had me wondering, am I bathing her too often? I had read online that bathing your dog frequently was no longer the big no-no it used to be and you can do it as often as necessary. I used a mild shampoo so I figured it was alright and it doesn’t seem to be making the situation worse. But then there are those people who think it’s a sin to do it that often. Some “helpful” store employee at the pet store thinks it’s wrong to do it more than once every three months.
Wait, I can only give them a bath every three months? I felt like asking her how insane she was. Then I just figured if she wants to give her dog (assuming she has one) a bath only 4 times a year, it’s her choice if she wants a dirty dog.
My question is, how often to do you bathe your dog? Is it better to rarely do it or is it safe to shampoo and clean away?
We finished up that food and went back to the one she was eating at the shelter. We got a free big bag of it from the neighbour since her dog can’t eat it (allergies), so she was getting a slightly different version. They had schnauzer so it was for that breed but the ingredients varied little from the poodle version we had been giving her and I wasn’t about to pass up a $50 bag of food.
All that aside, her skin was getting a little raw from the scratching and nibbling so I wanted to get shampoo or something that would help to ease the itch. She also has a couple of spots on her back where her fur feels very dry and coarse. This happens to me in the winter, to my hair and skin that is, but I couldn’t very well slather her up with moisturizer. Or I could but that would be awfully messy. Shampoo that moisturizers or helps with the itching is probably the best bet.
I ended up getting two kinds, something expensive and hypoallergenic – didn’t help in the least. I ended up using an oatmeal shampoo that I bought at Wal-Mart. This seemed to work rather well. Although by then I wasn’t sure if it was the food, the lack of giving her yogurt and peanut butter treats or the shampoo itself. For a couple days, she scratched herself less and then a little bit more over the next three days. Then I gave her another bath with the shampoo.
Which had me wondering, am I bathing her too often? I had read online that bathing your dog frequently was no longer the big no-no it used to be and you can do it as often as necessary. I used a mild shampoo so I figured it was alright and it doesn’t seem to be making the situation worse. But then there are those people who think it’s a sin to do it that often. Some “helpful” store employee at the pet store thinks it’s wrong to do it more than once every three months.
Wait, I can only give them a bath every three months? I felt like asking her how insane she was. Then I just figured if she wants to give her dog (assuming she has one) a bath only 4 times a year, it’s her choice if she wants a dirty dog.
My question is, how often to do you bathe your dog? Is it better to rarely do it or is it safe to shampoo and clean away?
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