Do-It-Yourself Dog Grooming
The professional grooming sessions provided by different dog salons usually costs every owner around $50 to $60 per session. This sounds a bit expensive right? If money is your concern, why not try to groom your dog all by yourself. You did not just save $50 to $60; you also had the opportunity to bond with your lovely pet.
Here’s how you do it.
1. Be comfortable. Before handling your pet, you must ask yourself, Am I comfortable with what I do? There are a lot of people who love dogs but are not comfortable in giving the proper grooming to their pet. This greatly affects the pet in the long run so try to love what you do and be comfortable as much as possible in providing care.
2. Start cleaning the nails. Most dogs do not like short nails and they often dislike having their paws handled. Do not be afraid to trim it short. Depending on the rate of the dog’s nail growth, it should be regularly trimmed because veins will eventually grow longer in the dead part of the nail. When this happens, there is a big chance that the nails will bleed when it is cut.
3. Don’t forget the ears. Ears can be a good medium for bacterial and yeast growth. Keeping it clean on a regular basis will minimize ear infections. Instead of using cotton swabs, use a cotton ball with alcohol to clean the dog’s ears and do not go deeper as it could hurt his ear drum. If any signs of infections are present such as red ear drums or a foul smelling ear, report it immediately to the veterinarian for possible treatments. Ears are vital organs of the dog to hear so make sure to keep it clean and keep it away from any kinds of infections.
4. Bathe the dog. It is recommended to bathe the dog to keep him clean and to get rid of ticks and dirt. However, it should be done once or twice a week, depending on the veterinarian’s advice. There are also recommended shampoos or soaps for the dog so use only what is advised to minimize allergic reactions caused by the harsh chemicals of it.
5. Brush up. It is necessary to brush the dog‘s hair often to prevent tangling and matting. Regardless of the hair type, brushing helps prevent hair build up and any excess shedding. Do not also forget to brush the dog’s teeth with a specialized toothbrush recommended by the veterinarian. Dogs tend to eat a lot and keeping it clean will minimize bacterial build up and infections.
6. Lastly, give your dog a haircut. Some dogs like Poodle and Shih Tzu have hairs that continually grow. Give him/her a haircut for at least 2 to 4 weeks and style it according to what you desire.
You can make your dog clean and beautiful without overspending. Just make sure to regularly check your pet to a veterinarian to keep him/her away from sickness.
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How to Keep Pests from your Pets
Pesky insects usually come out during the summer – the time when it is ideal for you and your pet to enjoy the great outdoors. At this times, pests such as fleas and ticks also abound in grassy and areas where plants and trees abound. Just as the summer season approaches, so do the number of these pests double or triple in number. In order for you to cope with this problem, it would be best if one can keep their surroundings and their pets clean and not a harboring and hatching place for these insects.
If you want to keep your pets from these blood-sucking parasites, you would do well to follow these simple tips.
First of all, if you plan to use some pesticide, read all the instructions in the bottle carefully. It might even cause you more problems than the pests themselves.
You should be careful not to use them when there are precautions against pregnant pets, nursing pets, aged, or sick pets. This only means that they will have an adverse reaction to this product when you use it on them.
Buy and use only tick and flea control products on the particular animal that they are specifically made for. If that product is for cats, then don’t use it on dogs. Also, use only the specified amount of the product that you can use on your pet.
Store the product’s packaging in case your pet exhibits some adverse reactions after you have used it on them. Having this packaging will help your veterinarian determine the cause of the irritation and also, it will give you the manufacturing company of the product.
After you have applied these products, be sure to keep a constant check on your dog. It would be necessary to be able to spot their sensitivity to the product especially when using it for the first time. Do not use spot-ons on your pet if you know that they are sensitive to these kinds of products. Wash your dog immediately when you see them show signs of irritation or redness on their skin. Use a lot of water to rinse them off.
Vacuum your house daily in order to eliminate any pest larva or egg on your floors. It is one way to ensure that these pests do not multiply and cause larger problems. Do it on cracks and under your furniture since they are the favorite breeding places of these insects.
Steaming will also help as they help kill these insects at whatever stage they may be. Do this especially on your dogs sleeping area.
Wash your dog daily and also their bedding. Use some hot, soapy water weekly but if the problem has really gotten big, consider changing them as it could be hard to clean anyway. You can never be sure if eggs and larvae had been left after cleaning them.Comb your dog’s fur every now and then. Aside from making them look good, it also removes ticks or fleas that may be under their hair. When you catch these ticks in the comb, put them in hot water in order to kill them. Comb under their necks and near their tails as this is the favorite spots of these fleas.
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