Any ideas here,

My boy has been having ongoing back problems for a while and is currently undergoing treatment at our Vet Hospital. He has had a full set of X-Rays done - nothing untoward showing up on X-Ray, full bloods etc. He is now, as a last resort before referral to Glasgow Vet Hospital for a full Neurology consultation and MRI, having Acupuncture. It has improved his mobility but he is still very 'roached' when he is moving about in the house. He has one more session before it is decision time.

So.....the reason I am posting is because he really, really needs a bath. He is typical of his breed, very long, thick coat with a smelly, dirty moustache with beard to match and he's a typical boy :-D In the past when he has gone to various groomers he has come back virtually unable to walk or stand. I think the reason is that they keep him standing in the bath for too long because of his size and coat, this then plays havoc with his already weakened posture. :-(

I've tried dry shampoos - they don't work - he's groomed thoroughly twice a week, I keep his undercarriage trimmed, paws trimmed and all the other areas that I can think of. I won't get him clipped off because having had my Dad's dog (same breed) done some yrs ago it never grows back the same and becomes incredibly woolly, knotty and hard to maintain. Besides, it gives him protection in the Summer and Winter.

I've thought about doing it myself but I think that I'd probably end up doing more harm than good.

I know that I'm probably asking the impossible here, but any suggestions please?

Jo

Could you not just wash the smelly bits yourself? I wouldn't be bathing him while he has such back probelms, I'm afraid, I'd have to put up with the smell if all else failed.

Rather than clipping him (which I'd agree is a bad idea) could you gradually scissor him off to a more manageable length? This shouldn't have the same effect on the coat as clipping.

M.

Hi Jo

I'd suggest either (a) minimal showering of his undercarriage areas where he's getting sticky/smelly and can be dried off with a towel or (b) using a self rinse shampoo - it's a concentrated fluid, dilluted and then spray on areas required.  Rub into coat and simply towel dry, the towelling takes away any grease and products ('natural' LOL or otherwise!) leaving the coat totally clean and smelling nice without an obvious perfume :) 

Personally I'd go with suggestion (b) :)  I use THIS ONE - wouldn't be without it with the sticky stinky mad man and always have some made up for a 'quick squirt' emergency as well as an all over treat :-p

HTH, Teri x

Could you not ask them to wash him in two parts?
Front first (while he is sitting down)and water will flow down to his bottom end...
Then shampoo back etc while he is still sitting and get him standing for washing under and washing all shampoo off...
Of course not all dogs will sit while being washed...
if you find a place that has facilities to wash dogs on the floor,he could even lay down for some of the shampooing?

You could always go in with him and help them out.
My girl was groomed in December, 1.5 months after she broke her pelvis so she was not able to stand still very long.
I went in with her and helped them to wash her so it would be quicker.
She was blastered very dry and only finished off with blow driers and she layed down for most of the blow drying.

I would think lifting him in the bath at home might not be good idea.
You could see if there is a dog pool somewhere near by as they might have facilities for washing/rinsing the dogs down after the swim.
I would call and explain the situation and see if they would be willing to let you use their facilities(offer to pay for it).

Very useful suggestion Teri, thank you ;-)

I've used their products before and they are very good. It looks like we are in for a 'beauty' session with the added bonus that I can also give Evilicious a spruce up as well - you know how she hates to be left out :-P

I like Teri's idea of a self rinsing shampoo, didn't even know something like that is around!

Thanks for that, Noora ;-)

I will probably do the 'inbetween bit' first just to freshen him up but will definitely look into the dog pool idea/accompany him to the groomers at a later date. What with all the toing and froing to the Vets at the moment I think that he will probably thank me for sprucing him at home. But it will also be a good idea for my bitch who also comes back from the groomers very stiff, despite having no problems ;-)

I doubt if it's standing in the bath that's causing him a problem.  More likely the time taken standing to dry him. :(  If they have facilities, then they should be able to work with him lying on the table.

I would definitely use a self rinsing shampoo for the time being and wetwipes on his undercarriage a couple of times each day. :)

In addition to the self rinsing shampoo, you could try something like

THE STUFF.  

It's a spray which you leave in and it helps to repel dirt dust and urine, reduces tangling and makes grooming easier.   The concentrate is more economical as it dilutes 15-1

Used as a pre-drying spray it will make it easy to brush/comb him and help keep him sweeter

I do tummy baths on my Cav where he gets wee all over his tummy and front legs in between full baths. Obviously we don't have the large breed / bad back problem, but I've never found it that hard just to shower and shampoo his tummy, then dry with, while leaving the rest of the coat alone. Assuming it's just his tummy that's really dirty, that might be an option for you?

Hairypooch,
Is there anyone who could help you bath him? When its time for my neighbours dog to have a bath, I go to their house and while she does one end, I do the other. We then give him a good towelling off while he's still in the bath, then let him lie down on a towel and blow dry him off a side at a time. By preparing the bath, towels shampoos etc. beforehand we can usually get the 'standing' bit out of the way in 5 mins or so. A rubber mat in the bath helps him feel more secure and less likely to slide.

Hi WestCoast,

I'm assured and know from experience with him that it is the time standing in the bath that is causing him the problem :-) Even my younger bitch has the same problem.

He is normally rough dried and then finished off by me with a blaster at home. I now have said shampoo and we will have a 'clean Weekend' as opposed to a 'dirty one' ;-) his undercarriage is only a small part of the problem and using wet wipes on him unfortunately has no effect on his coat anywhere whatsoever, it's impenetrable :-)

Brilliant 'stuff' Dill :-)

Thanks for that, having received the shampoo this morning I will order some of the stuff anyway as anything and everything to make his life more comfortable and my life more 'fragrant' can only be a good thing - thank you :-)

Thank you LucyDogs,

Trouble is, getting him in the bath to shower off his tummy isn't easy as we are very reticent at the moment to do anything that may make his back worse. But I have done the next best thing and sat with an 'old' baby bath full of soapy water and got him to eventually lie down on his side (it's the laying/sitting down that is his problem not the getting up) and rubbed the solution well into his tum and back of both four legs, soaked all four very large hairy paws as well but honestly, the next day, he smells worse than better <often wonder why I bother> :-D Then there is his very gorgeous, hairy face - we won't even go there on that one! - He really needs a good scrub down and it's at times like this I am considering having a 'wet room' put in for the dogs.

I used to find with my Tibetan Terrier and later with my Afghan X that it took aaaages to get the coat wet enough to shampoo, or even wet at all with the Afghan X :(   In the end I used very diluted shampoo and this made it much quicker :)  then one lather with more diluted shampoo and a good warm rinse.  I usually gave a final rinse with a spot of conditioner in it - about 1 teaspoon to a litre or so which helped prevent tangles and eased combing and brushing, these days I'd spray it on with a plant sprayer just before drying ;) ;)  

It does sound like a wet room would be ideal for you ;) 

or maybe this would work?   http://www.walkthrudogwash.co.uk/  Maybe in a nice warm garden room/gazebo watsit with heating and waterproof floor ;)