How do you wash your traveling companion?

[TxGypsy]

Your 4 footed traveling companion that is. &nbsp;My camper van has the toilet setting in a tiny little shower pan. &nbsp;If I were to try and set my mini schnauzer down into the miniscule corner to bathe him I'd be standing on my head. &nbsp;My 'kitchen' sink is postage stamp size.<br><br>I'm trying to figure out a way for him to stand on top of the toilet lid. &nbsp;Maybe put down a towel so he has steady footing. &nbsp;<br><br>So I was wondering how others bathe their pets while on the road.

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

Is there a clean stream near by?&nbsp; <img src="/images/boards/smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle">&nbsp;

 

[Lostinspace]

My 80 pound hound&nbsp;is deathly afraid of water unless she chooses to run in it.&nbsp; So it takes two people to wash her.&nbsp; One to hold her and one to do the washing.&nbsp; But then she's short haired, very short haired, so she stays relatively clean.&nbsp; It seems when I do wash her it doesn't last very long though.&nbsp; Not sure how I would do it on the road.&nbsp; Probably the above stream.<img class="emoticon bbc_img" src="/images/boards/smilies/biggrin.gif">

 

[Stargazer]

In a pinch, I'll just rub her down with a damp towel. There are disposable pet wipes available but I've never used them. Every few weeks, I give her a mini-groom--trimming around face, butt, ears, paws. I've found a good brushing helps, too.

I plan an appointment with a groomer every couple of months, wherever I happen to be. Major cities have Petsmarts with grooming salons and many small towns have a local groomer, too. She's a shihtzu and needs clipping anyway. Also, her hair is very thick and it takes lots of water to really bathe her.

 

[my_vantasy]

Although some are not cheap, there are "u-bathe-them" dog washes at Pet People stores or I've even seen some car wash /dog wash combos! I bought some waterless dog shampoo in a spray bottle, but have not used it yet. The moist doggie wipes were so-so. I agree with good daily brushings.

 

[TxGypsy]

I love the doggie washes at some of the car washes. &nbsp;It is so much easier on my back. &nbsp;I wish there was a directory of where they are located.<br><br>I'm not familiar with Pet People stores. &nbsp;I'll keep an eye out. &nbsp;Thanks for the tip!<br><br>When I had a grooming shop I had lots of folks that did what you describe Stargazer. &nbsp;You can really spread out the number of times you need to take them in to a profession groomer if you will do the 'sanitary' clip and nail trim. &nbsp;I've not ever let anyone else trim my schnauzers nails, so they have never been cut into the quick where it hurts. &nbsp;So he will lay on his back in my lap and let me cut his nails with no fuss.<br><br>I was just wondering if maybe someone had come up with an easy portable method. &nbsp;Hmmm, that might be a money making idea. &nbsp;A good portable compact way to wash pets while on the road in a van or RV!

 

[DollarJoe67]

5 or ten gallon jug of water on the roof or hood.&nbsp; Connect a hose and gravity does the rest.

 

[RJCooper]

Drywash her in Borax.&nbsp; I have taking the most smell coyote and brushed borax through its pelt and the stink is gone and the luster/shiny of the pelt is back.&nbsp; Borax should be on hand for any Vandweller.

 

[Willy]

&nbsp;I throw a stick into a lake/river, and she throws herself in behind it.. problem solved. Barring that, I go visit the parents and, when they're away, sneak into the shower with the pooch. Gotta be in there with her, with the sliding doors closed, else she's out like a shot. Trying to bathe her in an open tub is like wrestling with a greased pig, 'cept MUCH wetter. ..Willy.

 

[maritimecamper]

I even took my pooch to a self carwash in the winter. His coat is sooo thick that he doesn't seem to mind the spray. Of course l stay away from the head and crotch areas. I use a low foaming soap too. I only use RINCE cycle...

 

[LucyImHome]

I've been a professional groomer for over 40 yrs. I'd suggest a do it yourself facility. Or, make a platform(plywood with a rubber mat) for the top of the toilet for the dog to stand on, making it secure with no wobble. Just jumping in the river, it depends on the dog's coat. Some have an oily coat and are dirt magnets.

 

[Wild_E]

1st is the 3 gal pump spray bottle that is for showers and such, also for doggy showers<br><br>then there are some car washes with doggy wash bays, do it yourself<br><br>then groomer way

 

[fantym1]

We're supposed to wash 'em?!?
<img src="/images/boards/smilies/wink.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle">

 

[Wild_E]

as a food preservative?&nbsp;<br>I know it cleans (use for cleaning all kindsastuff <br>I know it will help repel ants<br>how do you use it as a food preservative?

