Dry skin and Sponge Baths

[iluvmali]

This is a two part post.. I have two questions:

1. My B pup's got dry skin, we've had the vet look at it and he says they're nothing wrong with her, she's just got dry skin. Anybody know of any good doggy-shampoos that will make my basenji stop being so "flaky" hehe…?

2. Mali recently got spayed and since we can't bathe her with her stitches she's gotten really filthy. I'm thinking about attempting to sponge bathe atleast her legs... anybody have any advice?

Thanks bunches!

-Hannah

[jessi76]

bathing her in a shampoo will likely dry out the skin even more. instead, I'd gradually switch to a fishy food (i.e wellness brand whitefish & sweet potato; solid gold wolf king (salmon & bison). the oils from the food will result in better skin/coat condition. you can also add fish oil directly to the current food, or use another supplement for dry skin. i wouldn't bath this dog, I'd treat from the inside-out first. it won't be an overnight change, but with time, you should see great improvements.

as for being dirty - why not just wipe her legs down w/ a warm cloth?? to get the dirt off her coat without having to "sponge bath" her.

[jys1011]

Hi Hannah

On question #2 sometimes I just use baby wipes to clean them up when I can't bathe them. They seem to work well for ears & eyes area too. And they smell good too :D

[iluvmali]

thanks for the great advice guys… I'll give the oils a try, can you get that at the grocery?

As far as what I meant by sponge bathe... I mean with like a cloth instead of just setting her in the tub. ^_^ thanks a lot for the help.

[jessi76]

I'm particularly fond of Solid Gold Seameal Powder w/ Flaxseed. I add it to my dog's food. mix it right in. I get a large bottle at a local pet supply store. not sure what you can find in the grocery store. (I don't buy anything from there for my dog)

be careful though, don't just add oils/supplements all "willy nilly". it may cause upset in your dog. I'd add them slowly and use those meant for dogs - and if the dry skin is a chronic condition, switch to a better food permanently (which will probably clear it up).

[Vanessa]

I dont have an answer for your first question but I DO however have an answer for your second.
Baby Wipes work wonders!!! Try the ones w/ aloe. That will help soothe the skin.

I hope this helps!

[iluvmali]

Thanks everybody this helps lots…

[cmd]

@iluvmali:

Anybody know of any good doggy-shampoos that will make my basenji stop being so "flaky" hehe…?

We had a similar problem with one of ours. She'd start to nibble at her dry spots (mostly where she'd tuck her nose when sleeping). She started to obsess over the dry patches. We added fish oil to her food and started using a "leave-in" conditioner for dogs. We picked it up at the local pet store. It dries fairly quickly and left their coats soft but not greasy. At the time we had electric heat so we also installed a central humidifier and a space humidifier in their room. You could have grown ferns in their room after that!

[iluvmali]

You know… she started developing this dry skin this winter when we turned the heat on indoors... that just made me think, maybe that's what's wrong...

[youngandtired]

The first time I had Sahara groomed for a treat at PetSmart, the groomer told me to put alittle olive oil in her food. I did this and the driesness went away, haven't seen it since. I only did it for about a month, like a teaspoon with each meal. Petsmart sells cloths for bathing your dog wihen you don't want to put them in the tub, I am thinking this might be better since B's like to lick themselves.

[iluvmali]

yeah… hey you know what we use olive oil at my house all the time instead of veggi oil...just like a teaspoon?

[LSanders]

My basenji has dry skin and when we give him a bath, we use liquid castile soap (such as Dr. Bronner's or Trader Joe's house brand)- it's got lots of essential oils and he comes out very shiny, stays flake-free for awhile and smells minty-fresh!

[Vanessa]

My little B is flakey too ;)
I'll try the fish oil on his food.