got a question here...

[BLowry]

just gave Lillie a bath...I clipped her first. Her coat seems to be getting thicker as she gets older. she was in BAD need of a grooming...I am embarrassed to say none of the pups have been bathe since thanksgiving.... Lillie seems to get dirtier than the other 2 maybe because her coat is thicker and longer,,.,anywho...as I was rinsing her there was hair a lot of hair coming off...it's not like she is losing her hair almost like she has an under coat. which i know these dogs don't. this is the first time this has happened....she is not showing any signs of hair loss...she eats good food and acts like a normal yorkie...has this ever happened to anyone else,...it wasn't long hair...it was just like short downy black hair...if you look at my avatar pic she is the one on the right...her coloring is pretty but, kind of odd too...silvery on the top and black underneath...almost like having dark hair lighted!

[BLowry]

just a bump

[rubynrosie]

I cant help you about the undercoat thing but..my Rosie has the exact same coloring. When she gets a cut it turns dark and then as it grows it grows out silvery.

[yorkiemini]

How often do you brush her. If she has not been bathed since thanksgiving you are probablvu just seeing concentrated shedding that takes place to some degree with each bathing - or brushing.

[BLowry]

Originally Posted by yorkiemini

How often do you brush her. If she has not been bathed since thanksgiving you are probablvu just seeing concentrated shedding that takes place to some degree with each bathing - or brushing.

I usually brush every other day..but, haven't brushed her in a while...I feel terrible even saying this...I usually bathe every 2-3 weeks. their skin gets so dry in the winter i don't like to bathe to often... Thank you for your response Lillie isn't a fan of the brush...sometimes she fine and other times she fights me terrible. today she was a good girl!

[Maximo]

I agree that going such a long time without a bath might be why you are seeing the hair come out. Yorkies are like humans (young humans) and they will break hair.

I would brush/comb every day and give her another bath in a week. If you still see a lot of the hair, I would take her to see the vet.

I would also avoid going that long without a bath in the future for fear that it would cause skin and hair problems, infections.

[Maximo]

Originally Posted by BLowry

I usually brush every other day..but, haven't brushed her in a while...I feel terrible even saying this...I usually bathe every 2-3 weeks. their skin gets so dry in the winter i don't like to bathe to often... Thank you for your response Lillie isn't a fan of the brush...sometimes she fine and other times she fights me terrible. today she was a good girl!

I didn't see your post before I responded earlier.

Part of the benefit of bathing and brushing/combing is stimulating blood circulation to the skin and hair follicles, and sloughing away dead cells. In other words, bathing less can lead to dry, unhealthy skin.

Use a fish oil and/or coconut oil oral supplement and gentle dog shampoo/conditioner and you shouldn't have any problem with dry skin.

[BLowry]

Originally Posted by Maximo

I didn't see your post before I responded earlier.

Part of the benefit of bathing and brushing/combing is stimulating blood circulation to the skin and hair follicles, and sloughing away dead cells. In other words, bathing less can lead to dry, unhealthy skin.

Use a fish oil and/or coconut oil oral supplement and gentle dog shampoo/conditioner and you shouldn't have any problem with dry skin.

I forgot to say...they were being treated with fleas. The vet told me NOT to bathe them because it would wash off the treatment,...Also,.,.We got Bentley this same time last year and he had VERY dry itchy skin,,...I tried washing him with oatmeal shampoo and conditioner (pet silk) and it didn't help. MY skin gets really dry and itchy in the winter. I called my vet...they told me not to bathe a lot because that can cause dry skin as well...I did buy some fish oil from the vet...they will NOT eat their food when I put it on..I think I am going to try the coconut oil. I did see a shampoo with olive oil in it on the pet silk site. said it was good for dry skin...I am going to look into that...out of the 3 pups Lillie hair gets very oily looking and because her coat grown so long and is thicker she gets dirty and stinky...I don't like that! I will NOT let her go that long again! but, if I use a flea treatment on her what am I supposed to do if I'm not supposed to bathe her? I even asked about dry shampoo and they told me no. UGH!

[Deb1]

What kind of flea treatment are you using. If it is the kind that you apply to the back of the neck, you only can not bathe them for a couple of days after the application. It is fine to bathe after the initial application! Teeka has itchy skin and I bathe her once a week. She itches less when she has baths. I use Pantene Ice Shine Conditioner and her hair is so silky!

