[nagdu] Bailey's Latest--bathing, weight, etc.

Sat Jan 14 05:05:32 UTC 2012

My mother and I take Lexia to a pet store that also has a self serve dog 
wash. Lexia gets shampooed twice, the first time not being as vigorous. I do 
not recall what we use for shampoo, but I believe that it has oatmeal as one 
of the ingredients. We use some of the shampoo from the store that is 
tearless on her head. As mentioned by others, we wash her head last. When we 
do, my mother first puts the shampoo on, and then I hold Lexia's ears shut 
while my mother washes off the rest of her head. We do not have to worry 
about Lexia slipping because of the way that the tub is made. Also, we do 
not have to clean up.
When I am at college and Lexia needs a bath, a mobile groomer comes to bathe 
her, as bathing her in the dorm shower is most certainly out of the 
question. Luckily, this is usually no more than once a quarter, as it is 
quite expensive.
Probably not so much anymore, but I used to not like taking her to get 
groomed by a vet or other groomer without my mother or me because she did 
not do well before or after the bath when she was put in a kennel to wait. 
My mother and I believe this was because she thought that she was going back 
to training.

Nicole and Lexia

P.S. Let me know if you want a way to not get wet when your dog shakes.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mark J. Cadigan" <kramc11 at gmail.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, January 13, 2012 4:37 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Bailey's Latest--bathing, weight, etc.

> Some pet stores have a "self service dog wash." I recommend going that 
> route, because they have the equipment, and you are not stuck with the 
> mess. I have bathed my pet dog at home in the kitchen sink, however, she 
> is only 10lbs. she made a mess, so I can only imagine how much of a mess 
> my 80lb guide dog would make.
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Robert Hooper" <hooper.90 at buckeyemail.osu.edu>
> To: "NFB-NAGDU" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Friday, January 13, 2012 6:05 PM
> Subject: [nagdu] Bailey's Latest--bathing, weight, etc.
>
>
>> Hello all:
>>
>> I recently returned from a vet visit and was hoping to share the results 
>> of my relentless inquiries. It seems as though Bailey's weight jumped 
>> from around 31 kg to about 35 KG since the last visit two months ago. 
>> This despite my frequent checks of his body condition. The vet didn't 
>> seem to notice any overt physical changes in his appearance, but we both 
>> thought it a good idea to cut back on the food. Annova Evo is very 
>> calorie-dense and dispenses with many ingredients that might hinder or 
>> stop the processing of certain nutrients. I was told to start by removing 
>> ten percent of his food intake. So, instead of a cup and a half, I half 
>> to find a way to remove 3/20 of a cup of food from his daily meals. After 
>> doing the math, I came to the conclusion that instead of his usual 90/60 
>> cups of food a meal, he would need 81/60 cups. If I gave him 1-1/3 cups 
>> of food per meal, this would equal 80/60 of a cup, thus closest (to 
>> within 1/60 of a cup) I can get to a perfect mathematical solution. Note 
>> that I am not that invested in the numbers-I just had a long time to wait 
>> in the lobby before being checked out.
>> Another topic I discussed was dog bathing-this is something to which I 
>> have never been a party. Many family members encouraged me to find a 
>> place that would do it for me. I object to this for many reasons (all of 
>> which my vet supported and understood). Firstly, many such places are 
>> prone to outbreaks of kennel cough, skin infections, improper technique, 
>> etc. Secondly, Bailey is a service animal, so I require a higher degree 
>> of control-that is, I am loathed to give up my dog to anyone else who 
>> does not know how to handle, treat, etc. him. Thirdly, I am one of those 
>> "annoying dog Nazis"-that is, I allow very limited interaction between 
>> others and my dog. I do not want Bailey to trust others or form bonds 
>> with others as he does me. Furthermore, I do not want him to see people 
>> as giant petting machines worthy of his attention and thus potential 
>> distraction. So, that desire in itself rules out taking him anywhere for 
>> bathing purposes.
>> Fourthly, I heartily dislike paying for a service that I could just as 
>> easily perform myself. Bathing him at home would lessen my inconvenience 
>> of having to find transportation to and from a facility, would save me 
>> money, etc.
>> Now comes my questions regarding bathing. I have done some research about 
>> properly bathing dogs at home. I am most worried about the complete 
>> rinsing of shampoo-is dog bathing a very daunting task? Bailey hasn't 
>> been bathed since I received him in July and he continues not to smell. I 
>> regularly groom him, so that should cut down on his odor and dirtiness. I 
>> guess my main concern (as it is with most things) is that I'm afraid of 
>> not doing it right. If anybody has any assurances, techniques, detailed 
>> instructions with schematics and diagrams, etc. to share, I would welcome 
>> such.
>> I also discussed heart and flea preventatives with my veterinarian, dog 
>> anatomy and behavior, and various other such topics. I welcome feedback 
>> on all aspects of this message-from its grammatical style to critiques 
>> about my personal objections toward taking Bailey to a Dogwash. I look 
>> forward to everyone's thoughts and I hope I have provided some brain food 
>> on which we can all munch.
>> Sincerely,
>> Robert Hooper
>> Hooper.90 at buckeyemail.osu.edu<mailto:Hooper.90 at buckeyemail.osu.edu>
>> The Ohio State University
>> 0653 Buckeye-Cuyahoga CT
>> 653 Cuyahoga Court
>> Columbus, Ohio 43210
>> (740) 856-8195
>>
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