Cookie's Conundrum

Sometimes, tasks we do on a regular basis, tend to get away from us. This was the case with my dogs Cookie and Gigi. I usually take them to the groomer every two months, but somehow, it went much longer this time.

When I picked them up today, I noticed that Gigi's tail was cropped a little more than usual. It was cut that way due to some matting. However, that's just cosmetic. Hair usually grows back.

The real problem of concern was Cookie. Up until today, she was scooting because her hair was on the long side. When a dog like Cookie goes too long between grooming, the hair covers the skin completely. As a result, the skin underneath becomes dried out.

When I went to pick up Cookie, the groomer mentioned to me that she was red and itchy in that area and that she used special oatmeal shampoo in that spot. Getting home was another story. Cookie was using her hind paw to scratch her belly. Many dogs have thinner skin below their belly.

As it turned out, Cookie was scratching so much, it became inflamed and started bleeding. Puzzled about this, I sought out similar situations on the internet. Some people were saying take the dog to the vet. Others were saying that it was a dry skin problem. Since it would be hard to see the vet on short notice, I decided to tackle this at home.

I first tried using a lotion that didn't have a strong scent. It was a gentle body lotion made by Clarins. It seemed to work at first, then Cookie would start scratching after about 20 minutes. I then tried Vaseline. That seemed to work but was a little heavy. When I read about this groomer who used certain oils, one of them was vitamin E.

I then remembered the Omega treats I had picked up in the past for Gigi, since her skin was sensitive. I headed over to PetsMart to pick up a bag for them. I picked up the largest bag available. Instead of the usual one I would give them, I upped it to three for Cookie and two for Gigi and Homer.

A Few Hours Later

The fish treats seemed to have done the trick. Cookie hasn't scratched ever since. I think I was very lucky that it was a matter of her skin getting used to her haircut, and nothing more serious like an infection. It just goes to show, when you have dogs, you can't let things slip through the cracks.

Let's Discuss!

Have you ever had a situation with dry skin on your dogs? How did you handle it?