How Often Can You Bathe Them?

[Guest snoopycomehome]

We bathe them every 4-6 weeks, and then dh does a spa treatment for them...massage with leave-in conditioner, vitamin E, and a blow dry. And he says that *I* spoil them!

 

In between we brush them a few times a week. And sometimes they need a 'foot bath'...that's the only part of them that ever really gets stinky.

 

They stay shiny and silky all the time and seem to only shed when the weather changes (twice a year here in AZ).

[Jerilyn]

I use the pre-moistened pet wipes at least once a week all over and do "touch-ups" on her snoot and legs if they are yucky from chewing a bully stick or something. Lila loves it. She comes running over when she sees the box of wipes.

[shawna]

Mine get a bath if the roll in something icky out on the farm. They also get a bath if they're going someplace, to board or to visit with my parents. So, maybe 6 times a year?

[joejoesmom]

I have pretty severe allergies to many, many things. However, I rarely bathe the greyhounds. If they roll in something nasty, they get baths. If they don't, they get bathed maybe once a year. The greys don't seem to bother me very much. I do go over them with a hound glove every week. I do this outside to keep the hair and dander out of the house.

 

I currently have two labrador's staying as long-term foster dogs. They are a different story. While it was warm out, they got bathed every other week (outside). Every week I go over them with a product from Simple Solution called "Allergy Relief from Pets". I think this is something similar to AllerPet (which isn't available at my local store). You don't bathe the dog, you just put some of this on a washcloth and rub it all over the dog. The bathing schedule might be reduced now that they have to be bathed in the bathtub (I hate cleaning up the bathroom after baths). I should mention though that a labrador has much more oil in their coat than a greyhound and therefore can withstand more bathing. I have never used the allergy relief product on a grey.

 

I do also give everyone fish oil to help their coats.

 

I also have a allergen type air filter on my furnace. In addition, my bedroom is allergy-proofed: no carpet or rugs, no curtains--just blinds that can be dusted, polyester batting on the vents to trap dust, allergy covers on my pillows, etc. I have a waterbed that I can wash down with a vinegar solution every two weeks. If I didn't, I would use an allergy encasement for my mattress and box springs. I also wash all blankets and mattress covers every 2 weeks. I use a HEPA vacuum cleaner regularly. By doing all of this, I am able to have my sighthounds in my bedroom at night. The labradors are not allowed in the bedroom.

[krissn333]

My big kids get bathed between 2 and 4 times a year, depending on if they're getting really dirty in the mud, or if I'm taking them somewhere special. They will get baths this week because it's time for Christmas collars and when I decorate for Christmas I clean the house really well, so I like for them to be clean too.

 

My iggies get bathed a little more often...probably every other month. One of them has some issues with his skin and hair and when he gets dirty, he makes my arms break out in hives

[HJsM]

4 times a year here. They all just got their "Oct-Dec" baths.

[Guest greys4ever]

Rhoda gets a bath in the spring when she starts to shed with the warmer weather. That's it unless she gets into something. When she got sprayed by a skunk last year there were a few baths! Took 6 months for that smell to finally go away.

 

rhoda would pack her bags and move away if I wanted to bath her every week or so!. She hates the bath she gets once a year, but she loves it when it is over, runs around the yard for a few laps.

[Guest FrankieWylie]

Thanks y'all! I usually use wipes to wipe them down when they come in from a romp at the park. Environmental allergens are an issue for my husband too. So we just get their coats good with a wipe

 

I think for now we will stick to just washing their bedding frequently and the nightly brushing. They usually enjoy that after they get their teeth done lol!

 

I'll be sure to mark the calendar so that when we think we want to bathe them we can double check and be sure it hasn't been within at least the last 6 weeks

 

Loving all the input from everyone!

[Guest FrankieWylie]

ok. We couldn't help it. There was SO MUCH fur and shedding everywhere we had to wash them. But.....after doing a little research, and listening to what you all had to say, we did not use any sort of shampoo. Instead, we did oatmeal baths! Oh.Em.Gee. What an amazing feel their coats have! And neither of them has been scratching or nipping at their backsides, which is where their skin was driest (the real test for that will be tonight I think). We ground up some oatmeal in the food processor, put it in the bath, and then rubbed some on their driest spots. Gave them a good brush down and towel off. We didn't use any sort of dryer because we felt like that could contribute to the dry skin too.

 

But, man! Loving that oatmeal bath. I think they are too!

[Wonder]

None of mine get baths

[Guest mcsheltie]

I have two friends who are allergic and have to bathe their cats and dogs often.

