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To B(ath) or Not to B(ath)

Basenji Talk
  • Q

    About a month ago, Butu lost a fair bit of weight, and his fur got a bit patchy. He is now back up to weight and, by drinking a tablespoon or two of olive oil every day (really!) his coat is now soft and gleaming. But, rub that lovely soft fur the wrong way and flakes appear. Were he a human, I would call it dandruff. If he had sweat glands, I would surmise it was salt. I am presuming that he has had dry skin…but surely his skin can't be dry with all that olive oil sloshing about inside? My current thought is that it is old dry skin (Even though he has been soft brushed many times...) My question is - would a bath help? I know too many baths dry the skin out, but I'm wondering if one bath (with conditioning shampoo with wheat protein and almond) might help? What do the group think?

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  • Q

    Oh, and 'Scurf Boy' (as I am rudely calling him…) won a second place at a show for 'Best Condition' yesterday, so he's looking pretty good...

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  • agilebasenjiA

    I'm sure a bath will not hurt. Just be sure to rinse, rinse, rinse and then rinse again. i used to bathe my brindlewonderkid often as his fur made me itch and break out.

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  • Shaye's MomS

    There is a shampoo your vet should carry, made with aloe and oatmeal, so "soap." - keeps the skin safe and makes the fur gleam - we love it and the girls look great. As with any shampoo, the rinse is very important.

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  • K

    Sometimes L an B are so dirty/smelly that we shower them with a high quality shampoo with neutral pH: rinse, soap, rinse with lukewarm water.
    It works well and their fur is fine.

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  • DebraDownSouthD

    @QuizBasenji:

    If he had sweat glands, I would surmise it was salt.

    They do, in fact, have sweat glands

    Dogs also have both kinds of sweat glands, though, and they use them for other things. Most of a dog’s body is covered with epitrichial glands which are of importance for maintaining healthy skin. Atrichial glands, the ones that are so important to us, are only really found on the few bare parts of a dog’s body, like the pads of the feet. The moisture they produce helps improve grip.<<

    But I think a good bath, DAILY brushing to stimulate the skin and help keep the dead stuff removed, should help. The fact the coat is looking better indicates you are on the right path. One good bath to remove the dead stuff might help.

    Debra

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  • Q

    The coat looks gorgeous - it's just the skin…I have noticed since it is persisting it down here (and cold - well it is Summer...) that the flaking is much better - I wonder if the flat is too dry for him? It has got central heating...which is till occasionally switched on - and it's nearly June :(

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