Pet Grooming Orange County

Protecting Your Dog’s Skin This Winter

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Protecting Your Dog’s Skin This Winter

Winter often brings dry skin for people and their pets. Let’s look at the top ways to protect your dog’s skin this winter:

Brush your dog’s coat every day. Start at the front of their body and work your way to the back. Brush the driest areas for several minutes after the skin flakes have been removed. The more you brush these areas the more it will stimulate the oil glands to produce oil. Give your dog some treats for being patient during these long brushing sessions.

Use a shampoo containing colloidal oatmeal and an antihistamine to improve the moisturizing effects of the oatmeal. As an alternative you can use coal tar shampoos to soothe the itchiness that leads to scratching and flaky skin.

Follow up with a conditioner or moisturizer.

Towel dry your dog, as the heat from blow drying can cause additional drying of the skin.

Consider adding fish oil to your dog’s diet to relieve dry and flaking skin from the inside out. Check for supplements with eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoicz. Follow the dosing instructions for your pet carefully and check with your veterinarian before using these or any other supplements.

Zinc supplements can be used to regulate the immune system to relieve allergies that can cause itching and dry skin.

Try adding olive oil to your dog’s food. Olive oil is rich in vitamin E and phytonutrients that can moisturize the skin. If your dog weighs 30 to 40 pounds you can add a teaspoon of olive oil to their food every day. If your dog weighs 90 pounds, you can add up to 1 tablespoon.

Instead of olive oil, coconut oil can be added to the food. Coconut oil provides medium chain fatty acids including lauric acid that can kill yeast, bacteria and viruses and enhance the metabolism and support thyroid function. Add 1/2 teaspoon daily to a small dog’s food, 1 teaspoon to a medium dog’s food and 2 teaspoons to a large dog’s food.

We hope that this information has been helpful as we strive to provide education on all aspects of pet care.

Claws N Paws Day Spa offers quality dog and cat grooming in Orange County, California. For more information, or to schedule a grooming appointment, please call 714-962-1005.

Receive a free teeth brushing for your pet when you mention our blog!

 

Keeping Pets Active During the Winter

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Keeping Pets Active During the Winter

Like people, pets can get cabin fever and go stir crazy when kept inside. When the weather is uninviting it’s easy to slack on your pet’s regular exercise routine. However, if you want to keep your pet healthy and happy you will need to keep them entertained especially when outside exercise just isn’t possible. A good rule of thumb is to provide your pet with at least two interactive activities per day along with a variety of socialization opportunities throughout the week. Just because it’s cold outside doesn’t mean that you can’t keep your pet active. There are many winter activities that you can do with your pet!

  • Try playing hide and seek with your dog. Hide some of their favorite treats around the house. Have them stay in another room while you hide the treats then tell them to go and find them. Your dog will have lots of fun searching the house and it might even keep them occupied for several hours.
  • Consider inviting your pet’s friends over to play. Just make sure that equal amounts of toys and treats are provided to avoid any fighting.
  • If you have some extra time on the weekends consider spending it playing with your pet. For example, if your dog enjoys playing fetch, you can have a gentle game inside the house or you could engage your cat in a toy mouse hunt. Your pet will enjoy the intellectual stimulation in addition to the bonding experience.
  • If they enjoy spending time in the car, consider bringing your pet along on a road trip or errand.

We hope that this information has been helpful as we strive to provide education on all aspects of pet care.

Claws N Paws Day Spa offers quality dog and cat grooming in Orange County, California. For more information, or to schedule a grooming appointment, please call 714-962-1005.

Receive a free teeth brushing for your pet when you mention our blog!

 

Puppy’s First Grooming

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Puppy’s First Grooming

Dogs require grooming their entire life. It’s important that their first grooming experience is a pleasant one so that they will not resist future grooming sessions. However, if you wait too long to take them for professional grooming it could lead to resistance and fear that can be difficult to overcome. Let’s discuss puppy’s first grooming.

Although young dogs are often nervous of the noise and activity of a grooming salon, they are more likely to become accepting of the experience in the future if they are exposed to it early. Check with your groomer to see at what age they will begin to see your puppy. Most grooming salons will allow them once they’ve received their second set of vaccinations.

Early exposure to the grooming experience should be carefully balanced with protecting your puppy from infectious diseases. Many groomers recommend waiting until your puppy is fully vaccinated before making their first grooming appointment. Typically, this is right around four months of age. They don’t usually need a full grooming treatment at this point, but it is the perfect time to get them used to the sights and sounds of the salon.

You can begin preparing your puppy for regular grooming when you first bring them home. Brush your puppy gently, pick up its feet and feel between its toes. Wipe the insides of its ears with a soft cloth and brush its teeth on a regular basis. Offer praise and treats during these sessions to keep the experience both positive and fun.

