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Dry Skin

BaldJedi

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I am already failing as a Sphynx owner. My boys both have blackheads (?) on their tails and ever since their bath on Tuesday (with baby shampoo because the d’grease got backordered on amazon and the hylite hasn’t come yet) my pink guy has really scaled, dry skin on his back. He also has random black heads on his body. I’m baby wiping and doing the nails daily. This bath was their first in two weeks.
I ordered witch hazel and exfoliating gloves. Is there a lotion I can use or should I put on the vetraseb foam the breeder told me to get? The dry spots are hard to see but also best demonstrated by the pink areas on tail. His tail is particularly rough. Thank you so much.
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Toa and Ross

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Oh please, don't be hard on yourself! You're not failing as a sphynx owner. You're doing a great job with ordering the witch hazel and gloves.
One of my pink boys has a lot of blackheads and his skin can get dey too. I use the witch hazel and that helps a little. I put some coconut oil on the dry skin (coconut oil attracks dirt so be aware;-). But still he has blackheads and dry skin. It's like with humans. Some do have a difficult skin, no matter how good the products are and no matter how much care you give. Don't blame yourself!
 

Zab

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Love the Star Wars sweaters! I agree with previous posts in the thread, it is a learning curve and they're individuals with different skin. I think you're doing a wonderful job trying to fix it. I was curious what this witch hazel is? Anyone? I might need something like that too....
 

Toa and Ross

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Love the Star Wars sweaters! I agree with previous posts in the thread, it is a learning curve and they're individuals with different skin. I think you're doing a wonderful job trying to fix it. I was curious what this witch hazel is? Anyone? I might need something like that too....

Witch hazel (Hamamelis Virginiana) is made from different parts of a tree, supposed to be an holy indian tree.
It's a beauty product to clean your skin and helps against blackheads and pimps. It's a human product but safe to use for our sphynx.
It can be difficult to find 100% pure witch hazel. Here in the Netherlands it's mixed with other products.
 

Zab

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Witch hazel (Hamamelis Virginiana) is made from different parts of a tree, supposed to be an holy indian tree.
It's a beauty product to clean your skin and helps against blackheads and pimps. It's a human product but safe to use for our sphynx.
It can be difficult to find 100% pure witch hazel. Here in the Netherlands it's mixed with other products.

Thanx! I'll google it...
 

Yoda mom

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@BaldJedi , awhhh ((hugs))) you re not failing -
These guys keep us on our toes and it's a process to find what works best for our kitties individual needs

Forgot to ask if they are neutered?

( it is not uncommon for intact male kitties to get "stud " tail black pimples on their tail
Hormone related) here is a search result to see if this is similar ?
Search Results for Query: Stud tail | Sphynxlair
 
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BaldJedi

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@BaldJedi , awhhh ((hugs))) you re not failing -
These guys keep us on our toes and it's a process to find what works best for our kitties individual needs

Forgot to ask if they are neutered?

( it is not uncommon for intact male kitties to get "stud " tail black pimples on their tail
Hormone related) here is a search result to see if this is similar ?
Search Results for Query: Stud tail | Sphynxlair

It does seem like that but they were neutered 6/15. I don’t remember them having it when they came. Their mama has such beautiful skin and I can’t help but wonder if I’m ruining them. Switching bowls and will try coconut oil. I’m thinking of bathing them as soon as the hylite comes in as maybe it will help get some dead skin off. That will be two baths in two weeks though. I don’t want to make it worse. I just can’t imagine being so scratchy is comfortable. I put blankets in their favorite places to lay down so hopefully that will keep them cleaner.


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Yoda mom

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@BaldJedi , hugs n head smooches

Hylyt shampoo user here :) just to add many of us use exfoliating gloves too

I found it interesting my 4 got very oily dirtier skin when I fed them the new US formulas of Acana cat food . Within days they were dirty !

I switched them to Nutrisource cat and kitten food in the blue bag - grain inclusive , no recalls -
I was amazed her much cleaner they stay! No skin or poo issues -
I can even have off white sheets with no oil brown Sphynx marks !

The best part I can go at least a month between full spa days doing nails and ears 2x - week.
I use a pticher of warm water with a few teenie drops of Hylyt shampoo and baby face cloths , for touch ups (worked better for mine than baby wipes ) I use alcohol free oiil free makeup remover wipes (equate brand ) to clean nail gunk .

