Lexi's Mom ... GREAT that your vet visit went so well! That's always good news! Now, since you have a good report ... let the
real fun begin!
We enjoyed Toto so much more once we got past those first few vet visits and knew that everything was really OK! You will find that vet opinions/methods differ. The bath thing? I have heard a lot of different things ... once a month, once a week, etc. Dr. Lucy [our vet and "Yorkie Specialist"
] told us to bathe Toto when whe is dirty ... even if it's more than once a week! HOWEVER .. we have to be careful in the method we use. I always brush her really good before and after since Toto has a long coat we don't "rub" the shampoo in like you would if you were shampooing your head ... I just put shampoo in one hand and rub my hands together and then "wipe" her coat until it has shampoo all over, then gently "massage" the coat and skin for awhile until you feel it's clean ... give a good rinse ... then I repeat with a good thick conditioner and let it stay on for a few minutes [five is good] ... while the conditioner is on I just continue rubbing her and massaging her skin and she loves it!! Then another good thorough rinse! She prefers to be towel dried and then wrapped in a thick dry towel and snuggle until she is just barely "damp" ... then we begin our second brushing and put our "topknot" up and we are all done! [If I am brushing her hair and it is dry, I always "spritz" it with diluted conditioner to prevent breakage]. It's not that hard if she is brushed every day. She usually lays in my lap when I am watching TV and I brush her and she loves it ... will turn over on her back ... and really enjoys having her paws massaged!! Of course, this is my personal routine and I realize everyone has their own ... as long as Dr. Lucy approves and we don't encounter any problems, this works for us!!