 

I was in Whole Foods the other day and asked a clerk what she thought their best moisturizing soap was and she told me to put oatmeal in some cheesecloth and use that. So you came up with a really good idea!

 

If you find you need more than the oatmeal, use a cat shampoo. It is very mild and then apply a conditioner.

[Feisty49]

I've had Annie Bella for just over 4 months. No bath yet and honestly, there's no way I could get her into the bathtub by myself. She won't even go into the bathroom (doesn't like small rooms).

 

Has anyone has their Grey bathed at a place like PetSmart?

[Guest FrankieWylie]

I cannot tell you how amazing they feel! It's crazy

 

Feisty, before we brought either boy into the house we took them to a local place to bathe them. It was $14 but oh so convenient! However.....we weren't thinking about my husband's allergies to certain dog shampoos, so that set him off a little. At our place (Pawtropolis), you are free to bring your own shampoo as well! I gotta say, it might be worth that $14 just to not have to clean the tub afterward LOL!

 

We bathe them in the basement bathroom which is pretty room. The tub is low enough for them to step into, but I do usually lift them in. It's not easy with an 85#er, but I'm not a small girl either When it's time to get out, they jump right on out. We line the tub inside and out with towels so they don't slip and we got an attachment for the shower head that is like the nozzles they use at the pet place we took them previously.

[OwnedBySummer]

Summer gets bathed once a month in the nice weather and then I put her topical treatments on a few days later. In the colder months, she'll get a Christmas bath and maybe an early spring bath. She doesn't get particularly dirty and certainly never stinks... but we just enjoy the bathing and I love the way she smells afterwards. I use the hound glove for both brushing and for bathing -- it lathers up the shampoo beautifully! I don't use cheap shampoo from the grocery store or anything, though -- I have a special shampoo from a groomer. If Summer had dry skin or itchiness, I would cut back on the bathing right away but she's fine with it. I never use the blow drier on her, I feel that toweling her off leaves her sufficiently dry. Of course, I don't let her go outside in the cold weather when she's wet or damp. She also gets salmon oil every day.

Edited November 27, 2011 by OwnedBySummer

[Guest FrankieWylie]

Lisa, they came to us dry and itchy, and I'd venture to say neither of them had baths in a very long time! When we gave them their first ones they each came home three shades lighter!

 

We used the blow dry at the pet place we took them and then the second time at home (on cool) because it was rather chilly that day! But, not any more. I'm with you, I think the towel dry is pretty fine.

 

When you give them oils, do you plop the capsule form in their food, or do you get it in liquid form and pour it on their food? Does it have any effect on their poops? I'd love to avoid loose/slimy poop!

[OwnedBySummer]

I buy the fish oil in a pump dispenser (Wild Salmon Oil by Plato) and just squirt a couple of pumps onto her dinner. I feed her 2 1/2 cups of kibble with warm water for breakfast and about 11 oz. of canned moist dog food for dinner with the oil on it. I never noticed any change in her poop when I started the oil but she has a pretty iron-clad digestive system -- she doesn't have greyhound gas or tummy rumbles or any of those things and I can switch her food around cold turkey with no issues.

[joejoesmom]

Whenever I start a foster on fish oil, I start very slow. I typically put 1/2 teaspoon on each meal for a week or two. If there are no poop issues, I will increase it by 1/2 teaspoon amounts to the max recommended dosage or until I see the results I'm looking for. I did have a vet tell me that I could use olive oil instead of fish oil if budget were a concern. I have used the olive oil with a foster who we suspect was allergic to fish and it did seem to improve his coat some.

[greyhoundlov]

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?

 

I bathed mine at least every 3 months, more if they needed it. If you don't think they need a bath, take a look at their bath water. Ick.

 

If my dogs are in my bed, they are getting baths!

 

Never really had a problem with dry skin. I used Nova Pearls shampoo from PetCo. Pricey but a nice lanoline base that made them sleek and shiny (shiney?). My black babies never had dandruff or dry skin. They also got a fish oil supplement on the days we didn't give them fish.

[Guest FrankieWylie]

Well, the liquid, especially with a pump makes LOADS of sense! I'll have to pick some up this week. Magic could use a boost in his coat while Charlie's is pretty good. I'm wondering if the heat being on in the winter will dry their skin out the way it does ours? Is that a ridiculous thought?

 

There was minimal butt biting last night from Magic, so that was great! Charlie slept like a baby....his first time! I'm gonna attribute that to the bath and exhausting 8pm walk more so than the oatmeal soothing his skin

[OwnedBySummer]

Glad it sounds like you are already seeing some improvements.