Pet Grooming Orange County

Winter Grooming for Dogs: Why It’s Important

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Winter Grooming for Dogs: Why It’s Important

Many people believe that dogs do not require regular grooming throughout the winter. However, grooming during the winter is extremely important to your dog’s health and well-being.

Dogs are more susceptible to skin and coat issues in the winter. Their skin can become extremely dry from indoor heating. This can cause excessive licking and scratching, leading to painful sores and infection.

A dog’s coat can become tangled and matted if not properly maintained. This is especially true for double-coated breeds. Matted fur is extremely painful. If it becomes wet from snow, frost or rain, it can increase your pet’s discomfort.

Regular grooming helps you spot problems with your pet’s skin and coat. This allows you to address these issues before they can become a much bigger problem. The following tips can help you take care of your dog this winter.

Keep Them Dry

When spending time outdoors, your pet’s coat can become damp from frost or rain. A damp coat can cause chills and dry, itchy skin. It’s important to properly dry your dog’s coat immediately after returning home.

Brushing

Make sure that you continue to brush your pet throughout the winter. Brushing helps prevent tangles and mats. It also helps your pet shed their winter coat. Brushing stimulates the skin to produce more oil. This helps moisturize the skin and protect it from damage caused by dry indoor heating.

Nails

You probably won’t take your dog on as many walks during the winter. Without the hard ground to wear them down, nails can quickly become too long. Long nails are prone to cracking and breaking. Make sure you trim your dog’s nails every four to six weeks.

Professional Grooming

Professional grooming is the best way to ensure your pet’s skin and coat is well maintained throughout the winter. During your pet’s grooming appointment they will receive a bath, blow dry, nail trim, ear cleaning and thorough brushing.

Claws N Paws Day Spa offers full service grooming throughout the winter. We use soothing oatmeal shampoo to protect and moisturize their skin. Please call 714-962-1005 to set up a grooming appointment.

 

Helping Your Pet Lose Weight

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Helping Your Pet Lose Weight

You might have noticed that your pet is looking a little chubbier than usual. Maybe guests are starting to mention that your pet looks quite round. Obesity in pets is extremely common. Unfortunately, pets that are overweight face a number of challenges.

Pets that are overweight are more prone to arthritis, diabetes, heart disease and other serious health problems. In fact, overweight and obese pets rarely live as long as their slimmer companions. Pet’s cannot change their diet on their own or begin an exercise plan without your help. It is up to you to help them lose weight and get in shape. The New Year is the perfect time to help your pet shed those extra pounds.

Diet

Diet plays a big role in the overall health of your pet. The food that you feed your pet affects every part of their body, from their skin and coat to their weight and energy. You can help your pet lose weight by decreasing the amount of food that you feed them. Your veterinarian can help you determine the right amount of food for your pet. For the best chance of success, you will need to stick to the guidelines provided.

Table scraps can cause weight gain and be dangerous to your pet’s health. Fatty foods can lead to life-threatening pancreatitis in dogs. Foods like onions, garlic and chocolate are toxic. It’s important to avoid giving your pet table scraps.

Exercise

Regular exercise is an important part of losing weight. Exercise is good for both your pet’s mental and physical well-being. Play with your pet and take them on walks as often as possible.

Overweight pets are more prone to arthritis and other joint problems. Extra weight can put a lot of pressure on their delicate joints. Keep exercise sessions short and watch your pet for signs of distress. You’ll be able to increase the amount of exercise as your pet begins losing weight.

Claws N Paws Day Spa offers dog and cat grooming in Orange County, California. Our full service salon is conveniently located on Brookhurst Street in Fountain Valley. Please call 714-962-1005 to set up a grooming appointment.

Reducing the Pain of Arthritis During the Winter

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Reducing the Pain of Arthritis During the Winter

Both people and pets feel more pain in cold weather. Cold air causes muscles to stiffen, causing pain for even those that do not suffer from joint problems. Pets with arthritis can get extremely stiff and uncomfortable during the winter.

What is Arthritis?

Normal wear and tear on the joints causes the cartilage to wear away. This allows the bones to rub together. Arthritis can occur in any joint, but it is most common in the hips, knees and ankles of pets. Discomfort is typically mild at first, but gets worse over time.

Arthritis is common in older pets. It advances quicker in pets that are overweight, due to the extra pressure placed on the joints. Arthritis cannot be cured but there are ways to reduce the pain and slow its progress.

Weight Reduction

If your pet is overweight, it’s important to get their weight under control. This is the first step in slowing the progress of arthritis. A healthy, low-calorie diet can help your pet shed extra pounds. Speak with your veterinarian about weight loss diets and pet foods specially designed to improve joint function in older pets.

Remember to switch your pet’s diet gradually. Mix a little bit of the new food with their old food while they adjust. Slowly increase the ratio of the new food until you’ve completely eliminated the old food. This will help your pet avoid upset stomach and digestive issues.

Exercise

Regular exercise is important for joint health. However, you’ll want to make sure that the exercise isn’t placing excessive pressure on the joints. Keep activities short and watch your pet carefully for signs of distress. Swimming is an excellent, non-weight bearing activity for pets suffering from arthritis.

Keep Your Pet Warm

It’s important to keep your pet warm and comfortable throughout the winter. Provide them with a soft, padded bed in a warm location, preferably indoors. Clothing such as dog sweaters or t-shirts can help keep your pet’s joints warm.

Claws N Paws Day Spa offers full service grooming for both dogs and cats. Our groomers are specially trained to groom pets suffering from arthritis. Please call 714-962-1005 to schedule a grooming appointment.

