Coat And Skin Moisturiser?

[kelpiecuddles]

Can anyone reccomend a home remedy that I can apply to my basset to moisturise her skin and coat? As she is now doing pet therapy she is being bathed more often and while her coat is still shiny it does seem a tad dry and her skin is a tad dry as well. I contemplated putting some olive oil in a spray bottle and misting her with is and rubbing it in after she is dry but thought I'd ask if anyone had a better suggestion.

I'm in a regional area and find postage tends to make things very expensive so I'd rather go with something I can access via the supermarket or health food shop rather than an obscure product.

[grumpette]

I feed Zeph sardines in oil and raw egg a few times a week and that helps his coat and skin. He has very little undercoat so the increased washing for nursing home visits tends to dry out his coat as well.

I also use Aloveen shampoo and conditioner.

[kelpiecuddles]

She gets blackhawk plus raw eggs at the moment(thankfully with 24 chooks we have plenty!) and her coat has never looked better but unfortunately she refuses anything I add sardines to. I can just see it heading towards drying with the increased washing and want to stop it before it gets worse.

I'm having to bathe her twice a week at the moment so not surprising really.

[aliwake]

Maybe coconut oil? I don't know anything about it other than it's meant to be amazing for everything :)

[BlaznHotAussies]

I was gonna suggest coconut oil too! I've read in an article online (so who knows if it's true or not!?) that coconut oil is a very special kind of oil in that it can actually be absorbed by the hair? Thought that was interesting. And I can personally attest that it feels great on skin! I have sensitive skin and it feels wonderful.

[Yonjuro]

I am another one for coconut oil. Massage in and leave in, if the dog is too greasy after a while, get a damp towel and wipe the fur lightly. I have even dampened the towel with calendula tea.

[Bjelkier]

Fish oil tablets have worked the best for my lot. They're easy to find at most supermarkets and I taken them myself and they have no fishy taste.

[Salukifan]

Oil in a coat attracts dirt. Most coats with oil in them are wrapped.

You could add a squirt of an oil like baby oil or argan oil (or Plush Puppy Seabreeze Oil) to a warm bucket of water and use it as a final rinse, but it's probably more to do with the shampoo you're using.

What are you using and do you condition the coat afterwards? You are not going to find a decent shampoo for twice weekly use that's at a dog's PH in the supermarket or the health food store. You'd have more luck in a rural supplies place looking for horse shampoo. Lots of folk wash their dogs in that.

Don't you work in a pet shop?

Edited August 3, 2014 by Haredown Whippets

[persephone]

good skin/coat condition comes from inside :) She may benefit from foods/supplements with fatty acids - don't forget omega 3 . Anything you put on the outside will indeed attract dust ..also there may be an allergy/irritation risk when she is with vulnerable people .

I suggest feeding her things good for skin health ..and washing her in the simplest unperfumed , least oil stripping substances you can find... :) There are some Goats Milk soaps which have few ingredients/no perfume etc .... I have used them , but forget details, sorry ...

[kelpiecuddles]

I have tried a number of different shampoos and conditioners but still having trouble finding something that doesn't dry her out slightly with twice weekly baths. Her coat positively glistens, we often get comments on it but I can see the frequent bathing starting to take it's toll(we still get 'oh isn't she shiny' comments but I can see the difference ;) )

I went hunting for things up at Erskine Park last weekend too but they all smelled strongly of fragrances and as I have a fragrance allergy I had to strike a lot of options off the list.

I wasn't meaning that I didn't want something I could buy from a pet store I was more looking at supplements or coat conditioners that are natural and therfore less commercial(and therefore would likely require me to look outside of the pet market). There are plenty of things I can get through work but they are very mainstream and don't go much in to the supplement side of things other than a few commercial brands that I'm not a huge fan of.

We don't really have dirt here, lovely lush green grass so I'm going to try the coconut oil, I don't mind using a damp towel to wipe the excess out since I do some form of grooming with her most days any way.

Edited August 3, 2014 by kelpiecuddles

[dancinbcs]

Just add a little coconut oil to a couple of litres of warm water as a final rinse after you bath her. Adjust the amount to suit and feed her some coconut oil as well. Plenty of good dog shampoos can be used several times a week with no adverse affects. A lot of show dogs get bathed for every show, so often two day in a row. Does she really need to be fully bathed twice a week or could you just rinse her over with water and dry for the second clean up each week.

