Stinky face

[Pepper Bug's Mom]

What do you use to clean your dog's face hair and keep it clean?

[kjwarnold]

Combing seems to work most of the time for us, but sometimes a gentle scrubbing with a damp wash cloth helps. I hear Listerine mixed with a little water to dilute it works well, too.

[Hillscreek]

Brush and comb is all I do.

[Dempsy's Mom]

Demps gets very few baths and hates getting his face wiped. I don't mess much with his face - trim his ears once in a while and comb and trim around his face. When he gets little eye crumbs I will pick them out. I like to admire his facial features - especially his beautiful eyelashes.

[Idaho Cairns]

We've used a damp washcloth when necessary or a sanitary wipe but generally we don't clean their faces other than brushing/combing.

[Lynn in TN]

I use a damp wash cloth. Then only time I wipe Kelly's face is if I give her something that stinks to eat like the can of sardines I gave her yesterday. I added a little lemon juice to the wash cloth it really helps with a fishy smell.

[Rawrkats]

Rawhides give Boo terrible face. His hair gets all ... well it looks dreaded and crunchy. Usually I wet a cloth and wrestle with him. Makes him very playful and clean.

[miffedbymuffy]

Muffin sorts her own face out. She wipes it on my clothes straight after breakfast!!! I mistakenly thought this was an affectionate thank you for her food until the penny dropped.

[JCDickens]

Boy, am I glad someone posted this question!

OK, Dickens, time for a little washcloth action!

Thank you and Happy New Year!

[Pepper Bug's Mom]

Thank you for your suggestions! I did trim her hair about around her muzzle (where it really stinks). I will try the white vinegar and water treatment. She had puppy strangles (juvenile cellulitis) when she was 10 weeks old and it damaged her tear ducts according to the eye doctor. As a result she has runny eyes - much improved with antibiotics twice a week. However, her face gets damp from the tears and I am sure yeast builds up, etc. She hates getting her face washed....ha ha! I love this forum and am still trying to figure out how to upload pictures of Pepper. She is now 1 1/2 years old and the fastest dog at the dog park! Someone commented today on "how fast your little dog is!" You would never guess she had been so sick with those puppy strangles!!

[cairnfan]

I don't know if we've already connected but my dog had puppy strangles too. It was very scary but he is totally healthy and happy now at 2 years. His tear ducts seem fine but he does get a little black crust in the corners of his eyes each morning that I remove with a tissue. Our other cairn had this too. It's not stinky, though. Pepper is very cute, BTW!

[Pepper Bug's Mom]

Pepper had surgery on her tear ducts last month (no guarantee of success) and just went for her eye doctor check up.  The eyes are draining much better than before when there was no tearing coming out of her nose when eye drops were put in her eyes.  Now her nose is flowing tears just fine!!  She still has some tear stains around her eyes, but not as much as before.  The eye doctor said she wouldn't do anything more - she was thrilled with the results of the surgery!  Yay!

 

So glad to hear that Cairnfan's puppy had puppy strangles as well!  I felt like I was in a nightmare at the time! No one knew what was wrong with her - trips to the ER, etc.  Pustules all over her body, high fever, diarhea, lethargy, vomiting....  Finally ended up at a specialty clinic about the same time I figured out what was wrong (after research on internet) and a couple of Cairn breeders did too.  Pepper was one of the 25% that had it all over her body, not just her face.  She still HATES to get her chin wiped or washed - might still be sensitive, but could just be a Cairn trait as well.  She is a perfect angel at the eye doctor's and I was told that she is "so cute" and the vet is glad that she is microchipped and double name tagged as well!  Yes, she has recovered totally!!!

[Idaho Cairns]

Just a quick Cairn tip on "eye crust".  I learned a long time ago that Cairns were a lot more cooperative with "eye crust" removal if I let them eat the remains off my finger when I was done.  Now I get no resistance from my girls--in fact they seem to love the stuff.

 

I know what you are thinking but remember--with Cairns there are few "easy" ways and we should celebrate and share those successes with each other.

[KJW]

Can anyone tell me, after their dog has recovered from Puppy Strangles (Juvenile Cellulitis), if the condition impacted the health of the dog. Or if there is a known specialist of this immune disorder?