Getting Holiday-Ready with RELIQ

I’m not sure how we’re about to enter December already, but whether we’re ready or not, it’s here! With as much joy this time of year brings, it also prompts a bit of stress. The stress of finding the perfect gifts, having a recipe (not to mention an outfit) for every holiday party, and most significantly, preparing to host guests in your home.

While Great Pyrenees don’t have typical “doggie odor”, we now live in the Pacific Northwest. Pyrs may be “immune” to the typical smell, but no dog can avoid the horrid wet dog smell. Candles can help mask, or even eliminate, the smell, but unless you beat the smell at its source, it will always exist.

What’s the obvious solution to beat the smell? Give them a bath, of course. But once again, you must truly eliminate the odor. Too many dog shampoos only mask the odor, leaving you with a scented wet dog. That’s almost worse than pure wet dog smell! If the shampoo does truly eliminate the odor, it’s often full of chemicals that really shouldn’t be put on dogs or leaves your dog’s coat with a “waxy” feeling.

Thankfully, RELIQ offers shampoos that eliminate the smell without covering your dog in harmful chemicals. Their secret – volcanic minerals and nano-science.

Unlike most pet shampoos that utilize herbal extracts and vitamins to nourish your dog’s skin and coat and eliminate the odor, RELIQ recognizes that these ingredients aren’t enough to truly eliminate the smell. Instead, they use proprietary volcanic minerals to eliminate the odor-causing bacteria and effectively clean your pet’s hair and skin. Because RELIQ completely eliminates (rather than masks) the odors, your pet will stay fresher and cleaner for even longer. No more trying to mask the smell to avoid the dreaded “b word” for as long as possible 😉

Why RELIQ?

Aside from complete odor elimination, RELIQ products have several other benefits:

Gentle, easy-rinse formula
Natural, fortifying vitamins and minerals
Safe for dogs who lick their fur post bath (I’m looking at you, Mauja)
Natural relief of itchy skin
Moisturizes skin and coat
Environmentally-safe
Groomer-friendly formula to avoid dry, blistered hands

RELIQ also offers 5 different scents, each with a unique purpose. While all 5 scents contain the key minerals eliminate odors and promote healthy skin/coat, you can then pick a formula specifically for your dog’s needs. For example, I choose different formulas for Mauja and Atka. Mauja is currently using the Lavender formula for a calm mind and Atka uses the Green Tea formula for a deeper clean.

Helping Mauja’s Itchies

If you’ve been following us recently, you know that Mauja has been dealing with some horrendously itchy skin, which is causing rashes all over her belly. We are still working with the vet to try and figure out the source of her recent itchiness, but it was recommended to try bathing her in an oatmeal shampoo to alleviate her discomfort. Not only could I not find one that smelled nice, but it didn’t seem to work very well.

After a few failed attempts, we tried the RELIQ shampoo because it is said to be extremely nourishing. While it hasn’t solved her itchiness since we don’t know the root of the problem, it has definitely been more effective in offering relief than any oatmeal shampoo we’ve tried.

Beyond Shampoo

RELIQ offers several other products for keeping your dog healthy. My current favorite is the Light-Activated Odor Eliminator for Dogs. If you have a Great Pyrenees, you know they shouldn’t be bathed very frequently. However, there is no avoiding the wet weather this time of year! If Mauja and Atka are getting a bit of wet dog smell, I’ll spritz them with the Lavender Odor Eliminator. Unlike other products on the market that only mask the odor due to large particles, he nano-enhanced minerals are able to break through the odor molecules and instantly dissolve them.

For dog’s with really itchy, red skin, RELIQ has a Skin Solution product to fight the microbes that lead to skin allergies and hot spots. This is actually our next step with Mauja. Since we’ve loved the other products so much, I’m hoping the Skin Solution can help her itchiness even more.

