Bathing Dogs

This is probably a question for Wildflower, but does anyone have a "recipe" for bathing dogs other than using commercially available products? Something in particular that keeps fleas and ticks at bay?

 

Sorry LOL - when it comes to those little bug@ers, I go for the full throttle zap 'em & stuff the environment type stuff - I just can't cope with extra little visitors in the house.... I use Frontline drops every 2 months between the shulder blades, and bathe her in gentle formula shampoo and de-tangle spray around once per month.

 

I always use a salt free persons shampoo,while the dog is damp I put a few drops of essential oil in the palm of my hands and smooth down his back avioding the face and rear end..Citronella.
Lavender or Tree Tree I found the best,
This is Dumpling just bathed...

 

I was always told human shampoo to be really bad for the dog's skin???? have you ever had any problems??

 

It is the sodium innit Honeybee thats the problem and it is in most peoples shampoo I read the labels very carefully nowadays since finding this out..It is like sugar they slap it in every thing and when you are caring for a Diabetic it is a nightmare.
My sister had used Frontline on her retrievers for years but recently had a problem where the spot was applied the bitch came in a large red lumps then the hair fell out, the Vet had no answers. I personally do not use poisens on my dogs or myself

[ 24. July 2006, 05:54 PM: Message edited by: rosietu ]

 

I use tea tree shampoo and also i dilute tea tree in water and spray the dog and rub some in his hairy bits..neck back legs..etc..and he eats garlic which is a natural reppelent..we have never had a flea in 22 years of keeping golden retrievers by using this method..and we have lived in the country for 8 of those years so ..it works..and here where i am a lot of people suffer with fleas due to foxes ..and other city animals carrying them..and we are flea free ..thank goodness..i try not to use chemicals so dont get the shop made flea treatments..i sometimes put a herbal flea collar on him during the summer...as an extra precaution and i make sure i spray that with tea tree also..

 

When I used to show my dogs the worst place to pick up fleas were shows, then when I moved back south we had ticks deer and fox.. these essential oils do keep the dogs free and makes them smell nice to when you cuddle them !! :D :D :D

 

Well, Rosietu, Dumpling is one pampered pooch! Wow! :D What a beaut ... and I'm very ignorant with dogs, what breed? T'other half would say dust mop, of course!

These are all very useful comments so thank you everyone. I have tea tree oil (besides actually having a tea tree ... Melaleuca). I like tea tree shampoo for my hair, and I'm very fussy about what I use on my skin and hair; have been since I was about 18 ... and that's a long, long time ago (like about 40 years)! :eek:

Unfortunately, it is mandatory I use Frontline (now the Combo) on Magic Sam as he has an English Pet Passport and this is the ONLY preparation that DEFRA accepts and I use it every five weeks on him, between the shoulder blades ... and he's a lovely bug-free critter! :D :D :D

Must have his rabies shot next week; British rules are every two years, Portuguese every year ... he's not had his for two but I'll say as we're not going back to the UK till October, must have it done before (his runs out 9 August) but I'm not saying he's not going back with us for our "flying" visit of five days (actually sailing, out of Santander on the 9th, back from Plymouth on the 15th)!

Oh, Rosie, you saying about picking up fleas at shows ... we once put Penguin (our cat in the 70's / 80's in a cattery and was horried to discover she got fleas whilst in there for a two week period we were on holiday! Horrors! Never again did a cat of ours go into such a place ... where you pay dearly! Fortunately we have been lucky to have very dear friends who took over. It was lovely, in May a 20-year friend/catsitter came over here to visit us!

 

PS Wildflower ... what is your view on Witch Hazel? Our white two, Skwij and Puschka, had terrible allergy problems in the UK (actually were better here) and had to have a steroid shot each Spring. Poor Skwij (and sometimes Puschka) would come out in horrible sores, bare bellies and it didn't matter what the vet prescribed (at a nice cost, obviously) I found diluting Witch Hazel in water and spraying this on their sore places soothed and healed it easily and quicker.

 

He was my best top winning Shih Tzu took me 30 years to breed such a dog He won Crufts in 2000 from 178 other Shih Tzus and it was a very proud moment that I still think about... I have his two grandsons now they don't look as good as him but the loving and gentle ways are his.
Yup I do know about Defra and know they are in cahoots with the vaccine makers all big business I have exported dogs and had them to deal with the worse place was Iceland they still have mandatory quarantine well did have 10 years ago.

[ 24. July 2006, 07:29 PM: Message edited by: rosietu ]

 

Shih Tzu's, of course, silly me! I often see them all "fluffy" looking, not "My name is James Bond" groomed! Ha! :D

 

One of our border terriers always seems to be dry and itchy especially her armpits and belly. I've tried rubbing lotions but the other dogs lick them off! I've tried oil in her food but she doesn't like it. I got nettle tablets for her but would rather shampoo her than force tablets down her throat every day........
Any help with what to use?

 

I give our lurcher gravy with her dry mix once or twice a week, the oil/ fat whatever seems to improve the coat and skin as she gets dundruff. I use head and shoulders on her when the smelly old thing gets a bath to no ill effect.

 

At the moment i use wilkinsons brand. mild and gentle it has extracts of aloe vera soothe and moisturise for sensitive skin, will try some of the members tips for the future

 

For Candy I use the same shampoo as I use, which is a herbal (natural) one with essential oils and NO sodium laureth sulphate or propylene glycol in, those are 2 really nasty very toxic ingredients which are in so many of our cosmetics and toiletries.
She rarely gets fleas but if she does I dab some lavender and lemon oil on the outer side of her collar. You can also use homoeopathic sulphur 6c in their water - one tablet a day for a week.
Candy has been homeopathic and holistic since we had her.