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Welcome to the latest Newsletter.
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VIDEO
OF THE WEEK
This week's video follows the theme of my advice in this
News Letter which is all about bathing a dog and entitled
"To Bath Or Not To Bath"
Enjoy!
This Week's News
Katrina dog back
in New Orleans
A dog which was parted from its owner during Hurricane Katrina has been
returned to New Orleans after a custody fight that went to court.
It's the year of the dog in China, but it's not a good year for man's best
friend: an effort to stamp out rabies has prompted authorities to limit families
in Beijing to only one dog.
The directive, reported by state media on Wednesday, follows a campaign in
which tens of thousands of dogs were killed to fight the disease.
Pet
detective gave couple hope in finding missing dog
After searching and searching for their missing
dog, a Lawrence couple called a pet detective. No, it wasn’t Ace Ventura, but a
woman from Oklahoma and her pack of canines.
Tammy and Mick McElhinney’s dog Bubba, a Shar-Pei,
went missing Oct. 21
Lawrence resident Tammy McElhinney and her Shar-Pei, Bubba, are back together
again after Bubba went missing Oct. 21
Walk Your Dog And
Get Rid Of The Blues!
Dogs have not been named ‘Man’s Best
Friend’ for nothing. Not only do they provide excellent company
for their human owners, but as it turns out, your constant
companions are also responsible for keeping loneliness and
depression at bay
Now I know that the subject
of bathing your dog can get quite contentious. I have
friends with dogs who feel that a dog should only be bathed
when absolutely necessary (usually because he smells so high
that the family would leave home if he wasn’t bathed….or
have I just made a good argument for leaving the smelly
rotter as he is….). Then there are others, who feel that
their pooch should smell just as good as they do, and may
bath them very frequently indeed.
Well, I am not going to take sides because I can see both of
them, but I do think that you need to be sensible about it.
My own dog is a Briard and I am very lucky in that he only
really gets that strong ‘doggy’ smell when he is wet; he
really does smell nice, to me at least! Even so, I do bath
him regularly – every 10-12 weeks, because I also like to
keep my home smelling clean and fresh and this dog really is
a house dog (you would think he’s the one paying the
mortgage by the way he takes possession…but that’s a story
for another day!).
Whatever your preference there are also some considerations
that you should make with the dog in mind because they may
affect his well being. I have seen some dogs whose coats are
so grubby that I wonder what else may be living in them and
if you let their coats become a breeding ground for fleas,
lice and the like, then that will cause great discomfort for
the dog (and you also if you are squeamish about such
things).
Bathing also gives you (or the poodle parlour) a chance to
examine their skin very closely for signs of injury,
infection or infestation. It can also highlight things like
excessive hair loss, which may be caused by an underlying
illness that you haven’t noticed yet, like a thyroid
condition. If your dog moults quite excessively you may not
have noticed the difference, but I can assure you that you
would if you bathed him. My Briard started to lose his hair
due to an under active thyroid and I really noticed that
when he was bathed. However I don’t think any breed should
be bathed too much as it can destroy the natural oils in
their coat that act to protect against, cold, water, some
parasites etc. The only other thing I want to say is that if
the dog has either messed himself and sat in it, or has
picked up dog mess from a walk, then please make sure you
clean it off properly, with a proper dog soap/cleanser. If
you leave any residue the awful parasites and bacteria that
live in dog excrement could infect the dog, you or your
family, so its worth the extra effort to do it properly. Dog
faeces can also set off some serious skin infections on the
dog that can be persistent, difficult and costly to treat.
So, to me bathing a dog needs to be given some
consideration, and its not just the question of how
frequently you do it, but also how you do it. So let’s now
look at how you should bath a dog.
The first thing you should consider is whether you are going
to do it yourself. Remember that the poodle parlour will
also do other things that you may not be able to or willing
to do – like cleaning ears and plucking hair from them,
clipping nails and clearing out anal glands.
If you are going to bath the dog, then the following will be
helpful to you, but please make sure that you are sure you
are up to the job before you start it. I cannot bath my
Briard on my own and would not even attempt it, so my other
half is roped in. If you are not sure that you can
completely control the dog then don’t attempt it on your
own. Also remember that even if he sits there as good as
gold, you may still end up with an aching back and water all
over the place, so its not for the faint hearted! However,
if you can do it you will save money and you will be able to
do it at your convenience, perhaps waiting for a good dry
and warm day so he can dry off outside.
Before you start get the leash, shampoo, towels and cotton
wool (put a little in his ears to keep water out) ready
before you start, and don’t forget you need a handy water
source (please don’t subject him to freezing water out of a
hosepipe especially in cold weather). No matter how well
behaved he is I would always tie him up to a strong object,
if someone else can’t be there to hold him. Finally, please
remember to make sure you have enough time for the job – it
can take longer than you think to bath a dog especially if
he wriggles and moves a lot, so don’t forget to have your
patience handy as well!
Let’s start with the shampoo. Contrary to popular belief,
there is a reason why they make shampoos and conditioners
specifically for dogs, so please use one. Using human
shampoo on dogs, no matter how mild you think it is can
still cause infections or irritation, so to me it is not
worth the risk. I am also very keen on using natural
products on my dog but I will leave that up to you. Dog
shampoo is quite concentrated so you don’t need too much to
get it to lather and most are formulated to be used with
cooler water. Some also have foam reducing properties. I
don’t use a coat conditioner on my dog because I think his
coat is already magnificent and I make sure that his coat is
looked after with what I feed him. However if you have a
longhaired breed that is difficult to groom then there are
some anti-tangle shampoos and glossers that will help you
out with the grooming. There are also grooming sprays that
you can use on their coats whenever you groom them that will
help with the process.
When you are finished don’t forget to rinse them off really
well and then towel them dry. If its warm enough they can
dry off outside, if not I find a warm place inside, make a
nest of towels and blankets he can lay on, give him a treat
and leave him to dry off. Then its time to cuddle that
gorgeous smelling dog you now own!