[kelpiecuddles]

She needs to be pretty spotless as she visits oncology wards, etc. I trim her nails a little every second night, wipe her ears out twice weekly and wash her the afternoon before each visit, she only gets washed if she's actually going on a visit, not just for the sake of it. Bassets do have a houndy sort of smell naturally which I don't mind but it does make a bit of a challenge to keep them smelling pretty for hospital visits. :)

I'm happy to look in to alternative shampoos but as I said I tried to find a new one to try last weekend and the ones I could find at up at EP when i was there all smelled strongly of lavender which would make me quite ill. I've tried aloveen but while it left her coat soft it seemed to make it look dull, like there was a residue despite good rinsing?

[dancinbcs]

I don't handle perfumed products well either. I like the smell of the Plush Puppy Wheatgerm shampoo or if that is too much for you their Sensitive Skin one has practically no smell at all.

[denali]

I don't handle perfumed products well either. I like the smell of the Plush Puppy Wheatgerm shampoo or if that is too much for you their Sensitive Skin one has practically no smell at all.

I love the plush puppy shampoos :)

We used one where i used to work, don't remember which one it was, but it smelt lovely, but in a toned down not overpowering way, which was great

With the oil you could do an oil wrap?

I did it once for a dog with really dry fur and it seemed to work well :)

You put the oil on, and then wrap the dog in a damp warm towel for a bit.

This open follicles to optimise oil absorption. With the towel you can dampen it and microwave it, or put it in a dryer until warm.

Or a heated towel rack if you have one of them. Just make sure it isnt too warm. then leave it on the dog until its cool.

Obviosuly supervise to ensure she isnt too hot. Some common sense is needed here, but i have heard others swear by this and it seemed to help that one dog i tried it with. So maybe give that a go?

Fish oil capsules seem to work well for my guys. I never noticed a difference with coconut oil fed to them, but the fish oil capsules from woolworths have done an awesome job :)

[kelpiecuddles]

Thanks guys I have a big thing of fish oil capsules so might start adding one of those since she doesn't like sardines. For some reason I thought it was plush puppy I looked at last weekend but maybe I'm wrong so I'll have another look

ETA. It was plush puppy I looked at last weekend. I smelled the herbal whitening and one other but they were both very fragranced. I stood there for 7 or 8 minutes waiting for service while the lady chatted to a friend an then gave up and wandered off so I didn't know there was a non fragranced option.

Edited August 3, 2014 by kelpiecuddles

[denali]

Thanks guys I have a big thing of fish oil capsules so might start adding one of those since she doesn't like sardines. For some reason I thought it was plush puppy I looked at last weekend but maybe I'm wrong so I'll have another look

ETA. It was plush puppy I looked at last weekend. I smelled the herbal whitening and one other but they were both very fragranced. I stood there for 7 or 8 minutes waiting for service while the lady chatted to a friend an then gave up and wandered off so I didn't know there was a non fragranced option.

I cannot for the life of me recall which one we used.

I am hoping it will come to me today.

[trinabean]

Kelpiecuddles my dog tends to have a dry skin and coat because of his allergies and isn't able to digest added dietary oils very well. The dermatologist vet recommended diluting 10ml of QV bath oil into a 400ml spray bottle of warm water and spritzing him daily. His final rinse after bathing is also diluted QV bath oil. QV products are for people with sensitive skin/ eczema etc. and are available from pharmacies. Pretty sure they are perfume-free.

We also apply Paws Essential 6 oil spot-on after bathing him (that might be overkill in a dog without allergies though). This is enough to balance Bruno's skin and coat and he doesn't feel oily or attract dirt using this much. :)

[Rebanne]

Plush Puppy shampoos are usually diluted 1:10 with water

[trifecta]

I would try rinsing her with calendula tea instead of washing, there are long threads about it in the Health forum if you search. She doesn't need to be shampooed twice per week, just freshened up surely? If she has a doggy smell, then I'd be looking at diet too. In my experience, dogs & horses get shiny coats & vitality from what goes in rather than what goes on, & don't forget exercise, get the heart pumping & circulation going to promote a healthy skin & coat.

[Salukifan]

If you were looking at Plush Puppy, I'd go the conditioning shampoo.

Or go to the horse shop and go for something like Champion tails - get a shampoo and a conditioner.

If you are shampooing without conditioning afterwards (or adding an oil rinse) this will be significant factor in the coat drying. No amount of fish oil in a diet will compensate for you stripping the coat of oil twice a week.

Chris Christensen make an excellent shampoo for daily use and it is great. However it is not cheap.

Edited August 4, 2014 by Haredown Whippets