Grooming for Good Health
THE IMPORTANCE OF REGULAR PET GROOMING
When first considering grooming your pet, we often think about fluffy tails and primped and preened pooches with a bow to top it off. Most people don’t realise that regularly grooming your pet is crucial for their health and wellbeing, not just their appearance. Regular grooming helps remove shedding fur and dead skin, spreads natural oils in their coat and keeps them comfortable. It is also necessary to regularly trim your pet’s nails to prevent aches and pain.
SO WHY SHOULD I REGULARLY GROOM MY PET?
1. To maintain healthy skin, fur and coat
Regularly removing dead fur and skin is one of the most important and easy steps in any grooming routine. When a pet begins to molt, the loose fur can get tangled and matted. By routinely brushing away fur, mats remain manageable and painful skin patches, inflammation and infections are avoided. If your pet remains ungroomed, they may also begin trying to lick and scratch their fur to remove mats themselves.
This can result in over-grooming, which creates intense hot spots of pain and itchiness. Brushing your pet also allows the skin to breathe as the natural coat oil spreads through the fur, helping your pet grow a healthy and strong coat and keep their skin fresh, clean, and healthy.
2. Early detection and prevention
Grooming is a great opportunity to check your pet for various health conditions, skin irritations, fleas, parasites and more. It would help if you used this time to check for any unusual lumps, inflammations, cuts, scratches, rashes, and anything unusual. Discovering an issue early can make all the difference in a treatment plan. Our pets can’t tell us where it hurts, so we must take the time to check and ensure their wellbeing.
3. Prevent joint pain and aches
To avoid causing your pet discomfort and paw misalignment, it is important to cut their nails regularly. To do this, hold your pet’s paw gently but securely as you trim their nail, cutting off only a short amount of nails at a time to avoid cutting the quick.
The quick is in the centre of the nail and supplies blood to the nail.
4. Encourage positive behaviour
Creating a routine your pet must comply with is an excellent training and bonding activity. Having this regular practice in their life encourages positive behaviour and helps them stay in a positive state of mind.
When should I start grooming my pet?
We recommend introducing a small grooming routine to your pet as a puppy or kitten. Start with short grooming sessions, only a few minutes long, when they feel relaxed, tired, and less energetic. Check their paws, ears, teeth, and nails and begin by giving them a light brush. As you do this regularly, they will start to get used to the routine; it will become a smooth, seamless, and even bonding experience. If your pet seems stressed or uninclined to participate, use treats as a reward.
And finally, no one likes a stinky pet jumping on them, onto the couch or their bed. The whole family will be much happier with a well-groomed pet in the home!
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