Lou is adorable and Lou is always wet. 

In fact, I question if he’s ever been dry a day in his short life. 

There is no doubt that he loves his water and that water can either be fresh in a bowl, spilled on the ground, in a pool or even splashing in a puddle of fresh pee. 

He’s not a clean drinker either. 

The whole head goes in the bowl along with at least one other paw.

This makes Lou a stinky puppy and in desperate need of a puppy bib because the ones that I have on hand are too big. 

Even though he’s averaging a bath a week and he gets dried with a towel and dried with the high-velocity dog dryer at least 3 times a day, he still has times that he smells a little sour. 

I’ve tried using a dry shampoo that I picked up from the pet store but it’s just not cutting it so I decided to make a batch of DIY dog wipes to get us through this trying and stinky time of Lou’s life. 

Before I get to the directions for these homemade dog wipes I want to say that this is a simpler version of some of the recipes you’ll find. 

I basically just want to keep the sour smell from under his neck at bay and I want to do my best to keep bacteria and yeast from forming and creating an infection until he stops being soaked after every drink he takes. (if that ever happens)

I also didn’t add aloe or soap because I don’t want his skin or coat to dry out.

If your dog or puppy has an active hot spot-do not use these wipes because the vinegar will burn.

This DIY puppy wipes are perfect for Newfie puppies who like to be wet and they don’t contain any harmful chemicals that will affect their coat or skin. 

Ingredients Needs For DIY Dog Wipes

• 1 cup distelled white vingeagr
• 3 cups distilled water
• 6-10 drops of lavender essential oil (optional)

I’m using distilled white vinegar but you can replace it with ACV if you prefer to use that. 

I have both but our veterinarian once told me that ACV is best for the inside of the body and white vinegar is best used for the outside of the body. 

It just stuck with me and it’s what I go by but plenty of people use apple cider vinegar so you do whatever you like!

(If you do use ACV just keep in mind that it contains sugar and sugar can aggravate yeast.) 

Supplies Needed

• Roll of paper towels
• Knife 
• Sharpie
• Container
• Measuring cup
• Bowl

Directions For DIY Puppy Wipes

• Measure your paper towel roll to the container
• Draw a line where you want to cut the paper towel roll
• Use a knife to cut roll
• Mix vinegar and water
• Add lavender essential oil
• Place paper towel roll in the container
• Pour mixture over towels 
• Remove cardboard tube from paper towels
• Cover
• Let sit for at least 10 minutes
• Use as needed!

Make sure to keep the wipes out of your dog’s reach and avoid wiping the eye area.

If you have some mixture left or you don’t want to make wipes you can also just pour this mixture into a spray bottle and spritz as needed!

Benefits of  Vinegar Dog Wipes or Vinegar Spritz

White vinegar neutralizes odor and has antibacterial properties

It also can help keep the coat shiny and cut down or eliminate dandruff. 

And don’t worry, the vinegar smell will go away once the coat is dry so you don’t have to worry about your dog smelling like a salad all day!

These DIY dog wipes or the spray is great to use on the paws to keep the yeast (frito smelling) to a minimum just make sure that the skin on the underneath of the paws isn’t bright red. 

They also work great to wipe the fur around a dog’s butt if their anal glands leak or if they have a case of diarrhea and it gets on their fur.. 

Vinegar Rinse

Another great way to use white vinegar is as a rinse after a bath. 

This is an excellent way to remove any leftover soap from the coat and it makes the coat shiny, soft and fresh. 

To do a vinegar rinse you can use 1-2 cups of vinegar to 1 gallon of water and sponge onto the coat.

Make sure to pay special attention to the armpits, groin, and the loose skin on the neck. 

You can do this by lifting up those areas of the coat and sponge or gently scrub those areas nice and good.

Pour the leftover mixture onto the coat and dry the dog with a high-velocity dog dryer. 

I spritzed Lou with our vinegar mixture after his bath this weekend and his coat was so soft and shiny!

A few notes: the key to using a vinegar solution is to make sure to dry the coat completely after the rinse!

This should never substitute for medical attention if your dog or puppy has a skin infection or has other smells that you can’t identify.

I definitely know that Lou smells like pee and stale water!

I’ve also heard that some people use a Listerine + water mixture too but I’ve never tried that!

DIY Dog Wipes For Stinky Puppies And Dogs

Yield: 3 cups

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Active Time: 3 minutes

Additional Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

These DIY dog wipes are perfect to use between baths for stinky puppies or dogs and if you have a Newfie puppy that likes to play in the water, the white vinegar will help keep the mildew smell at bay. 

Print

Materials

• 1 cup distelled white vingeagr
• 3 cups distilled water
• 6-10 drops of lavender essential oil (optional)

Tools

• Roll of paper towels
• Knife 
• Sharpie
• Container
• Measuring cup
• Bowl

Instructions

Measure your paper towel roll to the container

Draw a line where you want to cut the paper towel roll

Use a knife to cut roll

Mix vinegar and water

Add lavender essential oil

Place paper towel roll in the container

Pour mixture over towels 

Remove cardboard tube from paper towels

Cover

Let sit for at least 10 minutes

Use as needed!

 

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