How Often Can You Bathe Them?

[Guest FrankieWylie]

I know one of the fabulous things about these guys is they don't NEED baths. However, with my husbands allergies, we want to stay as on top of it as we can. Is a bath every week too much? Every two weeks? Can you over bathe them? They each got a bath before they even stepped foot in the house, and then one last weekend. So that was basically two in the span of two weeks. I'd love to give them another bath this weekend as Magic still has some sever skin and hair shedding going on.

 

Is there such a thing as too many baths?

[Sambuca]

Yes, you can over bathe them. It can severely dry out their skin and hair if bathed to often. I think once a month is probably more than they should get, but may be ok. You need to just watch then and see what works for them.

 

Yes, you can over bathe them. It can severely dry out their skin and hair if bathed to often. I think once a month is probably more than they should get, but may be ok. You need to just watch then and see what works for them.

[Guest sweetpea]

Too many baths can dry out their skin and make skin and shedding issues worse.

 

Remind me how long you've had your dogs? I know 3 months after Sweetpea came home,

she blew her coat, which was a whole lot of fur flying, let me tell you.

But it passed, and her new grown up coat came in, and now she's the least of

our shedding problems in this house. (3 cats, one with long hair, oy...)

 

Is your husband allergic specifically to dog hair and dander?

(Does anyone else remember the Brady bunch episode where they almost had to

get rid of the dog until they figured out that Jan was allergic to the flea

powder they were putting on him?)

I only ask because he might not react to the dogs as badly as you imagine he will.

(Unless he's already reacting, then disregard!)

 

Other folks will have advice about skin and coat supplements that might help Magic.

 

Good luck!

 

Buzzy

Edited November 19, 2011 by sweetpea

[GeorgeofNE]

Yes, you can bathe a dog too much. Once a week is WAY too often, IMHO.

 

Once a year is enough for most Greyhounds.

[Fostr_Mom]

When my kids need a quick cleanup between their usually twice a year bath, I use a waterless shampoo and a wet washcloth to just wipe them down. There is a conditioner in it. Doesn't dry out their skin and is quick. You might consider doing this once a month, and just brush once a day outside and wipe down with a towel to keep any dander down.

[Guest FrankieWylie]

We've had the boys since October 30.

My husband is allergic to it all LOL! Fur, dander, saliva etc. I am thinking dander more than fur though since that's what greyhounds apparently have less of and he has minimal reaction to them. He is also allergic to flea dips, certain dog shampoos and etc. When I tell you his being able to tolerate these guys is a miracle, that is not an exaggeration.

 

I was thinking that more than once a month was probably too much, but wanted to check! If it were ok to give them baths every two weeks we totally would because they love it! We will just stick to brushing and wiping them down for now Magic gets extra pampering since he has bad "elbows" and his poor bum is still bare and has some issues. He totally enjoys his spa time

 

Thanks y'all!

[Batmom]

If you give them a good brushing and then wipe them with a damp cloth, that'll help pick up any stray hairs and dandruff. New to home + the time of year many dogs turn over their coat for the winter could = more shedding and dandruff for a bit. I probably wouldn't bathe with shampoo any more often than once every other month.

[EnzaFerrari]

Enza gets a bath in the spring and in the fall. Maybe another one in the Summer but that's it.

[krissy]

Summit has had one bath in the year that we've had him, right after we got him because he smelled like the kennel. He had a "half bath" in the spring when he lay down in a mud puddle and got his belly all covered in dirt.

 

Once a week is WAAAAY too often. If you want to bathe them more frequently than every few months make sure you use cold water. Aside from this being preferable for greyhounds because they tend to faint if you wash them with warm water, using cold water will also prevent their skin from drying out. Use a moisturizing shampoo/conditioner as well.

[Guest tammara]

I have bad allergies and we try to bathe the dogs one a month and have never had any problems.

[KF_in_Georgia]

If the hair and dander are getting to be a bit much, try just rinsing the dogs, brushing and drying them, but avoid the skin-drying shampoos. Just water, no "product."

 

Also, if the dogs ever are itchy after a bath, assume you didn't get off all the shampoo and just rinse them again--thoroughly.

[Guest zombrie]

I am also allergic to dogs and do really well with greyhounds even when they are filthy (I work at a greyhound kennel).

I bathe mine every couple months, but not at all during the winter (unless they get something on them that made them dirty).

Edited November 19, 2011 by zombrie

[rschultz]

Lexie get 3-4 full baths a year. I do wipe her down with warm water after she visits nursing homes. A little fish oil in their food can keep the coat smooth and soft.

[Busderpuddle]

I bathe Ruby once a month and then 5 days later put on her heartworm medication. I have been using this routine for 18 months and she has never had a problem with dandruff or acted itchy. I use a oatmeal soap and also a oatmeal conditioner and she always looks so shiny and smells good. She doesn't seem to shed too bad either but there is always a lot of hair in the shower drain. I use ear cleaner too right before her shower and the vet always says her ears look great.

