[Dori]

Hi Dog Obsessed. I’ve mentioned before that I bath my dogs every 7 – 9 days. I have always done this. Mind you Hannah is now 15 1/2 years old and there has never been an issue. I’ve done this with every single dog I have ever known. This is a perfectly acceptable thing to do and does not cause your dog any harm. Actually it will remove any allergens that they have picked up outside. The only exception to this is if a person has a dog that is solely an outside dog. Then you would be bathing them infrequently because outside dogs need to keep the build of of oils in and on their skins do to the weather. These are typically dogs that are always outside and used as guard dogs, etc. Otherwise, again, I use Vet’s Best Hypoallergenic dog shampoo. Since I bath them every 7 – 8 days I really only need to do is wet the dog down completely, shampoo and rinse thoroughly and then I dilute a little dog conditioner (one part to 8 parts water), I pour if over the dog then I rinse rinse rinse till the water comes out clear with no residue of shampoo or conditioner. With Katie I normal omit the conditioner part because of all her allergies. This has never caused dry, itchy skin to any dog I have ever had. The mistake, I find, is that most people don’t rinse with water their dogs for a long enough period of time. That is actually the most important part of bathing a dog. Leftover shampoo or conditioner or “a rinse type product” left on their bodies will cause them to be a bit itchy or appear to have dandruff. It’s not dandruff, it’s leftover product that as they are scratching that’s what they are flaking off. Every vet that I have ever had for my dogs in every state that I’ve lived in has approved this method including Katie’s canine dermatologist. By the way, my husband has asthma. I treat my dogs (and always have) as family members. I wouldn’t let a family member live in my house without bathing. YUK!!! But it’s also very healthy for everyone in the household. It also keeps allergens off your furniture and beds and everywhere else your dogs are allowed on. I’m thinking you’re like me. They’re allowed to be where ever they happen to be most comfortable at any given moment. Bathing your dogs only a couple of times a year or so is very outdated thinking. It comes from back in the day when very few people let their dogs live in their homes. It just wasn’t done and was actually frowned upon. They believed that dogs would bring in all sorts of unhealthy things on their bodies and paws and that dogs were meant to guard and get rid of any vermin that may be on your property. We don’t live that way anymore and haven’t for a very very long time. It’s another one of those outdated notions that still continues like kibble being good for their teeth. As I said, the only exception I know of is for dogs that strictly live outside, they are not inside dogs. Those people, in the Spring, will get all the under coat out, bath their dogs, and then that’s it until next Spring. Anyway, like I said I bath each of the dogs (mine are little as you know) in the laundry room sink (I changed the faucet myself to a pull out adjustable from stream to spray) every 7 – 9 days. Just do it and you’ll see that Lily will have no issues and you’ll feel better. Don’t forget that you also have to launder her bedding. 🙂