Most pet owners with animals that require regular grooming – especially the hairy ones – tend to assume that grooming their canine friend implies a cute hairdo at the end of summer. And this couldn’t be any further from the truth.
Here’s what proper and regular grooming entails:
1. Keeping the Face and Eyes Area Clean
A dog’s eyes, just like the nose, will naturally secrete an amount of discharge depending on a variety of factors, such as the breed of the dog and its health condition. Therefore, don’t be surprised to find collections of ‘eye goop’ at the corner of your poodle’s eyes especially after a heavy nap. That also means that the nasal and ocular folds of brachycephalic breeds – these are animals that require constant grooming – ought to be kept clean and hair free to minimize chances of infection that results from discharge build up. In fact, if you’re not careful, accumulation of this eye goop combined by the matting fur could result in the facial skin just around the eyes become infected and inflamed.
2. Keeping Sensitive Areas Clean
Just like how fur can mat the areas around the face and mouth of your pet and cause infections, the same could also happen when matted fur mixed with feces covers the anal opening of the dog. And if swift action is not taken, this could easily result in constipation or difficulty in passing waste from his body. Make it a daily habit of getting rid of the mixture of old stool and matted far from your dog’s anus, if you have a very furry barking friend. The same applies to the area underneath the armpits, behind his ears, around and in his feet, the toes area and the pads. If anything, it is quite possible for a dog’s or cat’s feet to become sore and inflamed if his own matted fur got stuck in between his toes for an extended period.
3. Incorporating Antibiotics
If the situation has deteriorated badly, then it would be proper to make use of antibiotics and disinfectants to get rid of the macerated skin and matted fur to avoid risking further infection. Additionally, it might be likely that the animal at a risk of contracting systemic illnesses as a result of lack of proper and regular grooming especially if he is already debilitated or older. Making use of antibiotics and disinfectants could do an excellent job in staving this off.
SOURCES: Wahl, Best Friends, Cesars Way
COPYRIGHT: Local Value
