Grooming your cat or dog is an essential part of your pet's well being. If you are lucky you have a dog that loves nail trims and a cat that enjoys a good soak in the tub. for the rest of us these things can be a real battle in a war that must be won.
A clean pet is less likely to have skin issues, parasites, and a decreased immune system. That's right, just like humans, pets can carry many bacteria and fungi or yeast on their skin. These chip away and test your pet's immune system every moment of the day. Keeping your pet clean helps lighten the load a bit.
Mats can cause much more than just a messy looking pet. These mats can actually get caught on things and pull open skin. They can block areas that shouldn't be blocked (eyes and anal area) and THEY HURT! Take a good chunk of your hair in your fingers, now twist it around until it is tight to your head. Doesn't feel that great does it? Imagine having that all over your body for long periods of time.
Parasites and yeast love when your pet is not groomed! It's a perfect environment to flourish in even for the pickiest of bugs. Using a flea and tick prevention and it doesn't seem to be working as well as you were hoping? Besides the brand, your pet's skin and coat may be limiting the amount that product can do.
Most importantly - grooming you pet regularly means that you are looking at your pet more and I mean REALLY looking at your pet. Feeling for lumps and bumps, noticing eye or ear discharge, seeing sores or tender spots, all of these mean that you can be proactive about your pet and catch problems before they get to big to do anything about.
Here are a few tips to keep your pet looking its best:
- Brushing- this is the simplest and most important of all grooming. This goes for both cats and dogs!
- For dogs it is just a matter of getting out debris that they may have collected from being outside, getting that stubborn undercoat to stop flooding out onto your carpet and furniture and to get those mats out.
- Use a brush that is tough enough to do the job and gentle enough that you dog isn't going to go running when you pull it out! Here are a few options that are great for dogs and cats:
- Shampooing is always fun, right? Not always but does need to be done but not as often as you think. If your pet stays indoors 99% of the time, never touches the floor and is the neatest eater in the world, you probably take them to the groomers anyway but if you do care for them at home, minimal bathing is probably needed. If your pet is like PigPen from Charlie Brown...you will need to bathe more often. Use your judgement! If you pet stinks, looks greasy or just rolled in the strange substance on the ground outside, bathe your pet! Here are a few shampoos that I would recommend:
- PetzLife Shampoos - these all natural, great smelling shampoos do more than just clean
- Anders All Natural Dog soap - these come in two flavors; one of which repels mosquitoes! Check out their human soaps while you are there...I use nothing but them!
- Bath time! Here is where we separate the men from the boys....or the cats from the dogs. Most of the time dogs are fine with the idea of a bath but there are those exceptions (like my dog) that hate water. Cats on the other hand...I've yet to meet one that actually likes to take a bath. If you have a cat that tolerates water, you are much better off than the rest of us! Good news is, most cats do not need baths often. Here are a few tips to help you get through a bath with your pet:
- Dogs
- Use an appropriate shampoo - oatmeal based and natural shampoos work best. So many people go for the flea and tick shampoo but these can actually cause harm to your pet due to the amount of chemicals in them. My suggestion is to use a mild shampoo and then use a veterinary approved prevention like Frontline or Advantix. DO NOT USE HARTZ! Read about the dangers of Hartz.
- If your pet is prone to ear infections, you may want to place cotton in the pet's ears prior to starting the bath but don't forget to take it out!
- Wet the dog down. Don not put your pet into a bathrub full of water. This is asking for more trouble than you want! I have found that a good hose or the hoses specific for pet grooming work best. This is the one that I personally use and recomment (click here) but use the one that works best for you.
- I have found that diluting the shampoo in a cup with some water prior to putting it on my dog works best. Shampoos are very thick and you will actually waste shampoo putting it on directly. Pour the shampoo down the back and begin to massage in the shampoo. It is important to clean the entire pet...legs and feet too!
- Cleaning the face is a bit more difficult. Unlike humans, dogs and cats aren't too good about keeping their eyes shut! I use a washcloth to wipe around the face and this is helpful if you have a pet that tears a lot and has tear stains. A soft tooth brush works well too.
- Many shampoos recommend that keep the shampoo on the pet at least 10 min prior to rinsing. Do this! It makes a huge difference! Keep the pet from licking the shampoo as much as possible.
- After rinsing is the best time to clean the ears (unless you are using a greasy cleaner). I'll discuss ear cleaning a little further down.
- Dry well and allow your pet to air dry. Many people want to blow dry their pet's hair. I would not recommend this. As a vet tech, I can't tell you how many times I've seen pet's burned from hair driers!
- Be sure to brush your pet out after a bath!
- Cats
- The same routine above applies to cats but because cats can be a bit of a handful, here are a few useful tools to help:
- The Mesh Bag - it may take a little doing and some practice to use this but it will keep both you and your cat safe during baths.
- The Cat Muzzle - I recommend muzzles. Not as a cruel device but as one that actually helps to calm your cat down.
- Feliway - cat pheromones that have a calming effect.
- Ear Cleaning - the one thing that most people forget to do until they need to take their pet to the vet for a professional cleaning and medications ($$$)
- Your ear cleaner - there are many ear cleaners out on the market, many of which can actually cause more harm than good. Here are a few that I recommend:
- Oxyfresh Ear Cleaner - very gentle
- Oticalm - great deodorizer
- Homemade ear cleaners
- Although apple cider vinegar and water is a popular mixture (50/50) and is great for yeasty ears - it can dry the ear out.
- I like to use Golden Seal Tea - I brew the tea as directed - for 10 min - allow the solution to come to room temperature and use this to clean out the ear. Its antibacterial and antifungal properties are great without the drying problem of vinegar. It can stain some so do not use on white pets or white carpet!
- VERY IMPORTANT - YOU MUST USE AN EAR CLEANER THAT IS AT ROOM TEMPERATURE! If the solution is too warm it can burn. Even worse is if it is too cold. Using a cold solution in the ear can cause problems with equilibrium and even induce siezures.
- Ear cleaning is actually easier than you may realize!
- Restrain your pet gently
- Dogs - place in a sitting position or cradle in your lap if small enough. Wrap a towel around the neck (loosely, please!) like a bib.
- Cats - the cat mesh bag will come in handy here again or you can wrap the cat in a towel to make a kitty burrito.
- Gently grasp the ear by the pinna (outer flap).
- Fill the entire ear canal with whatever cleaner you decided on.
- Flop the ear flap over and massage.
- Let go of the ear and allow your pet to shake out the fluid and debris.
- Gently wipe the outer canal and pinna with a cotton ball or tissue.
- DO NOT USE A Q-TIP IN THE INNER EAR CANAL! - leave this type of cleaning to the professionals! There is a very big risk of doing damage if your try to clean deeper.
- That's it!
You will notice that I did not mention anything on trimming or cutting your pet's hair. There is a reason for this - IT'S DANGEROUS! If your pet is in need of a hair cut or the mats are too close to the skin to remove, seek professional help. I will be writing soon about how to choose the right groomer for your pet but until then, please don't bring the scissors or clippers near your pet!
In my next blog I will discuss nail trimming. This is a subject all to itself!
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