One part of routine pet care that we may not always think about is washing and brushing regularly. Our Thornton vets talk about the importance of dog grooming and how you can help keep your pet's fur healthy.
The Importance of Regularly Grooming Your Dog
Part of keeping your dog happy and healthy is ensuring their coat and grooming needs get enough attention and maintenance. From bathing them regularly to providing quality food, protecting them from parasites, adding a few extras to their routine and consulting your vet, a lot can be done to keep their fur looking and feeling great.
Here are some of the ways that you can help keep your dog's fur shiny and clean while ensuring their overall health and well-being:
Bathe Your Dog on a Routine Basis
If your dog has a longer coat then grooming will become a chore and a half. Even so, this is a necessary task to help keep your dog healthy.
While dogs don't need baths every day (in fact, bathing your pup too often can damage their coat since it removes natural skin oils), their coats do need regular cleaning and maintenance. Especially if your dog is on the adventurous, active, boisterous side, their coat is likely getting dirtier than it would if they are a couch potato.
Since they never take their coats off, most dogs end up with a lot of dirt and debris in their fur. One or two monthly baths should be enough to keep their coat healthy, shiny and properly groomed. If you'd rather not take on the job of bathing your pup yourself, we offer professional dog grooming services that include bathing, full haircuts, nail grooming and other aspects of physical maintenance to keep your pup looking and feeling adorable.
Pet grooming services and routine exams often go hand in hand, as issues with the coat or skin may be spotted during a regular grooming appointment that prompts a visit to the vet, or a vet may recommend our grooming services to ease the burden of the regular upkeep of your pet's coat.
Brush Their Fur to Keep it Shiny
No matter the type or length of your dog's fur, we recommend brushing your pooch's coat every few days to keep it healthy and free of mats. The key is to find a brush that's appropriate for your dog's breed. Pick up a de-shedding brush at your favorite pet supply store if your pup sheds a lot. These brushing sessions can even provide bonding moments for you and your four-legged friend. What could be better than treating them to a relaxing brushing session while ensuring they look their best?
Provide Adequate Parasite Protection
Parasites like ticks and fleas can irritate a dog's skin, triggering them to bite and scratch. As you might imagine, this can easily damage a pup's coat and cause health issues - a few reasons to ensure your dog is protected against parasites. One way to do that is to make sure they are up to date on vaccinations and parasite prevention.
Offer Your Dog a Nutritional Diet
A nutritious diet is a great foundation for a strong, healthy body - inside and outside, including your dog's coat. When buying your dog's food, take the extra time to look at the list ofi ingredients. You might even decide to add a teaspoon of vegetable oil to your pooch's food to help their coat get some extra glow. Even treats can be healthy - think raw carrots, which are healthy and good for your pup's teeth.
Include Omega Fatty Acids For Their Fur
Omega fatty acids such as Omega-3 and Omega-6 are good for your dog's fur. While Omega-3 can help ease arthritis pain and help improve your dog's mood, Omega-6 can help fight infections. These are both most effective when given fresh. We also caution against going overboard with Omega acid supplements, as they could cause stomach upset. If you are considering adding any supplements or other aspects to your dog's diet, we recommend consulting your vet first.
Oatmeal Baths For Dogs Have Many Benefits
With its anti-inflammatory properties, oatmeal is often used as an at-home remedy to soothe the skin of dogs who suffer from allergies to ease itchiness, prevent the urge to scratch and help them relax. While more serious skin and coat issues will require a veterinarian's attention, oatmeal baths can help your dog's coat maintain its glow.
Speak With Your Vet if you Have Skin or Fur Concerns
Lastly, if your dog seems to have a scratching habit or a bad itch, it could indicate skin allergies are an issue. Because every dog is different and will require a unique combination of potential treatments, food and medication, it's best to ask your vet about these problems. We are here to address any questions and concerns you may have during your pet's annual checkup or between visits.
Look into Professional Grooming Services For Difficult to Groom Dogs
While you might decide to take on the responsibility and time commitment of grooming your pet yourself, there are several good reasons to have the job completed by a professional dog and cat groomer in Thornton:
Professional Dog Grooming Services Use The Right Tools
Professional dog and cat groomers are equipped with a range of quality grooming tools including various clippers, specialty skin products, adjustable grooming tables and bathtubs designed specifically for pets. They also have a selection of specialty shampoos to groom pets with allergies, skin irritations, fleas, ticks, as well as for dogs that have been sprayed by skunks.
Dog Groomers Have Experience Handling Dogs
Dog grooming services offer professionals that are fully trained to help keep your dog safe throughout their bathing and brushing. They are experienced in handling seniors, animals with behavioral issues, and more.
These Dog Grooming Professionals Take Care of the Tasks You Won't Want to
As much as we love our dogs, there are some parts of dog grooming that are just plain old gross. Some of these tasks include shampooing muddy or skunked dogs, removing fleas and ticks and cleaning anal glands. By looking into grooming for dogs in Thornton, you can leave the dirty parts of this task to a professional.
In Conclusion
Below, our Thornton dog and cat groomers offer a list of some reasons why grooming is so important.
- Brushing sweeps away old damaged fur, helping to ventilate their coat which helps to promote healthy growth.
- Grooming helps to reduce oily residue, allowing your pup's skin to breathe and reducing the instances of blocked pores and other skin problems.
- Gently brushing your dog's fur is like giving your pet a relaxing massage, and helps to promote healthy circulation of the blood.
- Grooming time is quality time spent together and will help to strengthen the bond between you and your canine companion.
- Regular brushing helps to remove loose fur and debris that could otherwise lead to matting which causes painful patches on your dog's skin.
- Weekly grooming provides you with an opportunity to inspect and monitor the health of your dog's skin, ears and feet and look for unusual lumps, bumps or injuries.
- When you groom your dog you have a chance to check between your dog's toes for any uncomfortable clumps of mud, stones or ticks.
- Brushing and bathing your pooch regularly will allow you to spot parasites such as ticks and fleas early, and treat them before they become a more serious issue.
Note: The advice provided in this post is intended for informational purposes and does not constitute medical advice regarding pets. For an accurate diagnosis of your pet's condition, please make an appointment with your vet.