Recommendations for a dog that will be transported (and therefore arrive stinky) and probably shedding

[toprhi]

Hi all. I’m adopting a dog that’s being transported from the south US and will take two days to arrive. The rescue informed me that while they have planned potty breaks and runs and such, it is not uncommon that poop or urine still gets stepped on/in so the pup will likely arrive smelling pretty badly and that they’ll need a bath when I pick them up. Additionally, they’re some shepherd mix. In the video the rescue took, it definitely looked like he could use a good brush, but during the video call with the foster, it looked like he had a good brush. I would take the pup-o to a groomer, but he’ll have been traveling for 2 days, then have to travel a bit more with me to make it home, so I don’t want to subject him to that when he should be decompressing.

I was wondering if a clarifying shampoo, then a de-shedding shampoo and conditioner would be okay? If not, what’s your recommendation?

 

[greycat]

@toprhi yeah you’ll definitely want to bathe them first thing. the greyhound rescue i got my dog through does this first thing after bringing in new dogs from the track. it’s going to be stressful for the dog but it’s one of those things that is necessary.

I wouldn’t worry too much about deshedding or brushing in this initial groom. I would just focus on getting him as clean as you can.

I would use earth bath dirty dog shampoo or something similar. Use any type of dog conditioner after.

this is just for comfort and you can wait until he’s decompressed a little to work on doing a good brush out

 

[toprhi]

@greycat Thank you!

 

[dabig88]

@toprhi Once he's settled (I would Wait a week or so) bathing every 6 weeks is common. And make sure you have the right brushes for his coat type I've you know it.

 

[toprhi]

@dabig88 Thank you! I don't know his coat yet, I only have a guess from pictures, but I'm going to wait until I actually meet him to buy them. I know I want the equigroomer, as that seems great for most coat types, and I also own a kong zoom groom because I use it for my cat. Might come back to ask for recs once I find out Thank you for the timeline tip--super helpful!

 

[nzgrills]

@toprhi I would use something like Skouts Honor shampoo as it is probiotic and will soothe any irritation or dryness in the skin. As well as get a “rubber brush” to help life the undercoat without damaging skin and undercoat. Keep in mind that stress causes shedding to get worse so please give him a couple weeks to adjust to you before bringing him anywhere professional . Let him get used to you and see that he isn’t going to be left or abandoned!

 

[toprhi]

@nzgrills Okay, I’ll check that out Skout’s Hobor too. Is it good for really dirty situations? Again, a day or two in urine and pop might be involved, so just want to get the best option. Is a Zoom Groom a sufficient option for a rubber brush?

Definitely waiting on the professional! Going to give him quite a while to decompress, especially after the driving he’ll be enduring!

 

[nzgrills]

@toprhi Yes there are a few different kinds and you can always look into an additional “whitening” shampooo even if the dogs coat isn’t white it’s great for lifting stains and urine or feces debris! Absolutely the zoom groom is great , the larger more spaced apart grips are for in the tub during washing and the shorter, closer together are for lifting dry undercoat!

 

[toprhi]

@nzgrills Thank you. Just realized all my typos too, so thanks for enduring that, lol. Thanks for the note on the whitening shampoos!!! I’ve heard of them but, of course, have only seen them in white dogs. This pup is a bit of a lighter coat, so will keep that in mind if the regular shampoo won’t work. Thank you so much for these tips!!!

 

[nzgrills]

@toprhi You’re very welcome! Anything I can do to help fellow animal lovers and their babies.
Most people don’t realize that it’s a groomers trick! Just because it says “whitening” doesn’t mean you can fuse it for extremely grimy mutts!! Lol

 

[nzgrills]

@toprhi Also thank you for being responsible as a veteran groomer I see too many families adopt pets and try to bring them as soon as they get off the truck or only a week later and the poor animals are always so stressed!

 

[toprhi]

@nzgrills Aww. Just seeing this addition. This is encouraging. Thank you so much.

 

[smtdds]

@toprhi Please don’t bathe your dog immediately. We adopted an overseas rescue (we’re in the uk) and he arrived dirty, smelly and terrified. There was no way I was putting an exhausted and stressed dog in the bath. We built up trust, let him relax and put up with the dirt. It vacuums up. Housework is not the most important thing.

 

[deuteronymous]

@toprhi What do you know about the dog? Is it coming from a foster?

If it's coming from a foster, I'd do a long walk and take him to a groomer.

If he's coming directly from a shelter, first, good luck. 2nd, you could just do a smell good spray if he's sketchy when you get him. If he seems okay, you can just do regular dog shampoo and conditioner. Long hair he will need to be shaved or brushed and combed well so as to not make matting worse or create it.

Edited: a word (foster --> groomer)

 

[toprhi]

@deuteronymous Coming from a foster home, yes. Sorry, I don’t think I understand your second statement—could you rephrase? Apologies.

And noted on the spray! They say it’s super common for them to have stepped in poo or pee, but if he hasn’t, I’ll do a spray as suggested. Thank you!

 

[deuteronymous]

@toprhi I meant groomer. Sorry.

 

[toprhi]

@deuteronymous No worries! Most suggestions when bringing a dog home recommend to not bring them to any place new for a while. He's already coming off a 2 day transport, and will have to drive 3 hours with me to my home, so I don't want to stress him out by bringing another random person, another random place, and a ton of handling off the bat. I do intend to take him to the groomers, but after a decompression period.

Edit: Thanks again for your input! Much appreciated.

 

[natalia2019]

@deuteronymous They're adopting the dog. It won't be going to another foster.

 

[deuteronymous]

@natalia2019 Thanks for that catch! Totally meant groomer.