# Female sanitary trim!?!



## Basil_the_Spoo (Sep 1, 2020)

Yeah, so with the #15 (middle setting on a 5-in-1 blade that came with my Arco Wahl) I'm not worried about nicking Basil's vulva because it is safe enough not to cut the webbing between my finger.

With that said, I don't trim her right vulva right against the skin, I free hand it to my comfort level. 

We haven't had a UTI yet (_knock on wood_) so I haven't had to change my routines.

Then, when she's laying on my bed on her back and relaxed I'll clean up her tuck under, between her legs, and do a little more detailing work to get rid of the peach fuzz.

And that's how I trim Basil's bush.


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## Starla (Nov 5, 2020)

I know what you mean! The only up close step by step diy videos I could find on YouTube were males. What I did was have my husband distract and hold her while she was on her back on our bed, scooted a towel under her and shaved her that way, going from the vulva down the inside of the legs so she wasn’t pee-stinky. I don’t have any advice on the uti front. The only dog I ever had with a uti had short fur.


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

I haven't had experience with puppy vaginitis but if this were my dog I'd look into it as a possibility. I know PeggyTheParti dealt with it when her dog was young, and it went away after she went through her first heat. When I see groomers do a sanitary trim on female poodles they tend to just lightly brush the area with a clipper going from a couple different directions. Using a bravura at a 9 or 10 setting should be super safe.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

What do you mean by still dirty? What are you seeing? A picture would be helpful. (Trust me - we’ve seen it all here. Lol.)

I would be very wary of using wipes or even most soaps on such a delicate area. I do as Raindrops said—just lightly skim with my Bravura using the 10 setting. For baths, I just use water or _very infrequently _Earthbath’s hypoallergenic fragrance-free formula.











No amount of rinsing is going to be sufficient if you’ve gotten soap inside her vulva. Soap is drying and can be very irritating.

Personally, I would contact your groomer and see if you can bring Cassie back for a touch-up. Groomers like to know if you have questions or concerns. Gives them a chance to explain their decision and/or make it right.

P.S. When puppy Peggy smelled like urine, it was because she was peeing on her back legs. Very common. This resolved with maturity. Are you letting Cassie have a first heat before spaying?


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## MaggieGrey (Dec 24, 2020)

It’s definitely a UTI and the vet prescribed antibiotics. She said it’s common with female puppies and keeping her clean is the best preventative. Thanks for the clipper advice. i actually have the Wahl Arco, so that’s easy to follow. I’m going to have to work on laying her on her back. Right now she will only do it if you keep rubbing her tummy, but that is good advice for getting her shaved underneath. I don’t have anyone here to help distract her, so I’ll have to work on a way to that by myself.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

I do Peggy’s sanitary while she’s standing. She is very still when I do that particular area, probably because she got a good foundation as a puppy from a pro groomer. But a leash can also really help.

I hope I didn’t sound as though I was suggesting Cassie shouldn’t be kept clean. Of course this is very important. But if you read the recommended human guidelines for cleaning these delicate areas, you will see that soap is a real no-no:

“‘The best thing to cleanse your vulva is plain water,’ Dr. Streicher says. ‘Any time you use any soap or anything else, there’s a chance of causing irritation.’”









Seriously, What’s the Best Way to Clean My Vagina?


Experts share the 100 percent unfiltered truth about how you should actually be cleaning your vagina.




www.self.com






(That whole article is well worth a read.)


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

I agree with no soap in the vulva. For the same reasons a human wouldn't use soap. You'll upset the pH balance that naturally keeps her healthy. I've always done Misha's sanitary while he's laying on his back, but you do have to train them to understand they must be still for you. Groomers typically do it while the dog is standing and that works too.


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## buddyrose (Jul 27, 2011)

I'm of the "no soap" around the 'cooch'. Soap in there could be the cause for a UTi.

I have a suggestion and I'm curious to hear what the rest of you think. What about using Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser? It's soap free. I'd still be very careful about over cleansing and pushing even this cleanser around too hard. If it gets in the urethra, you still get a UTI. That area is very sensitive even for us. I know you're trying to clean her but maybe ask the vet for some guidance.