 

[RJCooper]

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Food_additive">Google it.&nbsp; Wild E, you should be using it in your gold digging too.<br><br>So many uses.&nbsp; I use it to preserve trapping bait.&nbsp; When a jar of meat/fish reaches a certain point in goes the Borox.&nbsp; Stops it from decaying any further.<br><br>Food additive</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a title="Edit section: Food additive" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Borax&amp;action=edit&amp;section=11" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: rgb(6, 69, 173);">edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h3><p>Borax, given the <a title="E number" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E_number" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: rgb(6, 69, 173);">E number</span></a> <em>E285</em>, is used as a <a title="Food additive" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_additive" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: rgb(6, 69, 173);">food additive</span></a> in some countries, but is banned in the US. As a consequence, certain foods, such as <a title="Caviar" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caviar" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: rgb(6, 69, 173);">caviar</span></a>, produced for sale in the US contain higher levels of <a title="Salt" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: rgb(6, 69, 173);">salt</span></a> to assist preservation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borax#cite_note-14" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: rgb(6, 69, 173);"><span>[</span>14<span>]</span></span></span></a></sup> Its use as a cooking ingredient is to add a firm rubbery texture to the food, or as a preservative. In oriental cooking it is mostly used for its texturing properties. In <a title="Asia" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asia" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: rgb(6, 69, 173);">Asia</span></a>, Borax (<a title="Chinese language" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_language" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: rgb(6, 69, 173);">Chinese</span></a>: <span lang="zh" lang="zh" xml:lang="zh">硼砂</span>; <a title="Pinyin" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyin" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: rgb(6, 69, 173);">pinyin</span></a>: <em>péng shā</em>) or (<a title="Chinese language" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_language" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: rgb(6, 69, 173);">Chinese</span></a>: <span lang="zh" lang="zh" xml:lang="zh">月石</span>; <a title="Pinyin" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyin" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: rgb(6, 69, 173);">pinyin</span></a>: <em>yuè shí</em>) was found to have been added to some Chinese foods like hand-pulled noodles <em><a title="Lamian" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamian" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: rgb(6, 69, 173);">lamian</span></a></em> and some rice noodles like <a title="Shahe fen" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shahe_fen" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: rgb(6, 69, 173);">Shahe fen</span></a>, <a title="Kway Teow" class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kway_Teow" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: rgb(6, 69, 173);">Kway Teow</span></a>, and <a title="Chee Cheong Fun" class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chee_Cheong_Fun" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: rgb(6, 69, 173);">Chee Cheong Fun</span></a> recipes.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-15"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borax#cite_note-15" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: rgb(6, 69, 173);"><span>[</span>15<span>]</span></span></span></a></sup> In <a title="Indonesia" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesia" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: rgb(6, 69, 173);">Indonesia</span></a> it is a common, but forbidden, additive to such foods as noodles, <a title="Bakso" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakso" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: rgb(6, 69, 173);">bakso</span></a> (meatballs), and steamed rice. The country's Directorate of Consumer Protection warns of the risk of <a title="Liver cancer" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liver_cancer" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: rgb(6, 69, 173);">liver cancer</span></a> with high consumption over a period of 5–10 years.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-16"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borax#cite_note-16" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: rgb(6, 69, 173);"><span>[</span>16<span>]</span></span></span></a><br><br><br><br></sup></p>

 

[Wild_E]

gold digging?<br>thanks for the info on the food additives, will look at it tomorrow, too sleepy now

 

[RJCooper]

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Small-scale_gold_mining">Small-scale gold mining</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a title="Edit section: Small-scale gold mining" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Borax&amp;action=edit&amp;section=9" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: rgb(6, 69, 173);">edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h3><div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width: 222px;"><a class="image" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Borax_wagons.jpg" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><img class="thumbimage bbc_img" alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/91/Borax_wagons.jpg/220px-Borax_wagons.jpg"></a><div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a title="Enlarge" class="internal" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Borax_wagons.jpg" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><img class="bbc_img" alt="" src="http://bits.wikimedia.org/static-1.22wmf11/skins/common/images/magnify-clip.png"></a></div>Old steam tractor and borax wagons, <a title="Death Valley" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_Valley" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: rgb(6, 69, 173);">Death Valley</span></a></div></div></div><p>Borax is replacing mercury as the preferred method for extracting gold in small-scale mining facilities. The method is called the <a title="Borax method" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borax_method" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: rgb(6, 69, 173);">borax method</span></a> and is used in the Philippines.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borax#cite_note-12" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: rgb(6, 69, 173);"><span>[</span>12<span>]</span></span></span></a><br><br><br><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borax_method" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borax_method</a></sup></p>

 

[jeanontheroad]

Our old Burnese Mtn Dog had his own on-demand water heater for outdoor baths. He needed a lot of water to get thoroughly clean and rinsed, which means we needed a water hookup to bathe him. He had arthritis, and why would he like a cold bathe even if his joints were healthy? I sure don't. As a bonus, we got to use the water heater for long, lovely showers, too, when we had full hookups.

 

[compassrose]

I used to occasionally take my Borzoi/Husky mix to PetSmart. She did not like to get either wet or dirty. But she had the Husky undercoat and needed to be brushed out weekly. Bathes were a nightmare at home. But EVERYONE who washed her professionally said she was wonderful and didn't "melt" for them like she did for me. It was well worth the money for PetSmart to wash, dry (normally a two day air dry) and brush out. Plus she seemed to enjoy going to the "beauty parlor".

 

[Maximus]

All this fuss makes me appreciate having cats.