You are not ruining your babies - I assure you we all go thru the process of learning what works best for our individual kitties .

Positive vibes hugs n head smooches !
Btw - how long do you leave shirts on ? Sometimes that can cause skin issues .
Love the star war shirts :)
 
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Xandria

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Lots of great advice above. One of the things I'm wondering is it may be possible that the wet wipes you are using could be drying them out as well. Stop using the wet wipes may be for a little while and see if things improve. For spot cleaning, I find just a good face cloth cloth, soaked in very warm water and then wrung a little bit, is quite good just for write-downs. It gets rid of surface soils, but shouldn't cause any drying out.

My girl used to get pretty bad blackheads on her chin, but once a week I wipe her chin and neck down really well with witch hazel, after which I confess to gently squeezing any blackheads or problematic areas. And then I rinse the area really well afterwards. After a while of doing this, I found that she had fewer and fewer blackheads under her chin.

Her tail is another matter! Hubby and I take turns tending to her tail. We do spot checks throughout the day, and scrape off any dried out blackheads that we come across.

My second Sphynx, her half-brother, has excellent skin with respect to blackheads and so forth. Genetics is a funny thing. Each Sphynx is different, and sometimes it takes a while to figure them out. So don't beat yourself up about it. And more pictures please :)
 

BaldJedi

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@Yoda mom They don’t stay in the shirts. Maybe a few hours. I want them to wear them more to keep them clean though. I wash them. I’ve mostly given up until I can get the rashiness down a bit.
It’s darker patches today. I can’t tell what’s dirt, what’s dead skin, and what’s pigmentation. I wiped them down with witch hazel. Scratched at the tails, and wet them down with a microfiber cloth (no idea if microfiber is a good idea but it is the Norwex baby cloths). Their tails are at least a little better.


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BaldJedi

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@Xandria I am now trying to only use the baby norwex cloth and water to wipe them down instead of baby wipes. I put on some oil and that made them happy. Thank you for the input!!! Trying to get this learning thing down.


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BaldJedi

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Does anyone know if this is dirt on his neck/shoulder or abrasion? It’s not coming off.
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Catzzzmeow

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@BaldJedi could be either. If raised an abrasion if flat plain old dirt. I see this often on ours especially the neck area. Did you pick up Vetericyn? If not great to have on hand for lol kinds of skin issues, burns, rashes, scratches and scrapes. It is not toxic which is great.
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Yoda mom

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@BaldJedi , Have you tried a very dilute teenie few drops of their shampoo in water along with a regular cotton wash cloth ?
For me it seems to do better for spot cleaning than wipes I have tried on them .

Do they rub against sisal or carpet from cat tree ? Mine do all the time and they rub a little to hard sometimes .
The Vetericyn products are great stuff to keep on hand .
I order Vetericyn VF hydrogel and spray from allivet.
(VF is for "vet formula " marketing - supposedly a little stronger - no prescription needed for Vetericyn products)
I like that it is non toxic

Head smooches sent ! They are sooooo cute together
 
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BaldJedi

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As soon as I get the new shampoo I’ll try the water and shampoo. I’ll also pick up some vetricin. The coconut oil is helping so much. They don’t look any dirtier yet either. Much smoother backs today.


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Bailey21

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I bought a hairless dog/cat specific argan oil that a member had recommended here on the lair a while back. I find it works really well as his little fuzzy hair on his orange patches I find to be dryer than where he is just solid pink. He is very soft and smells so good after! It was a bit pricey though. So glad to hear the coconut oil is already helping :) Also I just have to ask, where did you get those star wars sweaters!!!! I will have two boys as of September, and both named after Star Wars characters. I would love to order something similar for them :D
 

BaldJedi

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I bought a hairless dog/cat specific argan oil that a member had recommended here on the lair a while back. I find it works really well as his little fuzzy hair on his orange patches I find to be dryer than where he is just solid pink. He is very soft and smells so good after! It was a bit pricey though. So glad to hear the coconut oil is already helping :) Also I just have to ask, where did you get those star wars sweaters!!!! I will have two boys as of September, and both named after Star Wars characters. I would love to order something similar for them :D

Thank you! I will make note of that. I got the shirts at petsmart. I know there are a bunch more I will plan on getting off Etsy.


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