[tbhounds]

Yes, you can over bathe which may strip the oils from the coat but, using the proper shampoo can eliminate that problem. My hound has horrible seasonal allergies that can be controlled with weekly medicated baths. We use a medicated shampoo and there has been no drying, flaking - in fact if we don't bathe weekly his skin and coat become a wreck. So, if you need to do more frequent bathing because of your family's medical problems just make sure you use a mild moisturizing made for dogs shampoo. Use cool to lukewarm water to help prevent drying of the skin.

[cleptogrey]

i have had great success using ALLERPET when my allergies flare up. it breaks up the enzymes and dander on the coat that we allergies sufferes are bothered by. i bath the dogs 2-3xs a year max,(mild shampoo w/ built-in conditioner) but they do get a good hosing down during the warm months(just water no shampoo- it cools them and keeps the outdoor allergies out of the house) when they are hot after running. using a curry comb(extra soft) and a stiff brush (found at tack shops) helps w/ the shedding then a wipe down w/ allerpet(on a wash cloth of a wad of paper towels) should help keep things under control.

 

for allergies i find the following really helps: it's no dogs in the bedroom, lots of vacuuming, washing the dog bed covers every other week, keeping the car clean(man do they shed in the car) and don't forget the zyrtec and eye drops. i do react to other dogs more than my own, but that's because they are NEVER bathed!(they had the one and only wash when adopted years ago)

[Hubcitypam]

When I worked at the daycare/boarding kennel the groomer said more than once a month was generallly not a good idea.

 

Poodle gets beautified about every 6 weeks and the greys get a bath in the yard with the hose once or twice a year.

[Guest HHHounds]

Bath less often and clean house more often...

[Guest mariah]

Has anyone else used the dog wet wipes? I had pretty good success with those. They don't dry out the skin the way a bath would, but still take care of dirt/odor. I would use those every two or three weeks and do a regular bath every three months or as needed. Something to look into maybe?

 

Some of them do shed a lot when they first come home. I read somewhere that you should brush them daily or every other day with one of those rubber mitt gloves for the first few weeks, which is what I did. Over time it wasn't needed anymore than once a week.

[Guest FordRacingRon]

Leia gets her Christmas bath and her summer bath. I should add though she is not an outside dog,,spend maybe 1 1.2 hours a day outside and most of that is walking.

 

We have a dog visiting us right now while her parents are on a cruise. She is a fawn and her fur is really soft. Although Leia's brindle coloring doesn't bother me, the fur from our guest kills me. I found the Benedryl we keep aroudn the house takes car of that. PS: our guest is 12 years old. I am nervous as all get out having a 12 year old here,,,I keep an eye on her like a hawk.

[Trihounds]

Holy smokes - there is a lot of bathing going on!!

 

While I realize a 'reasonable' amount of bathing poses no risks and the dogs may enjoy it, we've gone 2.5 years without bathing the dogs. We obviously could have but have not been presented an actual reason to bathe them. They have no smell, no dandruff, minimal shedding. Their coats are shiny and healthy so in our house....if it ain't broke....

[Scooby172]

I bathe my dogs probably two to three times a year, usually in the warmer months. Both had multiple baths this year due to two skunk encounters, we used the Dawn dish detergent recipe which really dried out their skin, took awhile for them to get their nice, soft coats back.

Linda, Bella and Keeva

[MerlinsMum]

Once a week?

 

I'd be very concerned about their skin with that many baths. I'd definitely scale the bathing back drastically.

 

Merlin has been with us since January 2007 and he has had about two baths. Sagan has been here since 2008 and has never been bathed. They both smell amazing.

 

They do shed. The trick is to vacuum every single day. I hope your DH gets some relief soon. I am assuming he is on anti-histamines? Are they not helping?

[XTRAWLD]

We bathe the boys a few times a year. They get bathed outside because it's so much easier than sticking them in the tub. They get their last one of the year on the last nice day in October, and their first one of the year on the first nice day in the spring sometime. If between that time in the winter they are really gungy I will take the plunge and give them a bath in our bathtub. During the summer they get one as I see fit, typically every six weeks I think is how it's been equalling out.

 

Kasey has environmental allergies and we tried bathing him more often to help his skin recover, that was really the only time we bathed him more regularly when he was going through his trials, etc. If I run my hands on the boys and my hands come up all gross after a couple passes, a bath is in order!!

[Guest verthib]

Should be bathed no more than once per quarter. You'll make the skin dry out and flake even more. They already have low oils. Can he try allergy meds and then slowly back off? It's amazing how the body can adjust to most allergens.