Re: Bathing

In Reply to: Bathing
Category:   Registration
Posted by:  Ed
Posted on:  April 27, 2003 at 15:27:59

: I understand that bathing is not good for your JRT because it washes away the natural oils from their bodies. However, my JRT Junior loves water, whether it's playing with the hose, sprinkler or taking showers which he just loves. My question is if it is alright to let him in the shower as long as he isn't lathered up with doggie shampoo?

: A second question is that Junior keeps getting a dark dirty looking substance in his ears. The vet has given us ear drops and ointment to put in his ears which helps to relieve the irritation. Could this substance be caused from too much moisture getting into the ears?

Response:

Hi Ed,

You are right about the too much bathing, it does strip the coat and skin of natural oils.

But, just plain water shouldn't be a problem. :)

As far as Junior's ears, take a Q-tip and wet it and gently swab the dark, dirty substance (but don't go down too far the ear canal!) and see if the end of the swab is pinkish. If so then the "dirt" is from ear mites.

However, there are also other causes for gunk in the ears. It can be caused by too much water in the ears, but this would be a yeast infection. A bacterial infection can also cause gunk in the ear.

If Junior has mites then it's important that his ears be totally cleaned before starting treatment. It's also very important to complete the treatment, even after the symptoms are gone.

I had an Afghan Hound once that I purchased when he was 9 months old. His ears were just totally infected by ear mites, I spent lots of money getting his ears taken care of but the infestation was so bad it caused complications that resulted in an inner ear problem. I almost lost the dog, and only round the clock care for a solid week saved the dog.

So as you can see, ear problems are nothing to mess with, take it from someone who knows!