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Is bathing my senior dog weekly too often? How often is best?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Basset Hound | Male | neutered | 9 years and 11 months old | 46 lbs

I just read an article that says you should bathe a senior dog (my dog is 10 years old) every week. YIKES! I bathe Kirby about every 3 months - he is a basset hound. Do I really need to be doing this bath thing every week?

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Andrea M. Brodie, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on November 11th, 2018

No, absolutely not! If you bathe the dog every week you are causing the skin to dry out and make it prone to all sorts of skin diseases. You are doing alright, bathing Kirby every three months is plenty.

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on April 21st, 2018

    No, I would not give Max baths more often unless he gets really dirty. Dogs should only be bathed once a month, as bathing them too often strips their skin of its natural oils and can lead to dryness and dandruff. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

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