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Beagles/Bathing a beagle

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Expert: - 11/14/2009


Question

Tyche
I adopted a dog from the humane society who they claimed was about 8 months old. I have had her for over six months and think she might just now be 10 months. I also wonder if she is a OEPB due to her size. My question is that she has recently been shedding a lot. I live in Colorado and we have entered our winter season so I know that could be part of it. I would like to start bathing her to help with the shedding but I dont want to dry her out since I know she has natural oils. How much is too much? or is there an alternative to help with the shedding?  

Answer
Oh Tyche is so adorable, what a lucky person you are to have gotten such a sweetheart!   I do not know what OEPB means????

As far as bathing, unless she gets into something nasty, bathing a beagle once a month is enough. Your best bet is using either baby shampoo or a high quality shampoo from a beauty supply like the Paul Mitchell Pet line. Anything you buy in the grocery or drug store is going to be mostly detergent which will strip her of those oils and could even cause allergic reactions. Beagles are notoriously allergic dogs, hence the reason companies like Proctor and Gamble use them for animal testing! But that is another story, I will not buy any of their products though, period!

The other thing you can do to help keep her coat healthy and try to keep alllergic reactions at bay is to begin her on DermCaps which is made of Omega 3 Fatty Acids and fish oils etc. You can get it for the best price at omahavaccine.com All of my dogs are on this every day for lifetime. I have been using this product for 20 years and it makes a huge difference. It takes about 3-4 months of daily use to see the difference but it does work well and is actually really good for them for many reasons other than just their coat, it also helps their skin and immune system. The fact that she is shedding so much tells me that she really needs this. My beagles seldom shed, I mean obviously in the spring their lose their undercoats because they don't need them but in the winter they shouldnt be shedding, it is a time of growing an undercoat. This means she definately needs the DermCaps and as well her nutrition may not be sufficient. She needs to be on a high quality food. I prefer Dick Van Patten's Limited Ingredient Diets because they eliminate all the common allergy sources which as I said are common in beagles. It is s bit more expensive but worth it in relation to vet bills for allergy and skin issues.

Good luck with your girl, I know what it is like to not really know the age of your pup, my boy pictured on my profile was also a rescue and I don't think he was the age they said either. You vet can help with this by looking at his teeth etc but they will never be able to be sure

Have4Paws

Expertise

I am happy to answer BEAGLE BREED SPECIFIC behavioral questions. Please DO NOT ask CRATE TRAINING OR MEDICAL questions! I am not a vet nor an expert in the use of crates.

Experience

I currently have one beagle, a male age 5, an 12 month old Pit Bull, and a 8 year old min. poodle. I have had to let go of three of my dogs, 2 beagles and 1 whippet/rat terrier mix in the past 5 years, most recently my whippet mix. The two beagles lived to 15 and the whippet mix to 13.5, it has been hard to say goodbye to them. I have done rescue work on and off for years as well as fund-raising for the local animal shelter. I worked for a dog magazine in the past (Southern California Dog Magazine). Being a psychotherapist has encouraged me to do in depth studying of animal behavior as well. I have worked with many people to help curb undesirable behaviors in their dogs (or them!) or to form good behaviors. My life is devoted to and surrounded by my dogs........The picture you see here is Zeppelin but we also call him the "miracle dog". He was hit by a car April 2010 while out with the dog walker and had very serious injuries... 4 surgeries and $17,000 later my boy is whole again and back to loving life. He is so special to me and he weathered a lot of pain and trauma yet is still the sweet boy he always was! I also work to stop Breed Specific Legislation and help to get pit bulls adopted.

Organizations
HSUS, PETA, SPCA DONT SHOP...ADOPT!!

Publications
Dog Fancy

Education/Credentials
I am a Marriage and Family Therapist licensed in the state of CA and am also credentialed as a Certified Addiction Treatment Specialist

Awards and Honors
Honored by the Agoura Animal Shelter for my volunteer work.

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