I'm afraid to bath her!

So as most of you know, Kona has a little skin prollem. Basically it's just dry skin, and it gives her lots of itchyness.

So changing her food and special oils didn't really help. Still itchy and dry.

So I decided to see if not bathing her would help.

By gosh, it worked! She hasn't had a bath in about 3 weeks and her skin is ACE! Not one sign of itchyness, or dryness... not splotchy red either.

IS this ok, her not getting bathed? She's an inside dog so she isn't stinking, and I'll bath her when that stench does start to come around.

Sounds like an allergy to her shampoo maybe? Or that switching things up on that end might help? Less frequent bathing works, yes, but it sounds like you've pinpointed your problem.

Brody was really itchy and dry when he came back from the vet. I think it was because they had to wash him with dawn dish soap. He was really going insane itching so I bought real oatmeal (not the instant kind) and I ground it up in a food processor. I then put some in a stocking and put him in the tub with it and I let him soak for ten minutes. I used Lambert Kay oatmeal conditioner on him after the soak and I let that sit on him for ten minutes then I rinsed him really good. I did this two times in one week and he was totally itch and dry skin free. So now I am going to wait a another month until I wash him again. It will be a total of about six weeks maybe more without a bath. So far he is not stinky at all.

I always wash him once a month but if they are having problems I think it is okay to wait a little longer between baths.

Max got a bath maybe 4 times in his ten years, he smelled really bad though. How often were you bathing her before? Usually you are not recommended to do it more than once a month anyway. Also have you used oatmeal or gentle skin Shampoo?

It could have been from frequent bathing, too, not necessarily the shampoo. Bathing removes the oils from the skin. As for is it OK not to bath Kona often- a definite yes . I don't know how often you brush Kona, but frequent brushing will help, too. Way back when Mick's skin first started acting up and getting flaky (back around 1991), I started brushing him every day. He was definitely less itchy, and his skin wasn't as flaky. Brushing will also help keep the "doggie" smell at bay.

To be honest, I think it was probably the bathing that was the problem....

How often did you bath her??

Dogs coats are designed for outdoors - whether they are indoor or not. So they are covered in oils and maintain themselves. There is technically no need to bath a dog.

Bodhi gets perhaps one bath a year, and that is if she has rolled in poo.

NOT bathing isn't just OK, it's probably the best thing for her!!

Just to add - the only time Bodhi has smelled like "dog" is when she was on crappy food for a few weeks.

The difference is unbelievable.

Ollie only gets a bath when dirty ! I will give him one for Christmas . Last one was probably in September .!

My dogs only get a bath once every 4-6 weeks (indoor dogs). High quality food = no smell. And that bath is usually the result of them getting muddy while hiking or something.

Bo doesn't even get a bath after the beach, or jumping in bogs..... He coat is always UBER UBER shiney and healthy..... It's only in dire dire emergencies and extreme smells!

It's like our hair - really, the more we wash it, the worse condition it gets... but we're cleanly animals

of course it's okay not to bathe her for a while. three weeks is definately okay, and only when she starts to stink is probably okay too.

when you do bathe her, i'd switch shampoos to maybe a shampoo/conditioner, with natural oils/oatmeal type stuff too.

Yeah unless she starts to smell she does not need baths, I said Max smelled after a while but he WAS on Pedigree.

Another option to consider along with decreasing the frequency of bathing would be to try some of the waterless shampoos and conditioners on the market.

I originally started using them because Duke never really adjusted to being bathed and after seeing how soft his coat has become i doubt ill ever switch back.

I bathe my dogs every two weeks and never a problem.

If you want to bathe her again, buy a hypoallergenic shampoo.

If there's no odor and you aren't heading to the show ring why bathe ! We do it for cosmetic reasons . Some need to shampoo daily . Dogs are different . I was snuggled next to Ollie last night and no odor . Most smell because of ear problems . Yes , each breed is different .

Rinse, rinse again and then rinse.

Charlie gets bathed every 2-4 months because that is when he
gets a full groom and the groomer does it. I used to bathe him
every few weeks, but it did dry out his coat and there is really
no reason to as he does not smell or get very dirty.

I don't bathe my dogs. If they are covered in mud they will get in the bath but no shampoo. Just a rinse.