[Maximo]

Originally Posted by BLowry

I forgot to say...they were being treated with fleas. The vet told me NOT to bathe them because it would wash off the treatment,...Also,.,.We got Bentley this same time last year and he had VERY dry itchy skin,,...I tried washing him with oatmeal shampoo and conditioner (pet silk) and it didn't help. MY skin gets really dry and itchy in the winter. I called my vet...they told me not to bathe a lot because that can cause dry skin as well...I did buy some fish oil from the vet...they will NOT eat their food when I put it on..I think I am going to try the coconut oil. I did see a shampoo with olive oil in it on the pet silk site. said it was good for dry skin...I am going to look into that...out of the 3 pups Lillie hair gets very oily looking and because her coat grown so long and is thicker she gets dirty and stinky...I don't like that! I will NOT let her go that long again! but, if I use a flea treatment on her what am I supposed to do if I'm not supposed to bathe her? I even asked about dry shampoo and they told me no. UGH!

I don't know why many vets say not to bathe very often. They don't understand Yorkie coats. They need to be washed. If you use a gentle shampoo, you can bathe your dogs as often as you wash your own hair without ending up with dry skin.

I agree with Deb that you can bathe a couple days after using a topical flea treatment. The preventative is absorbed into the body and therefore, does not wash off after that. Plus, with fleas, you want to bathe! Washing will remove fleas, flea eggs, flea dirt. Not washing will make flea problems much worse.

Winter can be tough on all of us. Try to make sure the water isn't too hot, just warm enough to be comfortable. Oatmeal shampoo, although promoted as great for sensitive skin, can be irritating or harsh depending on the brand or the dog.

Fish oil -- I use Animal Essentials Fish Oil Plus, which I sell, for my guys. They LOVE the taste and customers report the same from their pups. Animal Essentials Fish Oil Plus in Soft Gel Caps

Definitely also try the coconut oil. I like Cocotherapy and Nutiva brand. Only use a quality organic, no preservative brand. I tried cheaper stuff and it wasn't as good.

If you are looking for a super gentle shampoo and conditioner that you could safely use every day on sensitive skin, try Coat Handlers, a favorite of Yorkie exhibitors.

[BLowry]

Originally Posted by Maximo

I don't know why many vets say not to bathe very often. They don't understand Yorkie coats. They need to be washed. If you use a gentle shampoo, you can bathe your dogs as often as you wash your own hair without ending up with dry skin.

I agree with Deb that you can bathe a couple days after using a topical flea treatment. The preventative is absorbed into the body and therefore, does not wash off after that. Plus, with fleas, you want to bathe! Washing will remove fleas, flea eggs, flea dirt. Not washing will make flea problems much worse.

Winter can be tough on all of us. Try to make sure the water isn't too hot, just warm enough to be comfortable. Oatmeal shampoo, although promoted as great for sensitive skin, can be irritating or harsh depending on the brand or the dog.

Fish oil -- I use Animal Essentials Fish Oil Plus, which I sell, for my guys. They LOVE the taste and customers report the same from their pups. Animal Essentials Fish Oil Plus in Soft Gel Caps

Definitely also try the coconut oil. I like Cocotherapy and Nutiva brand. Only use a quality organic, no preservative brand. I tried cheaper stuff and it wasn't as good.

If you are looking for a super gentle shampoo and conditioner that you could safely use every day on sensitive skin, try Coat Handlers, a favorite of Yorkie exhibitors.

I thought it was odd that they told me not to bathe them too. I thought the topical was absorbed into the skin. Last summer was the first time in the 8 yrs that I've had my furbutts that they ever had fleas. My vet uses parastar..

[Maximo]

Originally Posted by BLowry

I thought it was odd that they told me not to bathe them too. I thought the topical was absorbed into the skin. Last summer was the first time in the 8 yrs that I've had my furbutts that they ever had fleas. My vet uses parastar..

Last year was bad for fleas. I am over 40, and I saw a flea for the first time last summer. Our vet warned us about not using any preventatives because last year was one of the worst he had ever seen. Luckily, we didn't get infested, but it was a lot of exhausting work making sure we didn't.

Carefully combing the dogs head to toe at least twice a day/frequent baths
Vacuuming the entire house and car every day
Washing bedding and everything else

I am not familiar with parastar. The few fleas we saw scared me enough to resort to Frontline.