Xoloitzcuintli or Chinese Crested Mix -- How do I care for him?

Good grooming practices are essential for maintaining health and happiness for you and your dog. This is a forum to exchange tips and advice for proper care of your dog's hygiene needs.

Peekaboo

You can't see- me!

Barked: Sun Dec 25, '11 1:57am PST


	I get a lot of fosters through my house, but this is the first time I've gotten one like this. This little guy was a complete mess. He's a Chihuahua/hairless-something mix, and I'm not entirely sure what the proper way to care for him is. His mane, tail, and legs have nice, thick, very soft fur while his back and stomach has very thin, fine hair. He's been checked over by the vet who confirmed that it's his breeding and not a skin condition. The vet recommended giving him a lion cut (because the fine hair would be too difficult to care for, on top of it being matted and non-existent in some places) but didn't offer any tips beyond that. He went to the groomer to get a bath and the lion cut. He's so much happier now but not any less oily. So, any advice? I'm mostly looking for how often he should be bathed and cut, what kind of (if any) skin care products to use, and what to do about keeping him from getting oily.

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Harvey

Design jewelry,- not dogs!

Barked: Sun Dec 25, '11 5:24am PST


	Gee, I have hairless Cresteds and their problem is not too oily, it is LACK of enough skin oils to the extent that we have to apply skin lotions on an almost daily basis. I haven't heard of oily being an issue. At any rate, as I understand it, when blackheads or other skin issues are a problem frequent baths with kerolux shampoo are recommended. I haven't had these issues because, as I said, my guys have dry skin. I do shave the areas with sparse hair just because it looks better, and keep the legs and crest and tail long. Without knowing this dog's history, perhaps his previous diet is responsible for the oily skin? If this is the case, again, frequent baths and a proper diet should help.

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Eponine

Love- unconditionally.

moderator

Barked: Sun Dec 25, '11 11:37am PST


	What kind of a situation was the dog in before and is this a pretty new foster? If he's not quite settled yet it may be beneficial to wait and see whether the skin settles down as he does-- emotional upheaval and general constitution can, from what I understand, lead to temporary skin issues with hairless breeds (who apparently aren't too tough to care for but do seem to have somewhat more sensitive skin compared to coated breeds, again, this is my understanding from things I have read, I have never owned a hairless myself!). Rather than doing a lot of bathing with an oily dog (which can irritate the oil glands as well as causing the skin itself to dry out, which adds up to making your problem worse), I would suggest a daily gentle rubdown with a clean cloth. Removes excess oil and dead skin, distributes oil more evenly across the surface of the skin. Some herbs are gentle and safe even for use in dogs and can do nice things for skin and coats (yours and your dog's!). Filling a dishpan with clean warm water and sprinkling in a handful of rosemary (fresh or dried) results in a soothing rinse that has the added bonus of smelling nice!

Toto, CD,- RN, CGC

We don't do- doodles!!!

Barked: Sun Dec 25, '11 12:37pm PST


	I use a natural body lotion made with lavendar... it is also great for the skin and their mind as well. Rosemary CAN trigger seizures in some dogs so be careful with that.

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Eponine

Love- unconditionally.

moderator

Barked: Sun Dec 25, '11 1:24pm PST


	Woah, thank you for the share-- I thought rosemary was on the "safe list" and have never heard it can be a seizure trigger! I use it in my own bath (largely because I love the smell) so I specifically looked that one up to see if it would do the dogs good too. In retrospect, I probably should have searched under "toxicity to pets" to be on the safe side, instead of just looking for "can it be used on pets." THE MORE YOU KNOW

Toto, CD,- RN, CGC

We don't do- doodles!!!

Barked: Sun Dec 25, '11 5:23pm PST


	No problem, Eppy, we are supposed to learn something new each day, right??? You're all set now!

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Timmy

1187660

Barked: Tue Dec 27, '11 4:05pm PST


	One of Timmy's triggers is rosemary. I once had a wonderful herbal candle that contained rosemary essence and I hate to admit it, but it took me a while to make the connection. I don't know much about Chinese Crested except that most really do suffer from dry skin and you should avoid extended periods of sunlight. What the others posters stated is true, his previous diet/underlying doggie acne may also contribute to his oilyness. Unscented baby wipes are another gentle way to go. Best of luck to you. Glad the little guy found a foster!

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Eponine

Love- unconditionally.

moderator

Barked: Wed Dec 28, '11 5:12am PST


	Wow, this is a little scary! I do love my lavendar, and I was using that the most because it's pretty much the safest herb/essence I know of, but after a while I get tired of everything always smelling like the same thing, even a nice thing! I've been trying to branch out a little lately (oh ho ho, I said branch out, about herbs, I'm so terribly clever! snrk!), but I can see I need to dig a little deeper about potential toxicity. Thanks everyone!

Addy, CGC

Let's go for a- walk!

Barked: Thu Dec 29, '11 6:13am PST


	What Eppy and others have said is good: Go slow, see what good diet, regular grooming, and gentle wipes will do for his skin first. If a few weeks on a healthier regimen doesn't start to clear things up, I'm going to suggest consulting the real experts, at www.chinesecrestedcrush.com. There's a grooming & skin care section with lots of good information, and the posters there have lots of experience with Cresteds, other hairless breeds and mixes, and most importantly, I suspect, in this case, rescues of both dubious breeding and dubious prior care. One oft-repeated piece of advice which many have found to be true: Less is more. There are a lot of things that might work, but it's best to try them one at a time, not several at once. Good luck!

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Xoloitzcuintli or Chinese Crested Mix -- How do I care for him?

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