 

 

Spending New Year’s Eve With Your Pet

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Spending New Year’s Eve With Your Pet

New Year’s Eve can be scary for pets. The combination of large crowds, big parties and fireworks can cause a lot of stress and anxiety. Even if you avoid the crowds, pets can’t usually tell the difference between fireworks outside and on the television.

Fireworks and loud noises may startle pets and cause them to flee. More pets get lost during the holidays than any other time of the year. Keep your pet safe this New Year’s Eve with the following tips.

Update Identification Information

During parties, pets can escape through open doors. They may run when they hear loud noises. Before the holiday, make sure that you update the information on your pet’s identification. If you haven’t already, this might be an excellent time to have your pet micro chipped.

Make Sure Your Pet Gets Plenty of Exercise

Before New Year’s Eve, make sure that your pet gets plenty of exercise. This will hopefully help them sleep through the festivities. Take your dog for a long walk or spend some time playing with your cat.

Make Sure Your Pet Doesn’t Get Any Table Scraps

Table scraps can be dangerous for pets. Onions and garlic are toxic. Fatty foods can lead to life-threatening pancreatitis. Make sure that you keep food out of reach of pets. If you are having guests over for the holiday, let them know that your pets are not allowed to eat table scraps.

Drown Out the Sound of Fireworks

Fireworks, noisemakers and screaming neighbors can upset pets. If possible, play some white noise for your pet throughout the evening. Even classical music can help cover up outside noises.

Claws N Paws Day Spa offers dog and cat grooming in Orange County, California. We also offer cats-only boarding throughout the holidays. If you are concerned about your pets, boarding is an excellent option. Our boarding facility is specially designed to be quiet and comfortable. We offer condos for one or more cats. We provide daily interaction and exercise. Please call 714-962-1005 for more information about cat boarding or to schedule a grooming appointment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cat Grooming Tips

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Cat Grooming Tips

Cats require regular grooming to stay happy and healthy. Cat grooming includes caring for your pet’s skin, coat, nails, ears and teeth. Regular grooming can help you spot issues with your pet’s skin sooner, allowing you to treat them before they are able to become a much bigger problem.

It’s important to remember that not all cats will tolerate being groomed. If your cat fights the grooming process, it might be best to take them to a professional groomer. This is the best way to avoid injury to yourself and your cat.

Bathing

Cats generally take very good care of their coat. Occasionally, they might get into something sticky, smelly or dirty. Older and disabled cats might not be able to clean themselves properly. If this is the case, you’ll need to give your cat a bath.

Use only warm water and shampoo meant for use on cats. Human or dog shampoos can irritate your cat’s skin and eyes.

Brushing

Brushing your cat helps remove dead hair, dirt and grease from their coat. It also removes dead skin cells, improves circulation and encourages the skin to produce more oils. This moisturizes and improves the condition of the skin and coat. Depending on your cat’s coat, you should brush them at least once or twice a week.

Ear Care

Your cat’s ears can become dirty with debris and wax. Check your cat’s ears once a week for build-up. This can also help you spot the early signs of infection or ear mites.

Nail Care

Your cat uses their feet for climbing, scratching, jumping and landing. You’ll need to inspect them regularly for injury and trim your cat’s nails every four to six weeks. Be careful when trimming the nails that you don’t cut into the vein. This can cause bleeding and pain for your cat.

Dental Care

Your cat needs to have their teeth checked regularly for damage and infection. Your veterinarian can let you know if your cat requires deep cleaning. Between vet appointments, have your pet’s teeth brushed with a pet-safe brush and toothpaste.

Claws N Paws Day Spa offers cat grooming from our full service salon in Fountain Valley. Bath and haircut appointments include nail trims, ear cleaning and brushing. We also offer teeth brushing for an additional charge. Please call 714-962-1005 to schedule a grooming appointment.

Spending the Holidays With Your Pet

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Spending the Holidays With Your Pet

When you think about spending the holidays with your pet, you likely consider what you’ll give them under the tree. However, there is far more to the holidays than giving gifts. This time of year presents a number of challenges for our faithful companions. It’s up to you to make sure they stay happy, healthy and stress-free throughout the holidays.

Decorations

Most of us decorate our homes for the holidays. From the tree to the tableware, there’s so much to consider. When decorating your home, make sure you think about the safety of your pets.

Twinkling lights and brightly colored ornaments are often tempting to pets. Anything that could break or pose a choking hazard should be kept far away from them. Live trees can cause an allergic reaction and respiratory distress in both pets and people. Make sure that your pet is not allergic before setting up a live tree in your home. If you still aren’t sure, it might be best to stick with an artificial tree.

Traditional holiday plants like mistletoe, holly and poinsettias are all toxic for pets. Candles pose a danger as well. Keep lit candles in an area where pets are not able to access them or knock them down.

Gifts

When choosing gifts for your pet, select toys and treats that cannot be broken into small pieces. Anything with small parts or strings should be avoided. Check the ingredients in treats to make sure they won’t cause an allergic reaction.

Avoiding Stress

The holidays can be an extremely stressful time for both people and their pets. Pets often pick-up on our emotions. If you are worried about the holidays, your pet might become anxious or upset. The hustle and bustle of the holidays might be stressful for pets as well.

Make sure you provide your pet with lots of reassurance this holiday season. Give them a quiet room to escape to if the festivities become more than they can handle.

Claws N Paws Day Spa offers holiday grooming for dogs and cats in Orange County, California. We also offer mobile grooming services. Please call 714-962-1005 to schedule a holiday grooming appointment.