Good Morning! This is going to sound lame - but I don't know what to do! I have two Black Russian Terriers, 20 months. They both have full beards and a fall over their eyes. We started feeding raw a couple of days ago. The girls LOVE it, but the problem is the hair on their faces. Its retaining all the lovely smells of the chicken necks (since we are switching them slowly) and nothing I do seems to work short of washing their faces after a meal (I told you it was going to sound lame).

Now don't misunderstand me, I'm not worried about bacteria - I figure they have that in their beards from when they were eating kibble and just dragging their beards across the ground when they are sniffing for the rabbits and occasional deer that end up in our yard. What I didn't anticipate was the fact that the whole house smells like raw meat all day - and the face washing began. We noticed that their falls just brush the bowls so we started pinning that back....

I've tried using a vinegar and water solution to rinse their beards after they eat, I've tried a baking-soda and water solution.....short of actually getting out their shampoo and washing their face, I can't get the smell out.... And this isn't just me being a "girl" My husband who worked a summer in a slaughter house can't take it either!

(The above solutions were suggested by friends who all feed raw - however all their dogs have short hair on their faces....*sigh*)

HELP!
Claire

Vinegar is a great deodorizer, try using more vinegar and less water, and don't rinse it out.

Are you clipping all of the face hair up out of the way of their bowl and their tongue?

Are you planning to show them? Is a hair cut out of the question?

If you set an open container of vinegar in the house it will kill odors in the air.

Old chicken juice is pretty stinky, beef or venison won't be nearly as bad.

I have had a hairy-faced flat-face dog, so I don't think it's a lame question. Picture a Pug with the flat Pug face (bad enough after it's buried in the food bowl) but whose father was a Brussels Griffon ....

I kept a terry washcloth right in the kitchen and did actually wash her face with the damp warm (warm "dissolves" better, I think) cloth after meals.

I kept the washcloth hanging handy in the kitchen, and did it automatically. But I had to do it immediately ... no allowing the "juice" to soak in and dry.

Now I have one whose ears are usually yogurt-tipped and I do the same thing.

PS

I like that vinegar idea and I think I will start sprinkling that on the washcloth.

Debbie, you mean pretty much soaking the cloth in vinegar rather than water/vinegar before squeezing it out?

I don't know how dog hair would fair with pure vinegar left in the hair. I would try a 50/50 mix first and see how that works, then go stronger if needed. I think straight vinegar, because of the acidity, may damage the hair.

Do you groomers on the forum know how vinegar left on the hair would work?

Connie, do you want to experiment with your hairy ears? Or would that be your hairy dog ears? hmmmmm

What about a few baby wipes? They have some kind of surfactant in them that would probably help take away grease and ick, and they smell pretty good.

How did I not think of that?! I even have them right by the door for quick paw-wipes on the way in, in the allergy season!

They're really cheap, too, for the generic ones.

 Quote: Debbie Bruce

I .... Connie, do you want to experiment with your hairy ears? Or would that be your hairy dog ears? hmmmmm

No, my ears are OK, because I can jump in the shower after I stick my whole face into the raw meat/yogurt bowl.

One of the flat-face dogs seems to aim the tips of his ears and his whiskers and nose right into the yogurt.

Thank you everyone for the suggestions! I'll try a stronger concoction of vinegar water to see if that helps.

@ Debbie - yes we are showing them in conformation so a hair cut is out of the question at the moment - I will definitely try the clips in the beards - my husband is picking them up as I type!

@ Tracy - I tried a warm wet wash cloth and baby wipes first, I will try them again maybe to get most of the surface gunk out before I add the vinegar water

Thank you so much! I'll let you know how it goes!

 Quote: connie sutherland

I have had a hairy-faced flat-face dog, so I don't think it's a lame question. Picture a Pug with the flat Pug face (bad enough after it's buried in the food bowl) but whose father was a Brussels Griffon ....

Awesome! I'm glad I'm not alone - all of my friends were like, "What? I never even thought about that!" No help at all! lol

Vinegar will destroy that coat, wreck the texture, and possibly bleach the color. Don't use it, your dog's skin will thank you.

You can use clips which should help so long as they're willing to keep them in.

I'd probably use dry shampoo or baking soda rubbed in to aborb the gorp. That way you're not dealing with soggy faces and they'll be clean and it won't alter the texture or coat color. Just apply outside and let them run around to get rid of the excess.