Designerpawssalon.com grooming salon is bustling with animals as summer approaches for their long-awaited spa appointments. What a variety! The salon is full of groomed pets, as well as dirty and matted dogs. If you’re wondering why your groomer requests regular visits, here are some reasons why.
1. Grooming regularly is important for keeping the skin and coat healthy. When you scrub, blow dry, and brush your coat, dead skin and hair are removed and air is circulated. Brushing also allows the pet’s natural oils to be distributed evenly throughout the coat.
2. The groomer can inspect the skin and coat during grooming. It is possible for groomers to detect abnormalities, such as fleas and ticks, during regular grooming. The groomers are often the first to discover these critters and will remove them from the pet in the best way possible.
3. If you have matted hair, you can brush it or shave under it, depending on how bad it is. At the start of warmer weather, matted or pelted coats are not unusual, but as a groomer, I recommend you don’t wait until the end of the winter to take care of them. As a result of its ability to pinch and pull the skin, mats are painful and irritating. Imagine your hair roots being pinched and pulled all day long. Ouch!
4. Pets’ ears and nails are frequently overlooked, especially if they haven’t been groomed in three months or more. If you have long hair in the ears or between your toes, you may not notice that they are in bad shape. It is important to trim your pet’s nails regularly, as long nails can become uncomfortable to walk or even stand on. If you have ever worn a shoe that is a size smaller, you know how uncomfortable it can be. Similarly, it is standard procedure to pluck (yes, pluck) hair from your pet’s ears if there are any. By removing ear hair, you can let more air flow through your ear. As ear hair grows, it can attract moisture, causing ear infections or yeast to grow.
5. My hair stylist isn’t likely to offer you these services at the salon: sanitary trimmings and poop cleaning! A sanitary trim involves groomers shaving or trimming around the pet’s genitals and anus. It is important that this area is kept clean and free of tangles and unwanted hair. Occasionally, I see a pet client who comes in once or twice a year with poop stuck to their bum. This is not acceptable! Fecal matter should never be left on pets since it can cause irritation, inflammation, and matting on the bum. We wouldn’t leave poop on our baby’s bums, so why would we do the same to our dogs?
6. A good clean around the eyes is always part of grooming. Your pet’s inner eye corners should be cleaned as soon as possible if they have a lot of eye gunk.
Leaving discharge to accumulate and build up around the eyes can cause irritation. Even with a groomer, long-term buildup can be difficult to remove, causing discomfort and pain. When your pet has excessive and/or discolored eye discharge, it’s best to consult a veterinarian.