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## For Want of Poodle (Feb 25, 2019)

For doing Annie's 'undercarriage' as I refer to it, I pick up her back leg and hold it up to let me get in there. Then I turn her around and pick up the other leg. We have been doing this since she was a puppy so she now lifts her leg the moment I touch her lower foot.

I often skim halfway down her back legs when I shave her under there.

NB- don't forget to change the blade and accidently use a 15 or a 30 or a 40 instead of a 10. I had a trainer ask if she was going into heat and had to explain no, she was licking there because I'd shaved her too close. Sorry Annie!


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

I would just rinse with water, *anything else may be irritating*.

But why did you start rinsing in the first place? I have experience with 3 female poodles and none has ever needed to have their vulva rinsed and none have had UTI. Did you notice a smell a day or two ago that was related to the UTI? Or did you start this cleaning earlier? 

What color is your dog? Some colors can show oxidation stains (common in white and apricot), and I’m wondering if that’s what you are seeing and calling dirty? To be honest I’ve never looked or noticed that my dogs had a color change around their vulva but maybe it’s possible?



buddyrose said:


> I have a suggestion and I'm curious to hear what the rest of you think. What about using Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser? It's soap free.


. Exactly what does “soap free” mean? It may not be made from fats and alkali like true soap but it still has chemicals that can ”wash” and “irritate“.

My dogs get washed every two weeks. I shampoo all parts of the body. I spend a lot more time rinsing off than I do shampooing. Shampoo left on the skin is irritating. I avoid strong perfumed shampoo. Dogs don’t need perfume and it can irritate as well.



For Want of Poodle said:


> NB- don't forget and use a 15 or a 30 or a 40 instead of a 10. I had a trainer ask if she was going into heat and had to explain no, she was licking there because I'd shaved her too close. Sorry Annie!


I use 10 for my sanitary trim. 15, 30 and 40 are too close a shave. 40 is a surgical shave.


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## For Want of Poodle (Feb 25, 2019)

Skylar said:


> I use 10 for my sanitary trim. 15, 30 and 40 are too close a shave. 40 is a surgical shave.


Oops. Poorly worded, I will edit, and I agree! I mean not to use the 15 etc settings because you end up with a miserable dog scratching because you shaved too close!


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## MaggieGrey (Dec 24, 2020)

Cassie had a strong urine smell soon after I got her, she did have the pee on legs like puppy Peggy, but also she had a urine stained and sticky vulva. Dirt and pee? That’s what I thought, anyway. I’ve never raised a female puppy so I was going by the seat of my pants, oh, and reading what I could find here. The vet wasn’t concerned, I know if Rocky isn’t shaved and washed he turns yellow...so I did the best I knew how. That was April 15. I’m not sure how this evolved, but it did. Now I have some ideas about prevention, proper bathing and grooming and for that I’m grateful. 
Cassie was acting very normal, this afternoon without a care in the world.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

MaggieGrey said:


> Cassie had a strong urine smell soon after I got her, she did have the pee on legs like puppy Peggy, but also she had a urine stained and sticky vulva. Dirt and pee? That’s what I thought, anyway. I’ve never raised a female puppy so I was going by the seat of my pants, oh, and reading what I could find here. The vet wasn’t concerned, I know if Rocky isn’t shaved and washed he turns yellow...so I did the best I knew how. That was April 15. I’m not sure how this evolved, but it did. Now I have some ideas about prevention, proper bathing and grooming and for that I’m grateful.
> Cassie was acting very normal, this afternoon without a care in the world.


Ahhh. That very well may have been discharge you were seeing. Puppy Peggy (as Raindrops mentioned) had puppy vaginitis which produced a lovely, sticky slime, most noticeable when she urinated but also prone to clinging to the vulva and even sometimes stretching in long strings to her leg hair. It resolved virtually overnight when her vulva matured:

“Most cases of prepubertal vaginitis resolve after the first heat cycle and further treatment is not needed.”









