Welcome to Singapore, a tiny dot in Asia where the denizens (especially the older generation) do not sit on the grass at any time of the day and we walk around at home barefoot.
What does that mean to a dog? We have imaginative standards of hygiene that Donna has, has to put up with. Well, not only me if you count in some friends and family who have given their advice.
Miss G, who used to have a mini schnauzer in the house, told me to ‘wash her paws and rinse her mouth after every walk.’
And our cousin said they wash their dog’s paws after they return from a walk too.
So you see, the OCD does not only apply to me.
Anyway, we’ve been religiously wiping down the dog every time we come back from outside and supposedly, we bathe the dog every week. I said supposedly, because sometimes we do miss a week or two due to illness or weekend family events, etc. Excuses, maybe. So that’s something we’ve still got to work on.
The wiping is essential. Her paws get all covered by layers of dirt and grime and on bad days, you end up wiping leftover bits of diarrhea still stuck to you know where. But lucky those days actually number just one or two days in the last 6 months. :P
We’ve been wiping down the dog with dog wipes from the pet shop, but these are actually pretty expensive, especially when our cousin informed us she made do with discount baby wipes from the neighbourhood discount stores. Either way, I never did like either the dog wipes or baby wipes we’ve bought because of the hideous scent they put on these wipes. Donna definitely agrees with me the way she snorts disgustedly at them.
So today, mundane news to you but happy news for me : P, we found some pretty affordable unscented baby wipes for Donna that are fragrance and paraben free! At S$7 for two 100 sheet packs, these are still expensive compared to the $1+ pack of 80 scented, paraben-filled sheets. But hey, fragrace and paraben-free. That’s the best deal I can find over here right now. I’ll even use that on my child if I have one.
And because we bought so much stuff at the Metro sales at the mall, we qualified for two rounds of sure-win lucky draw. Don’t you like sure-win stuff? Well, not if they are Barney, I love You towels. We need more towels for the dog anyway, but as you can see, Donna sure isn’t a fan of Barney either. :P
Unimpressed she is, but the wiping down continues! :P So does the body searching for ticks!
artscottnet
The cost can add up quickly… I’d always end up using 2 or 3 wipes each time, so finally I bought a pack of regular inexpensive wash cloths that can be used hundreds of times and would mist them before using with a disinfecting solution safe for dogs… afterwards I’d rinse them, then just throw them in the laundry. You can control the ingredients and bad smells your sweet girl doesn’t like :P
pjdonna
Every time we run out of wipes, we fall back on wash clothes. The problem lies with us :( We don’t launder the wash clothes diligently enough and we always have a back load of laundry to catch up with! Imagine, not enough underwear! *Gasp* But you are right, the cost can add up quickly. One more thing that we need to do more efficiently on the list. But you know what? Donna snorts disgustedly at the washcloth too! But that’s because I insist on dousing the washclothes with my home-made insect-repelling, anti-bacteria and deodorising vinegar+essential oil spray, hah! :P Thanks for the great advice! We will slowly try to work that into our undesirable lazy lifestyle! :P
Sonel
Oh, I don’t blame you at all for wiping her cute little paws every time you come home from a walk because I feel the same. You must see me with Simba under my arm (he looks like a handbag) … trotting to the bathroom, putting him in the bath and then washing his dirty little feet. He won’t tolerate the wipes because he hates it when anyone touches his feet. Only he is allowed to do that, especially with the chewing and the licking. LOL! He also gets his bath every week and in summer I use Frontline on him for the ticks and fleas. I hate those things. They are yucky!
Please tell Donna she mustn’t feel bad. I don’t like Barney either..hahahahah
Great shots Mrs P. and I absolutely LOVE “Haul of the Day” and the “bummer” hee hee. *hugs*
pjdonna
Poor Simba, he must be hurt to be called a handbag! :P We don’t wash her feet because she doesn’t like to be carried anywhere and also, it take more time to get them completely dry so that she doesn’t track wet paw prints everywhere. She still does that on occasion when she pees at home… oh the horror!! She doesn’t feel bad as much as indignant at the indignity of being frisked bodily with the wet wipe I imagine :P and of course the horrible smell of it. … and don’t worry we’re too far away to tell Simba he is a handbag :P
rubytheblacklabrador
Yes – we use old towels cut up into small pieces and wash her with warm water and some eucalyptus oil – this is of course when she doesn’t need a cold hosing down!
pjdonna
I imagine the hosing happens pretty often and she snorts disgustedly at the hosing too? :P Donna hates the shower (regardless of the temperature of the water) but is slowly getting used to it. All you guys must be some much better than laundry than we are!! *ashamed*
rubytheblacklabrador
No – just got sick of buying wet wipes and throwing them away – environmental hazard!!!
pjdonna
You are right of course. Chill. : )
I think there are some things we do that are friendly, reuse, recycle, e.g. and somethings that we do that are less friendly, e.g. reduce wet wipes. We all need to find an equilibrium somewhere that we can support in our lives, and then slowly work towards the ideal, which ideally of course should be sound environmentally friendly practices. It takes time. We will get there one day.
rubytheblacklabrador
Yes agree! We’ve had two kids so goodness knows how many nappies and wipes went to landfill. Ruby has to suffer our late onset guilt…
well minded
Congratulations on finding the wipes. I’d pay more for fragrance-free, too. I have a client who asks me to wipe the paws of both of their dogs every time we go in the back yard. It can be quite tedious!
pjdonna
It is tedious, some days more than others! But both the dog and the human have gotten used to doing it so its routine. And the good thing is, it forces us to pay attention to every inch of her body thoroughly so we check for ticks at the same time. :P Thank you for dropping by with your kind comment! I hope those dogs needing their paws wiped make your life easy by cooperating! Have a great day today!!