Parenting-Furkids
Non Species Specific Furkid Topics => Reaching One Furkid Parent At A Time... => Issues Of Concern => Topic started by: Catgirl64 on January 05, 2018, 04:40:16 PM
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The air in our house is incredibly dry. I have noticed it before, but this winter is the worst ever. I get a little shock almost every time I touch anything, and I think it is making the animals itchy, particularly Bandit. He keeps scratching his back on the underside of one of the chairs, and his fur has that staticky, kind of stuck-together, standing on end look. I have flea treatment, but I don't think this is about fleas, I think it's about low humidity, and I don't want to use that stuff unless I have to.
There is no hope of getting a humidifier for the whole house, but would it be helpful to get a small one for my own living space within it?
Also, is there some kind of conditioner it would be safe to use on his coat when I bathe him? I hate seeing his fur look so dry.
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See if you can find something like one of these, push the fur back, and spray it on the skin. Any leave-in conditioner is going to be better in winter than the wash out kind.
https://www.jefferspet.com/products/mink-oil-conditioner
or
https://www.jefferspet.com/products/kalaya-emu-oil-spray
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The air in our house is incredibly dry. I have noticed it before, but this winter is the worst ever. I get a little shock almost every time I touch anything, and I think it is making the animals itchy, particularly Bandit. He keeps scratching his back on the underside of one of the chairs, and his fur has that staticky, kind of stuck-together, standing on end look. I have flea treatment, but I don't think this is about fleas, I think it's about low humidity, and I don't want to use that stuff unless I have to.
There is no hope of getting a humidifier for the whole house, but would it be helpful to get a small one for my own living space within it?
Also, is there some kind of conditioner it would be safe to use on his coat when I bathe him? I hate seeing his fur look so dry.
I'm sure a humidifier would help. Another option is when you do laundry you can hang the wet things up to dry in the house, that also will put moisture in the air.
I am curious why you are bathing Bandit. I would suggest you stop bathing him. Cats are self cleaning after all :) Bathing a cat strips his skin and coat of protective oils, drying them out.
I wouldn't recommend putting anything on his fur. It's important to remember, with cats, what goes on a cat, goes in the cat.
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I am also curious why you were bathing him.
Also, with my bunch... all raw = no more dandruff and no static. Keep that in mind. I live in a very dry state.
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Oops. I thought Bandit was the dog.
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Oops. I thought Bandit was the dog.
Ah. You may be right Dee.
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Bandit is a dog.
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There is no hope of getting a humidifier for the whole house, but would it be helpful to get a small one for my own living space within it?
It couldn't hurt. Even if it improves the air in one room, that's better than nothing. If you can afford a couple of small (meaning not a whole-house) humidifier so you could have one per room (the rooms used most often), that would help even more.
Cold air = dry air, and then add the heating from a furnace (whatever kind of heating you have), and it's basically heated dry air. I think everyone's feeling it. I finally caved and turned on the one in my living area. It's loud, and it turns into a battle where it cools the air as it adds moisture, which makes the furnace kick on more often, which heats/dries the air even more . . . but, my sinuses and nose just couldn't take it anymore. Sorry, didn't mean to digress . . . :-[
Definitely get a humidifier. If you're going to be in the kitchen for a while, e.g. prepping pet meals, boil some water. That can add moisture to the air, too. Just be sure to turn it off when you're done in the kitchen.
Dee, I consider you our "dog expert" -- would it be ok for Bandit to skip the baths until the weather warms/moistens up? Dad had hunting dogs, and they never got baths unless they rolled in another animal's . . . waste :-X, so I don't really know how often dogs should be bathed and was just curious.
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I'm sure a humidifier would help. Another option is when you do laundry you can hang the wet things up to dry in the house, that also will put moisture in the air.
I am curious why you are bathing Bandit. I would suggest you stop bathing him. Cats are self cleaning after all :) Bathing a cat strips his skin and coat of protective oils, drying them out.
I wouldn't recommend putting anything on his fur. It's important to remember, with cats, what goes on a cat, goes in the cat.
Bandit is a dog. I don't bathe my cats, except under extremely dire circumstances. (One example that comes to mind is a move I made years ago. The passenger van I had rented broke down on the road, and a trip that should have taken four hours took over 14. I'm sure you can imagine the condition of both carriers and cats, so yeah, they got a bath then, or most of them did. Two actually managed to hold it all that time.) Bandit was getting a partial bath (a butt-wash) just about every other day, until I took him off kibble. He doesn't have diarrhea anymore, but with his long hair, he does still get the occasional "dingleberry." No problem if I catch it before he sits down on it, but sometimes...
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. . .would it be ok for Bandit to skip the baths until the weather warms/moistens up? Dad had hunting dogs, and they never got baths unless they rolled in another animal's . . . waste :-X, so I don't really know how often dogs should be bathed and was just curious.
I only wash V&B if they get dirty or smelly. As long as they're brushed well (and vacuumed with a hose if you can get them to let you) they're fine. Most people over-wash their dogs anyway.
“Dogs groom themselves to help facilitate the growth of hair follicles and to support skin health,” says Dr. Adam Denish of Rhawnhurst Animal Hospital in Elkins Park, Penn. “However, bathing is needed for most dogs to supplement the process. But bathing too often can be detrimental to your pet as well. It can irritate the skin, damage hair follicles, and increase the risk of bacterial or fungal infections.”
Dr. Jennifer Coates, veterinary advisor with petMD, adds, “the best bath frequency depends on the reason behind the bath. Healthy dogs who spend most of their time inside may only need to be bathed a few times a year to control natural ‘doggy odors.’ On the other hand, frequent bathing is a critical part of managing some medical conditions, like allergic skin disease.”
read the rest at: https://www.petmd.com/dog/grooming/how-often-should-you-bathe-your-dog
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I don't think over-bathing is the problem. When I have to clean up Bandit's bottom, that is all I clean. I think he has had about three full baths since I got him last February, and Lily gets them less frequently than that. Neither one has ever had a "doggy" odor. Lily did tend to lick her paws, but that has ceased since I stopped kibble. I'm glad I didn't take her to a vet for it, because God knows what kind of medicine might have been prescribed for a problem that was all about the food.
I did get a room-sized humidifier today. I think it will help. This is really my problem as much as it is my pets'. I am tired of getting a little shock every time I touch anything around here.