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How important is grooming for your pet's health?
It is very important. There's a lot of things that you can get out of pet grooming than just making your pet look and smell nice. You can find things like skin infections, lumps, or bumps. One big question that we will ask you every time you're here with your pet is have you felt any masses on them? That's because you're petting them and grooming them all the time, and you are gonna be the first to find any lumps or bumps or masses on their skin. And let us know that's how we can find them and test them and make sure they're nothing scary for you.
Do all dogs require grooming?
Yes, all dogs do require some form of grooming. Of course, my big old English Sheepdog Max is gonna require a lot more grooming than some others like maybe a Lab or another dog that has not as much fluffy matting hair like he does. But every pet can benefit from a good brush out. They can benefit like we talked about from you having your hands on them to feel for masses. I recommend brushing their teeth as often as you can. I know every day can be difficult for some but as often as you can with an enzymatic pet toothpaste can be super helpful to keep their teeth healthy in between those dental cleanings. And then things like ear care and nail care. Not every pet needs their ears cleaned all the time but removing debris and waxy buildup can help prevent infections. And then nail health, you can tell a lot from your pet's nails if they're not growing enough, if they're growing too much, and if there's disease there. So having them trimmed often can help and the more you get them used to you doing at home the better. It's always a little bit more scary here.
How do these contribute to good health for your pet?
Not only about finding those masses but keeping those ears and skin clean of debris can help prevent things like skin infections from building up. There are some great medicated shampoos so they can have things like antibacterial properties to them, anti-itch properties to them, and so that can be really helpful.
How soon should you start grooming your dog?
I say as soon as you have them as a puppy you should start getting them used to things like having their nails touched, their ears touched, getting them used to water slowly. And for this I always recommend a licky mat. They're like little silicone mats with suction cups on the back. You can stick them to the side of your tub or the wall in the bathroom. Put a little peanut butter or wet dog food on that so they're getting great positive reinforcement and just kind of getting them used to water and the sound and feel of it even if you're not using a shampoo at this point.
When should puppies have their first grooming at a groomer?
I recommend as soon as they have all of their vaccines. Most groomers are going to have dogs around each other or they're going to be in that facility with other pets around and so I recommend making sure they have all of their vaccinations for rabies. They're going to require that so that's usually around at least 16 weeks old. So after that they can go to their groomer and at least get them used to that as well the sooner the better.
How often should you groom your pet?
It really depends on the pet. My sheepdog probably should get it about every eight to ten weeks to keep him from getting matted and and have to have him kind of shaved all the way back down. But a pet like a lab may be able to get away with you know quarterly or less often. So talk to your groomer. They're really great about knowing certain breeds and which ones need grooming more often than others because that really is breed specific.
What kind of services do you provide at University Animal Clinic?
We can help with ear cleanings, dental cleanings under anesthesia, as well showing you how to brush their teeth, nail trims, things like that. We can do medicated bathing but we do not have a groomer here. So we have some great groomers in our area that we can recommend so just give us a call. Our receptionist can get you some great recommendations for groomers in our area that we recommend.
If you have any other questions, please give us a call at (941) 253-5218. You can also email us at staff@uacvet.com and we will get back to you as soon as we are able. Don't forget to follow us on social media: Facebook and Instagram