Vaginitis in Dogs | VCA Animal Hospital


Vaginitis (inflammation of the vagina) may be concerning when observed but has a good prognosis especially if the underlying cause is identified and treated early. The most common clinical signs of vaginitis include increased frequency of urination, licking of the vaginal area, vaginal...




vcahospitals.com





And the peeing on the legs, as our groomer explained, also typically resolves with maturity, and is usually due to the extremely low squat characteristic of puppies.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

MaggieGrey said:


> Cassie had a strong urine smell soon after I got her, she did have the pee on legs like puppy Peggy, but also she had a urine stained and sticky vulva. Dirt and pee? That’s what I thought, anyway. I’ve never raised a female puppy so I was going by the seat of my pants, oh, and reading what I could find here. The vet wasn’t concerned, I know if Rocky isn’t shaved and washed he turns yellow...so I did the best I knew how. That was April 15. I’m not sure how this evolved, but it did. Now I have some ideas about prevention, proper bathing and grooming and for that I’m grateful.
> Cassie was acting very normal, this afternoon without a care in the world.





PeggyTheParti said:


> Ahhh. That very well may have been discharge you were seeing. Puppy Peggy (as Raindrops mentioned) had puppy vaginitis which produced a lovely, sticky slime, most noticeable when she urinated but also prone to clinging to the vulva and even sometimes stretching in long strings to her leg hair. It resolved virtually overnight when her vulva matured:
> 
> “Most cases of prepubertal vaginitis resolve after the first heat cycle and further treatment is not needed.”
> 
> ...


MaggieGrey, if your puppy had ”puppy vaginitis “ it makes sense you thought it was dirty and started all that cleaning. It’s a shame your vet didn’t pick up on that and help you with information. Your instinct to clean was right: just use gentle products and mostly water.


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## ShamrockPoodle (Jan 22, 2017)

Toula is my first female poodle so I wasn’t sure about the sanitary trim either—and couldn’t find much info. Toula is quite hairy everywhere—so in a weeks time there is trimming needed. I have been using my butter comb as sort of a guard and trimming the hair with scissors or my mini bravura—only what is sticking g through the comb —and not too close . It looks a little neater. The groomers really cut it close —but I’m afraid to. I figure a little hair could be protective. Sometimes she needs a little water shower there to freshen up.


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## buddyrose (Jul 27, 2011)

Skylar said:


> I would just rinse with water, *anything else may be irritating*.
> 
> But why did you start rinsing in the first place? I have experience with 3 female poodles and none has ever needed to have their vulva rinsed and none have had UTI. Did you notice a smell a day or two ago that was related to the UTI? Or did you start this cleaning earlier?
> 
> ...


Skylar, I only a mentioned Cetaphil because it can be less drying than soap especiallythe baby version. I also recommended the original poster get guidance from their vet.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

ShamrockPoodle said:


> Toula is my first female poodle so I wasn’t sure about the sanitary trim either—and couldn’t find much info. Toula is quite hairy everywhere—so in a weeks time there is trimming needed. I have been using my butter comb as sort of a guard and trimming the hair with scissors or my mini bravura—only what is sticking g through the comb —and not too close . It looks a little neater. The groomers really cut it close —but I’m afraid to. I figure a little hair could be protective. Sometimes she needs a little water shower there to freshen up.


 What you are doing, using the comb as a safety guard so you don't cut anything is a smart move, especially when starting out. You're a good poodle mom to Toula.


buddyrose said:


> Skylar, I only a mentioned Cetaphil because it can be less drying than soap especiallythe baby version. I also recommended the original poster get guidance from their vet.


Buddyroe, I agree, it is less drying. I'm someone who was born with extremely sensitive skin as well as being a scientist so I nit pick these sorts of things which probably came across of too strong. Hopefully her vet will give her good guidance in how to manage this and hopefully like PeggyTheParti it will resolve with soon.


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## MaggieGrey (Dec 24, 2020)

Cassie sees the vet again on the sixth and I will bring up the vaginitis issue. Until then I will follow your suggestions for bathing and grooming, as well as keeping a close eye on her. She is a much bouncier girl today! Thanks again, for all of your suggestions.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Yay! Glad she’s feeling better. And thanks for the reminder that Peggy was due for a sanitary trim. I did that today.


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