Grooming Your Pet

Most pets tend to spend little or no time grooming themselves, therefore it is necessary for the owner to take the responsibility.

Grooming Equipment

The grooming equipment required will usually vary according to the breed of the pet. For specialized grooming techniques, consult a professional groomer.

  • Short, flexible wire brush, used for longhair pets
  • Short bristle brush, used for short hair pets
  • Scissors, to trim the hair
  • Nail clippers, designed to clip pets nails
  • Cotton balls, to clean ears and eyes
  • Wide tooth comb, to comb out mats
  • Pet shampoo, natural, flea and tick, or medicated
  • Baby shampoo for puppies
  • Powder, talcum or flea powder for pets
  • Grooming table, a strong table with a non-slip surface
  • Towel, for drying

Coat Care

Daily brushing keeps the coat shiny and healthy. It is important to brush longhair pets daily to prevent mats from forming. Mats will usually form around the neck, tail area, and behind the ears. Short hair pets should be brushed at least twice weekly. Most pets will enjoy being brushed. Make it a fun thing for them.

Nail Care

Pets will usually wear their nails down by walking, jogging, and running. Pets that are confined to an apartment or house, should have their nails clipped every 3-4 weeks. This is an important task when owning a pet. If the nails are not clipped regularly, the nails can grow too long, curling up into the pad. This can result in pain, limping, and infection. When cutting your pets nails, you have to be aware of the quik. The quik contains blood vessels and nerves, if you cut into the quik it will hurt the pet and may bleed freely. It is easy to identify the quik on pets with white nails, but for those of you who own pets with black nails, you really just have to take a chance on where to cut. If you do cut into the quik apply pressure with a cotton bud, then apply the quik stop powder. It should stop the bleeding immediately. Important: always have some quik stop powder on hand when cutting your animals nails.

Teeth Care

Pets can carry large amounts of bacteria in their mouths due to little oral hygiene. Bacteria forms on food particles caught in their teeth, which combines with saliva to form plaque. Extensive plaque buildup eventually turns to tartar. It is recommended that you brush your pets teeth at least once a month. You can buy a tooth brushing kit at your local veterinarian or pet store. Please consult your veterinarian if your pet has excessive tartar buildup.

Washing

Pets require regular bathing to keep them clean and to prevent skin problems from occurring. They should be washed weekly with a flea and tick shampoo, if ticks and fleas are prevalent, or a medicated shampoo which should only be recommended by your veterinarian. Some pet owners are concerned with washing their pets to frequently, removing natural oils from their skin. Most people don't know that skin problems usually occur from not bathing enough. When bathing a pet, the first thing you should do isread all labels. Then you can begin by saturating the coat completely with cold water, hot water tends to dry out the skin. Then apply the shampoo working it in until you achieve a good foaming lather. Be careful not to get shampoo in the pets eyes or ears. Once a foaming lather is achieved, rinse thoroughly with cold water and towel dry. Be sure to use shampoo's made only for pets.