I second the reccomendation for a high quality food. Science Diet & Purina One aren't exactly the best out there, despite the advertising claims. They contain corn and/or wheat products as cheap "filler" and for many dogs they are mild allergens.... corn or wheat can be the cause of "doggy" odor or other skin issues. IMO there are better foods with better ingredients out there.

Look up "Whole Dog Journal" and "Dog Food Analysis" for ideas on premium quality brands. Spend some time researching dog food on the 'net....there is a ton of info out there, a LOT of differing opinion and it's best to dissect the info available & decide what you think is best for your dog.

One of my dogs eats a grain-free food; but the other 2 don't handle it well at all, as it is too rich, gives them gas & loose stools. "Grain free" is the hot buzzword right now it seems....but most grain free diets I've seen are very high in protein which is not good for growing large-breed dogs, or dogs that may be prone to kidney issues. Some grains ARE easily digestible by dogs & don't cause problems. I won't get into "my brand is better than Brand X" semantics, but I do encourage you to do the research.

I have 3 dogs. None of them have had a bath in well over a year (and I've been off the road, living at home for 8 months now) You can literally bury your nose in their fur & inhale deeply- and there is NO 'dog' odor.

While I was on the road, I found that keeping the dogs brushed regularly...1-2 times a week with a rubber curry brush- helped keep the shedding down AND helped to "freshen" them up if they started smelling a little musty. Brushing removes dead skin & hair, and helps spread the coat's natural oils from the root of the hair all the way to the tip. These natural oils help the coat to "drop" dirt and newly shedded hair. If the dog has a thicker coat, brushing also prevents that oil from staying close to the skin, getting old & "rancid" and becoming a breeding ground for bacteria.

They make "bath wipes" for dogs which I kept on hand for those rainy days when the dogs had to go through truck-stop puddles....a quick wipe with an old towel & follow up with a wet-wipe took care of most messes (Especially nice in the winter to remove salt from the dogs' paws and belly). I also use a spray called EarthBath, contains coat conditioners and tea-tree oil. Smells nice, doesn't leave a residue, and helps keep the coat shiny.

IF the pup just NEEDS a bath, the Iowa 80 truckstop has a "Dog-O-Mat" self-serve dog wash, over by the "Truck-O-Mat" truck wash. You might also find self-service pet washes in various towns- my town has one beside a do-it-yourself car wash & there is ample room for trucks just across the street. You can always look up local services like that on the Internet when you have a layover somewhere....Google Earth satellite images can be a nice (not foolproof) tool to "gauge" whether or not the area could be truck friendly. A groomer is another (albeit expensive) option if you're stuck somewhere for a couple days.....big cities often have "mobile grooming" services, even.

And there's always the option of getting a hotel room for a night or 2 and bathing the pup in the tub. You can even pick up a universal rubber hose attachment that slips over any bathtub spout & converts it into a sprayer. Just remember to be a good ambassador for other traveling pet owners & clean any dirt or fur out of the tub when you're done

Hope this helps, happy travels

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Us & The Dogs

-I travel a lot; I hate having my life disrupted by routine. ~Caskie Stinnett

Thank you for all the info! No, PLEASE tell me your brand! We figured Science Diet was the best and Purina One was up there with it, but perhaps a slight step down. If you know of better food for him, please feel free to let us know.....Please! Too often, I guess, it is the hype. We understood that as long as fillers were not the first few ingredients, it was good for him.

Science Diet gave him gas and he always looked bloated, but his coat was shiny and soft. With Purina One, it is, but not as much. I want to switch him back to Science Diet unless there's something better, like the stuff you are using.

I do know Pedigree is garbage. If it is wholesome and good for our dog, we will buy it.

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I love it when a plan comes together!!!

I use Royal Canin, which is not considered as good as I thought it was on the dog food forum that checked out. But my dog does GREAT on it, so I guess that is what counts.

The stuff is very pricey, over 50 dollars for 35 pounds, but like I said the dog does great.

I am researching the grain free foods, and Blue Buffalo (the Wilderness line) is at the top of the list. The other two are Artemis and Innova. Availability has held me back, it has to be a food that is not impossible to find at the store. So, I am looking what I can get, and will take it from there.

I do believe that you get what you pay for. Under 20 dollars a bag is cheap, I can only figure what kind of #### that goes into anything that is under a dollar a pound.

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For Anthony 12-21-1973 to 9-29-2006
Baby, I was always amazed by you. Till we meet again. I love you always and forever.

My name is Muffin and I like to select my own snacks from the fridge. But when they won't open the white box for me, I eat Taste of the Wild-Pacific Stream. (TSC carries it)

take the dog to a petsmart, you can get its nails clipped and a bath for pretty cheap. the only trick is to find parking

Well Pedigree may not be the best food on the market, but for Cookie it does very well. She couldn't eat Purina One, Science Diet, or Eukanuba without getting gassy and her coat becoming greasy.

On Pedigree large dog she doesn't have any of the digestive problems as before, and if I can find a truckstop that is small enough I can usually talk a waitress into 1-2 raw eggs so I can put them on her food. As far as the baths, Cookie gets 1 everytime we go home now as I leave her at a vet who boards animals, (going to be checking into a new 1 soon just due to prices but I have to meet the people first and check out their kennel and dog run). While she is there she is also boarded, she also gets her teeth cleaned, and her nails trimmed (about $65 for 3 days).

I also brush her regularly (most of the time daily, but no more than every other day) which helps keep her coat nice and shiny, and removes most of the dirt she picks up.

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go find yourself a place like the pet hotel I take my dog to. They are awesome, private rooms with TV, big yard with toys and play equipment. Since my dog gets along so well with everyone, he gets playtime with the group, they have outdoor runs, grooming, gourmet treats, extra playtime, and other than the grooming all that for 18 dollars a day.

His bath is 44 or 45, and he is a big fluffy golden retriever.

Best of all he LOVES daycare as we call it. Oh yeah, sometimes he just gets to spend the day with his friends.

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For Anthony 12-21-1973 to 9-29-2006
Baby, I was always amazed by you. Till we meet again. I love you always and forever.

That is so weird! Our dog did horrible on Pedigree. He always seemed hungry and just didn't do well with it at all.

Science Diet was good, but he was gassy. Purina One is ok, but not as good as SD with our dog...

I just want to cut through the marketing and get the honest-to-goodness health food for him!

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I love it when a plan comes together!!!

Honestly Cookie isn't my first dog with stomach troubles, I had a chiuahaha once who also did better on cheaper dog food (Ol Roy to be specific) than he did on the higher end brands. All animals are alike in the fact that just because something is ordinarily good for all, there are some who for some unknown reason will go against the grain.

On a side note, my damned furminator brush fell out of the truck yesterday and even though it still looks good it is no longer picking up the hair like it was because the ends broke slightly. So now when I get home I got to spend more money on Cookie, it's a good thingI don't have a wife, gf, or kids.

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You ae very right....Some people go against the grain too. For years, I hated water, which is the best thing you can drink! I just want what's best for the dog. He deserves it. If I have to spend more, so be it.

I feel your frustration about losing your brush! When we were on the road, we had two cats. We didn't have the dog yet. We would have been lost without the brush!!!

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I love it when a plan comes together!!!