Healthy diet

[dancinbelle2001]

I almost forgot! I'm taking Charlie to the groomers this afternoon. Should I put it off? Also, they suggested an oatmeal bath for him (I didn't want regular shampoo and conditioner, his reverse sneezing always seems to be worse after I use any kind of conditioner). Is an oatmeal bath OK for dogs? Sorry to keep bothering everyone, I'm just really overprotective of him (he's my first dog). Thanks!

[Traci]

I don't think there's any reason to put off a grooming appointment, unless your dog has a baceteria, which could be spread if the groomer isn't diligent about disinfecting. If your dog currently has a bout of diarrhea, then yes, address this with your vet first.

As for the oatmeal shampoo, as long as it doesn't have additional or questionable ingredients, it would probably be fine to use, but it's use is mainly for dogs who have skin allergies or are sensitive to other topicals. Am wondering why the groomer suggested the oatmeal bath if your dog doesn't actually have any skin conditions?

[dancinbelle2001]

I didn't want to use regular shampoo. I've heard that they can sometimes cause dandruff. I have no idea if that is true but I wanted to go with as natural and gentle a product as possible. I don't know of any actual allergies that he might have. I'm just being over protective! Thanks!

[Traci]

Well, that's what I was getting at with "questionable" ingredients. Natural does not always mean better, particularly when botanicals, citrus, etc are added to pet products, these are dangerous for pets. Many groomers use products that contain unnecessary fragrances, that in fact, are citrus-based, etc. If you're concerned about pet shampoos, ask your vet, I'm sure he can recommend a product that is safe and gentle (Hy-lite for example).

[dancinbelle2001]

Really? I've been using a tropical blend shampoo with him (it smells great). I'll stop using it! The groomers ended up giving Charlie a strawberry bath (whatever that is) without asking me. They said it was a special for getting "the works." I wasn't concerned then but now I am.

Also, a co-worker was telling me that she uses a shampoo with tea tree oil in it with her dog. I read a post in the cat forum that said tea tree oil is toxic to cats. Is it also toxic to dogs? I told her about the post regarding tea tree oil but she didn't believe it. Do you know of any good sources that I could show her if it is toxic to dogs as well? Thanks!

[Traci]

Yes, it's toxic to dogs too. Sounds like your friend has been misinformed. Much of the problem is twofold: first, there is documented evidence of it's toxicity in cats, whereas the toxicity in dogs is less reported. This doesn't mean that tea-tree-oil is not toxic to dogs, it means that cats are more sensitive to it's toxicity...however, there is also documented evidence of it's harmful effects on dogs. Two, many pet product manufacturers don't care about documentation or facts and continue to use the substance in their products, giving pet owners the false notion that if it's in a product, it must be safe. Nothing could be less truthful.

Just Say No ... scroll to near the bottom of the page for more information on botanical substances.

[dancinbelle2001]

OK, just wanted to update you on Charlie. I picked him up from the vet's on Monday. They said that he had another bout of diarea. They did another fecal, it came back negative. They put him on anti-biotics and the special canned food. It cleared up. They think it was caused by stress. We are changing his food to Eukanuba though. We'll see how he handles that! We also discovered that his teeth are growing in crooked. The vet said that we'll keep an eye on it and if it starts to become a problem, we'll pull some teeth. Does anyone have experience with this? What should I be looking for? He gets checkups every six months. Thanks!

[Traci]

Your vet may want to check Charlie's teeth more frequently (i.e., every few months) to determine if one or more might be problematic. If they are truly growing in crooked, there might be a risk of chipping or breaking teeth, which could incite bacterial infection, painful when eating, etc. Signs to watch for would be gingivitis, drooling, shaking head or grating teeth, decreased appetite. I'm sure your vet wants to give this time to monitor the teeth, as opposed to pulling them, but only he can determine that upon frequent oral exams.