Vinegar rinse for the dog!

Debt_Free_Chick

Own & work - Springer Spaniels. They beat and retrieve on local pheasant shoots & rough shoot, where owner & dog just go off into the countryside & shoot rabbit, pidgeon etc. I don't shoot, just take the dogs. As you can imagine, they get very, very dirty

Yes - mine roll in all sorts of fresh muck - cow, horse, badger (that's really nasty) .. just about anything. Dogs are essentially domesticated wolves, but genetically they are much closer to their wild ancestors. Whilst breeding has conditioned much of their temperament, physiologically speaking they are still wild. By that, I mean particularly their coat, physcology, diet (don't get me started )

They will generally smell a bit "doggy". All animals have their own smell - ever noticed the smell of a horse, sheep, cow, fox! Now ... fox is absolutely unmistakable. It's how they recognise eachother - and danger - in the wild. Your dog will smell ... errrmmmm .. a bit doggy. The smell intensifies when they are wet and drying out. Once dry, I think they just smell like puppies again

On a serious note, a dog's coat is his waterproofing. They don't have raincoats when out in the rain, but their natural oil waterproofs them, keeping them dry & warm. Strip the oil out and the dog could be in real danger. He will, of course, secrete more oil, but it could take days for him to be fully waterproofed again. If you've not tried it, I would suggest one of two options when your dog is really filthy. Either, hose him down in the garden, dry him with a towel and leave him out if it's warm & sunny. Watch him .. he'll lick & groom the parts you missed. Or .. let him dry, brush out all the dry dirt, then hose him down and dry him with a towel. He'll be lovely, even without the shampoo.

I really didn't mean to offend with my "not a doll" comment. And I'm really sorry if I did. But you know that some owners will treat their dogs rather like a little girl treats her favourite Barbie. I was poking fun and didn't mean to suggest you were like that - really.

Do we not have a board for pet issues?

Trying2Save_3

No offence taken, it made me laugh knowing him as I do! Although he's a yorkie, he's a proper little terrier and would take on all the rats in the allotment if he had half a chance. I've always had a dog or 2 since I was a kid, ranging from mongrels, cavaliers, rescued pyranean(sp?), doberman and this is my 2nd yorkie, my last one recently died aged 15. First time I've ever given one a vinegar rinse though (got the idea from another thread). I think it was the manure - bit overpowering that! Point taken about the coat, I'll make sure he doesn't get cold and/or wet. Haven't seen a board for pet issues - good idea though!

Curry_Queen

Debt_Free_Chick ... a girl after my own heart


Just to add, although it's not strictly on topic, although the principle is the same, but it works the same with horses too and I'd often tell people off for shampooing their horses and then they end up with rain scald when all they need is a hose down with water and thorough grooming. A bit of elbow grease works wonders, and great exercise too, and my horse's coat was in a much better condition than others' around the yard that got regularly bathed, especially on show days :mad:

Debt_Free_Chick wrote:

Do we not have a board for pet issues?

No, not specifically, although pets have cropped up once or twice on the health board from what I've seen. It's hard to know where's the best place to ask questions regarding animals, which obviously play a reasonable part when it comes to money saving in many people's lives.

Maybe a suggestion for the site board?