We’ve also been using the Ear Solution as a natural alternative to traditional ear cleaners. Since it is a non-alcohol formula, it doesn’t have the typical chemical smell associated with ear solutions. As much as Mauja and Atka hate their ears being cleaned, they tolerate the RELIQ Ear Solution more than others we have tried. I think they don’t mind it as much because the lack of chemicals makes it a non-stinging solution.

Holiday-Ready Thanks to RELIQ

As we’re preparing to have guests in our home over the next month, I plan to keep plenty of RELIQ products, specifically the Odor Eliminator Spray on hand to keep the fluffies smelling fresh. If I’m going to put a lot of effort into keeping the house clean and smelling nice, I don’t want it to be tainted with scented wet dog smell!

Ready to try RELIQ products yourself? Use code “ITSDOGORNOTHING” for 30% off your RELIQ purchase!

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Disclaimer: I received the product mentioned above and compensation in exchange for my honest review. Don’t worry – an advertiser will never influence the content of this blog and It’s Dog or Nothing only shares products we love and believe in.

I hear the same question over and over when people meet Mauja and Atka.

“How in the world do you keep them so white?”

I wish I could say that I have some magic formula that keeps white dogs perfectly white, but the Great Pyrenees has a self-cleaning coat. What does that mean (other than the fact that it makes my job a lot easier)?If your Great Pyrenees enjoys a play session in the river, chances are she will look something like this:

Or maybe your Great Pyrenees will find that one muddy spot in your backyard. He’d probably look like this:

These situations make me so thankful for their self-cleaning coat. Once they dry, the mud/dirt will just flake off! If it doesn’t, you simply brush it out and voila – you have your white dog back!

Mauja and Atka get bathed a bit more frequently than necessary; the average Great Pyrenees only needs 3-4 baths per year. The fluffies get about 6 per year, but that is because they are house dogs. However, I know a few people who bathe their Great Pyrenees monthly. The most important thing is to watch their skin and coat health.

Frequent baths can strip the coat of its essential oils. These oils are responsible for keeping the coat self-cleaning, tangle free, relatively odor-free, and silky smooth. The problem really isn’t with the bath – it’s what is being used during the bath.

Your typical dog shampoo is soap based and that’s perfectly fine if you’re only bathing your Great Pyrenees every few months. It gets your pyr nice and clean and helps keep their coat and skin healthy. However, more frequent baths require a different approach.If Mauja and Atka are getting a bath closer together than normal, I switch to a soap-free shampoo. Our current favorite is the Bayer® Expert Care™ Itch Relief Shampoo. I like this shampoo for a few reasons:

Bayer Expert Care Itch Relief Shampoo is based with colloidal oatmeal. Colloidal oatmeal is simply oats that have been ground into a very fine powder that then moisturizes and protects the skin. This helps to ensure I’m not drying out their skin and coat.
Expert Care Itch Relief Shampoo contains Pramoxine HCl. Great Pyrenees are known to have skin issues such as allergies and dry skin. Pramoxine HCl helps relieve rashes and dry, itchy skin. I always look for this ingredient coupled with colloidal oatmeal when trying to relieve irritated skin.
Expert Care Itch Relief Shampoo is formulated with Omega-6s. I talked in a previous post about the importance of Omega-6s for maintaining and healthy, shiny coat. Pyrs benefit greatly from this addition to their grooming routine.
Maximum effect is reached in just 3-5 minutes after initial application. We all hate seeing our furbabies uncomfortable. If Atka’s skin is acting up I can get him a quick bath or spray him with the Itch Relief Spray for quick relief.

The best part about the Bayer Expert Care Itch Relief shampoo is that it can be purchased at PetSmart. We are there quite frequently so it’s very simple to just grab a bottle during our normal shopping trip. The Expert Care line has several products to provide ultimate skin care for your dog (or cat) and we’ve been very pleased with the few we have tried so far.

Have you ever tried soap-free shampoo as a part of your dog’s grooming routine?

Getting Holiday-Ready with RELIQ

Getting Holiday-Ready with RELIQ