Shampoo

[Charles Yin]

I know that bullies are prone to skin issues. That being said, any recommendations on good shampoos for puppies and adults?

 

[Fontanafox]

For a general shampoo I've always used 8 in 1 Perfect Coat Natural Oatmeal Shampoo. When my Wilson is having skin problems then I use Mal-a-Ket or KetoChlor medicated shampoos.

 

[Vicaroo1000]

For my Mable, who had major itchy skin issues - and I was uninformed back then about diet, etc. - I used a shampoo that had coal tar in it made for itching. It really did work like a dream for her and her dry, dry, itchy skin. Had I changed her diet, I probably could have fixed that - but I didn't know to try that.

As for these two, I use an oatmeal / baking soda shampoo from PetSmart. I've tried a bunch of them. Still looking for that amazing product that is gentle yet makes them smell wonderful for weeks. hahahahaha There's some marvelous stuff out there now. I'll be watching to see what others suggest. It's fun to try new things.

Interestingly, this gal I know has major allergy problems with her dog and she advises to wait as long as possible between baths ... something about building immunity. Anyone else heard this? I used to shampoo them every single Sunday - regardless - but I'm trying to not do it as often now because of what she said.

 

[LariP]

We learned about using Selsen Blue here in the site. I don't love the smell of Selsen blue so we wash with it, rinse then wash with Oster Oatmeal Naturals Dog shampoo and Gracie is very soft, white and smells really good. She gets a bath about every 3 weeks.

 

[Dieselbaby]

For my Mable, who had major itchy skin issues - and I was uninformed back then about diet, etc. - I used a shampoo that had coal tar in it made for itching. It really did work like a dream for her and her dry, dry, itchy skin. Had I changed her diet, I probably could have fixed that - but I didn't know to try that.

As for these two, I use an oatmeal / baking soda shampoo from PetSmart. I've tried a bunch of them. Still looking for that amazing product that is gentle yet makes them smell wonderful for weeks. hahahahaha There's some marvelous stuff out there now. I'll be watching to see what others suggest. It's fun to try new things.

Interestingly, this gal I know has major allergy problems with her dog and she advises to wait as long as possible between baths ... something about building immunity. Anyone else heard this? I used to shampoo them every single Sunday - regardless - but I'm trying to not do it as often now because of what she said.

Wow you always learn something new everyday! I would love to know if by not bathing as much, it can actually help build immunity on their coats. I know we had a horrible year with skin allergies this summer. We use Tropiclean oatmeal and it does work on soothing if we have the itchies!! Ive read that oatmeal and aloe help relieve itchy skin also.

 

[cali~jenn]

I just use baby shampoo and pantene conditioner. Works wayyyy better than the fancy expensive dog shampoos and smells much longer even. That being said we also dont have skin issues where we would need to use specific shampoos either.

 

[anatess]

I make my own. I have a bichon frise and it's quite a challenge looking for dog shampoo for this breed (bichons have that double-coated super white silky hair and they are super prone to allergies). When we got Bullie, we just went ahead and have him use that same shampoo and she's doing great with it. The bichon goes to the salon monthly (have to trim the hair otherwise it goes over his eyes, etc.) and they use their own shampoo, so I only use this home-made formula on him if he gets muddy before the salon appointment.

Bullie doesn't do salon because she doesn't need hair trimming. So, I just shampoo her with the homemade formula as needed - which is usually once or twice a month. Her hair and skin are great with the homemade stuff so I just never tried a different shampoo with her.

Here's the formula:
22 oz Ivory or Dove Liquid Dish Detergent (hypo-allergenic)
2 oz. glycerine (available at Walgreens)
2 cups plain white vinegar (the apple cider one is better but it smells bad).
Put in a gallon container and fill with water (preferrably soft water)

It doesn't make foamy suds like the store-bought shampoo but suds are for the humans not the dogs - commercial shampoos are formulated specifically to form foamy suds to make the humans applying the shampoo feel better about it - not necessarily so it will make the dog cleaner...

 

[karenben]

dogs shouldnt be bathed too much they lose the oils from their coats,if they are on the correct food they wont smell,also theres always the risk of water in the ears which leads to yeasty ears,and remember to always dry the tail pocket thoroughly otherwise it may lead to the tail pocket becoming infected,karen

 

[Dante]

I use Tropiclean aloe, its very gentle and my dog smells great. Also when i changed to raw diet, he smelled muched better for longer.

 

[LoveMyBullyBoy]

I have always used Head & Shoulders & it works great, an smells good. I do use baby shampoo around the face though. But since starting fish oil every day and changing food (from Kibbles N Bits to Taste of the Wild) the skin issues seem to have basically disappeared. And there's no more doggie smell. I only bathe when they need it, which is about every 2 months, or so, give or take. But I have heard bathing too often does strip the skins natural oils, which leads to flakes & removes the natural 'protective' barrier from the skin. If you do a good rubdown regularly you should be able to decrease their baths. Gravy LOVES to go outside & get brushed. It gets rid of hair, removes dirt, and distributes oils. We use a rubber curry brush and it's awesome.

 

[izstigspunks]

For some odd reason, Stig only does well with an aloe and oatmeal shampoo from the vets. We tried a different brand once, and he was so red and itchy that we went to the vets the same day and bought a bottle of his old one. We also used baby shampoo on his face too and stopped about a month ago to see if it was the reason that his face gets pink. Apparently it was, so now my bf and I need to finish the baby shampoo ourselves ... darn buying a bulk bottle! lol. As a background, Stig has allergies that we haven't tested him for. But he's doing well now since we changed his diet. We bathe him once a week because he goes to daycare and plays outside. Not fun having a stinky bully.