Bathing Pets

Using baby shampoo, even the cheap stuff, as long as it really is sensitive, is perfectly fine for dogs and cats. Cats don't need to be bathed at all unless they get into something that's gotten them extremely dirty. They clean themselves.

Dogs, on the other hand can be a mess! And yes, dog shampoo can be quite pricey. So what I do is I lather them up once really well with baby shampoo and rinse well. Depending on how dirty they were, I may repeat this. Then I finish off by lathering them up with an oatmeal based dog shampoo and make them keep it on for at least 5 minutes. And because I live in flea country, I then put flea dip on them and make them sit in it for 15 minutes. I sit near them with a book so that they don't jump out.

I use the baby shampoo in conjunction with the oatmeal dog shampoo because using the dog shampoo alone, I'd go through a good half bottle with each bathing, more if they are really dirty. This way 95% of the dirt comes off using the cheap baby shampoo. The oatmeal and flea dip are for the skin and pests. Which saves quite a bit of money.

My dogs' coats are always bright and shiny and soft as silk. And the oatmeal shampoo also helps any irritating places they may have on their skin. I finish off bath time by trimming their nails with a Dremel tool, wiping around their eyes with a Q-tip, and cleaning out their ears. I towel dry them as much as possible and then put them out on the back deck (barricaded to keep them from going downstairs to the grass) in warm weather (inside in cold weather) until they are completely, totally dry. Only then are they allowed down into the yard. This prevents dust and dirt and whatever from collecting on their wet fur and skin.

By Cricket from Parkton, NC