An oatmeal bath is the best remedy for dogs with itchy, flaky, and dry skin problems. It is also a natural way to maintain the shine and health of their coat. This DogAppy post has an easy oatmeal bath recipe for your dog.
Skin problems in dogs are a common concern of most dog owners. Dogs, like humans, can suffer from various skin-related problems like itchiness, dryness, and rashes. Skin problems in dogs can also be a result of food allergies, dog fleas, tick infestation, allergies to certain products, etc. It is essential that such problems are taken care of by the use of natural dog grooming products, as certain chemicals can aggravate the problem or even lead to other skin disorders. An oatmeal bath can be one of the natural ways to groom your dog and maintain a healthy coat and skin. It is also recommended by most veterinarians as it is known to be helpful in treating many skin problems which affect dogs.
Oatmeal Bath Recipe
There are a few oatmeal bath products available in the market, but you can also prepare it at home. Preparing it is really quite simple as all you need is oatmeal and water. Since it is all natural, there are no side effects that it can have on your dog’s skin; instead, it will only rid your dog of its various skin problems, a major one being itchiness. Here’s how you can go about it.
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked, unflavored oatmeal
- Lukewarm water
Method
Grind one cup plain oatmeal in a blender into a fine powder. Fill a bathtub with lukewarm water and add the oatmeal powder to it while it is filling. Stir the oatmeal powder well into the water till the water appears cloudy. Make sure that the oatmeal powder has dissolved in the water well and has not clumped up at the bottom of the bathtub.
How to Use
Place your dog in the oatmeal bath water and pour some of the water on his back and head. Make sure that his eyes do not come in contact with the water, else it may cause some discomfort. Let the dog soak in the water for around 15 minutes. If the dog is furry, you will need to massage some of the oatmeal bath water into the coat, so that the water comes in contact with the skin. Once the 15 minutes are up, remove the dog from the bathtub and rinse off thecoat with lukewarm water and pat dry.
If your dog is suffering from severe itching and dry, scaly skin, you can use this oatmeal bath recipe twice a week to bathe him. For better results, you can also use a homemade oatmeal shampoo when the dog is soaking in the oatmeal bath.
Benefits
Oatmeal bath has several benefits. It leaves the coat of the dog clean, soft, shiny, and healthy looking, also imparting a pleasant smell. It helps relieve the dog of skin troubles like itching, dry skin, rashes, skin allergies, puppy acne, hot spots, and flea and tick infestation. Oatmeal contains vitamin E, and thus naturally moisturizes the dog’s skin and soothes itchy skin. It also has anti-inflammatory properties that provides some amount of pain relief caused due to itchiness.
Oatmeal bath for dogs is a good way to care for your dog’s coat and to keep it healthy. In case your dogs suffers from persistent itching, it would be advisable to consult a veterinarian to find out the underlying cause and treat the dog accordingly.
