[boris'mama]

I seen somewhere on a website that they need their ears cleaned regularly, how should I clean Boris' ears? Do you use any cleaning stuff or Q-tips? I don't know how to start and I know his last owners never cleaned his ears cause they look pretty dirty.

One more thing, is it ok to take him a bath every other day? cause when we got him he was stinky so I bathed him with baby dog shampoo and I noticed that he shed a lot in the tub, how often should I bathe him? cause it was the other day and he's a little stinky already.

Thanks in Advance, I really appreciate it.

Marlene (he's 14 weeks BTW)

 

[faysie]

Every other day is too often to bathe him. Just get him good and clean in one washing ...even if you have to shampoo twice ...and then wait a week or so, unless he gets especially dirty. He'll itch and his skin will be dry if you bathe him too often. Use a good gentle dog shampoo and rinse him well.

NEVER stick a Q tip in his ear! They are too deep and you can't see where it's going. Use baby wipes if you can. It might take one or two wipes per ear, at first. They are what most of us use, unless there are special needs for medicated cleansers, which you would get at a pet store or vet. Just get the cheap baby wipes with aloe or something similar. They are gentle and usually smell better than their ears!

He will shed. Get used to it. If he had not been bathed or brushed, he probably shed a bit more than he normally will.

You'll figure it out. Bassets are different but we are here to answer questions. Like the one about the Q Tips ...ask first please!!! No Q Tips!

 

[boris'mama]

Every other day is too often to bathe him. Just get him good and clean in one washing ...even if you have to shampoo twice ...and then wait a week or so, unless he gets especially dirty. He'll itch and his skin will be dry if you bathe him too often. Use a good gentle dog shampoo and rinse him well.

NEVER stick a Q tip in his ear! They are too deep and you can't see where it's going. Use baby wipes if you can. It might take one or two wipes per ear, at first. They are what most of us use, unless there are special needs for medicated cleansers, which you would get at a pet store or vet. Just get the cheap baby wipes with aloe or something similar. They are gentle and usually smell better than their ears!

He will shed. Get used to it. If he had not been bathed or brushed, he probably shed a bit more than he normally will.

You'll figure it out. Bassets are different but we are here to answer questions. Like the one about the Q Tips ...ask first please!!! No Q Tips!
[/b]

LOL!!! thanks! I'll make sure to keep him away from those!!

 

[boris'mama]

I just cleaned his ears and it worked so good! it was fast and easy actually! I thought that junk would be hard and dry but it was really easy to clean, thanks!!

 

[woodrowsmom]

Another thing that might help with the bathing/stinky situation is the pet wipes. They have them at Walmart for like $3 a pack. I bought some for Woodrow. They are pretty big and you just wipe the dog down with them if he gets dirty. They smell great, and help between baths.

 

[Mikey T]

I use a commercial prepared ear solution but an easy homemade one can be made with a 50/50 mix of 3% isopropol alcohol and distilled vingear. One of the hound seams sensitive to alcohol in most ear cleaners so I look for ones that do not contain it. However for the typical dog alcohol is a good cleaner and more imortantly dryer of the ear canal reducing the risk of infection I like the liquid ear cleaner because they can go deeper than you can reach. I soak a 2 x 2 square cotton pad with the cleaner excess liquid drips in the ear when cleaning the exterior section. it enters more slowly and is warmed before entering the ear canal so the dogs are more comfortable than having the cold liquid just squrted in which is the recommendation by most manufactured. When you massage around the ear you should hear squishy sound if not then not enough cleaner is in the ear canal. It is also necessary to wipe the ears a second time a few ours to a day later as the Deep cleaning will bring more gunk out especially after the dog shakes/


Bathing will lossen more dead hairs than brushing alone so clogging the drain with hair is not uncommon when bathing a dog

Dogs should not be stinky soon after bathing it is a sign of other possible conditions. Often the source of the odor is not the skin. Ears/ear inections, anal glands, peridontal disease, lip fold pyroderma are some other common cause of odor. Bassets are also prone to a condition called sebeorrhea that often but not always has underlying factor like allergies. For a dog that gets stinky quickly after bathing consult with your vet to treat the problem rather than just trying to deal with the odor.

 

[Booya]

if you don't want your basset to stink, you should clean him LESS often. i've found with my hounds that the more i bathe them, the more they stink. something about the water activating their oil glands.

 

[José]

I notice so much hair when I bathe José & it is mainly just all the hair I SHOULD have brushed off him. It's easy to slack off of brushing him, but I can tell you, brushing every 2-3 days will make much less housework for you! I use a glove with little rubber nubs on it, and massage him every which way. Before long there is a big clump of hair on it.

When I bathe José I just have a shower stall, not a tub. I of course have to get in there with him! I first take a cut up piece of some pantyhose & use masking tape to stick it over the entire drain opening in the shower. I poke a few holes in it to facilitate water getting through quickly. During the shower I remove clumps of hair over the drain & just put them to the side so water keeps draining. It ends up with my shower a mess but once I get rid of the wet hair it's not bad. Then he smells wonderful & can start his psychotic running around the house. The only thing left to do then is to keep him away from the mulch in the backyard so he won't start rolling in it!

 

[Beverly Anne]

The only time I've ever bathed Francis was when he got into a pile of discarded chum down the Cape. It was brutal and horrifying and that was even before we got into the water. The smell was so bad I was vomiting over and over again while cleaning him.
Anyway, that fond memory aside, I brush Francis every other day with a curry brush and wipe him down every other week with a very wet towel that has the tiniest (and I mean tiny) amount of dog shampoo on it and then I dry him with a dry towel. Every time he needs it I use an unscented baby wipe to dust him off.
He always smells clean and fresh and people have remarked at how glossy and healthy his coat is.

 

[Kezzy&Snoops]

I use a glove with little rubber nubs on it, and massage him every which way. Before long there is a big clump of hair on it.[/b]

Surely you mean a great big clump of basset, lying on his back with a huge smile on his face not wanting to go anywhere or do anything, saying "if you don't mind, can you just groom that bit again I think you missed a spot?"

Well... that's what happens in my house when I get the grooming mitts out....

 

[Beverly Anne]

Francis does the same thing with the wet towels and ear cleaning. He can't see the stuff so I say, "Wanna bath??" and he gets all wiggly and floppy. He LOVES to get his ears cleaned and purrs like a kitten when I do it.

 

[2hounds]

Both of my hounds are very good with the ear cleaning thing, but bathes are another story. Lily runs around the house and has to be carried into the bathtub. Once she is in there she acts as if she weighs a ton and sits in one spot (which makes it hard to clean her rear and legs). Gibbs on the other hand loves baths-he jumps right in the tub. We do not have to clean his ears often because Lily does that for him.