Your puppy’s first grooming session probably won’t include a full haircut. Instead it will be a shortened session that introduces your puppy to the groomer and the tools that are used in the grooming process. Your puppy will probably receive a gentle bath, with a nail trim, ear cleaning and a light trim of the face, feet and sanitary area. At each appointment the groomer will do a little bit more as your puppy gradually gets used to each procedure.

We hope that this information has been helpful as we strive to provide education on all aspects of pet care.

Claws N Paws Day Spa offers quality dog and cat grooming in Orange County, California. For more information, or to schedule a grooming appointment, please call 714-962-1005.

Receive a free teeth brushing for your pet when you mention our blog!

 

Keeping Your Pets Safe When It’s Cold

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Keeping Your Pets Safe When It’s Cold

As the cold weather sets in, it’s important to remember some of the problems that our pets face during this time of year. While some pets require only minimal care, others have a much harder time with the cold weather. Let’s discuss how to keep your pets safe when it’s cold outside.

Pets that spend most of their time indoors during the winter can face problems with their skin and coat. Indoor heat can cause moisture loss and dry skin, resulting in intense itching. When their winter coat becomes too much for them, they will shed in an effort to become comfortable again. Coat strippers can be used to remove the dead hair without damaging the coat. These are excellent for double coated dogs. After removing the dead hair, it’s important to bathe your pet to clean the skin and replace any lost oils and moisture. Remember that nails must be trimmed in the winter so they don’t become cracked or uncomfortable for your pet. A trip to the grooming salon can do wonders for your pet’s health and mood during the winter.

Because the skin is attempting to replace lost oils, ears tend to build up more waxy material during the winter. Ears should be cleaned at least twice a month to avoid any issues. If the ears appear to be inflamed or irritated, clean them daily until the issue is resolved. Most ear infections can be cured with daily cleaning when caught early enough.

Sometimes pets require additional support for their skin and coat during the winter. A good quality fatty acid supplements can help prevent cracking and irritation of the skin by replacing lost oils from the inside out.

Foot problems are extremely common in the winter and are usually caused by arthritis. Sore joints can cause limping and poor foot placement, increasing trauma to the foot pads. Offering your pet a high quality glucosamine and chondroitin supplement can increase joint fluid and ease fatigue and trauma to the feet.

We hope that this information has been helpful as we strive to provide education on all aspects of pet care.

Claws N Paws Day Spa offers quality dog and cat grooming in Orange County, California. For more information, or to schedule a grooming appointment, please call 714-962-1005.

Receive a free teeth brushing for your pet when you mention our blog!

 

Pet Safety For The Holidays

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Pet Safety For The Holidays

Holiday festivities can create a variety of problems for both people and their pets. While you can’t always control every holiday problem, it’s up to you to take precautions on behalf of your pet. With a little thought and preparation you can make the holidays happy and safe for your entire family.

Eating the wrong thing is the biggest danger to your pet during this time of the year. In fact, it’s the number one reason pets end up in the emergency clinic. During the holidays there are a lot of temptations for your pet, including extra food and decorations.

The best way to prevent decoration disasters is to replace fresh greenery with artificial plants. If you must decorate with fresh greenery, be sure to use special care when hanging and removing decorations to ensure pets can’t access dangerous items. Always hang greenery (artificial and real) securely and out of the reach of pets.

When selecting gifts for your pet, be sure to choose things that are appropriate for their size, age and ability. Keep your pet’s allergies and weight in mind when selecting treats. Even though letting pets unwrap their gifts can be fun to watch, you should monitor them closely with ribbons and bows which can cause severe intestinal issues if ingested.

Remember to consider your pet when decorating your tree. Tinsel and ribbon might be intriguing to pets and can cause major problems if ingested. Ornaments, if chewed, can cause cuts in your pet’s mouth, throat and intestines. They can also create choking hazards. It’s a good idea to encircle your tree with an exercise pen to keep curious pets away from your decorations. You might also want to run extension cords through plastic pipes to stop pets from becoming electrocuted.

A feast, even just one day a year, isn’t safe for pets. Too much food, or too many fatty foods can cause severe and life threatening inflammation of the pancreas known as pancreatitis. Symptoms include sudden vomiting and pain in the abdominal area. Also, many holiday foods are poisonous to pets or can cause a choking hazard. Avoid offering table scraps and let your guests know that they shouldn’t share their meal with your pets.

We hope that this information has been helpful as we strive to provide education on all aspects of pet care.

Claws N Paws Day Spa offers quality dog and cat grooming in Orange County, California. For more information, or to schedule a grooming appointment, please call 714-962-1005.

Receive a free teeth brushing for your pet when you mention our blog!

 

Making Paw Print Ornaments

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Holiday Fun – Making Paw Print Ornaments

The holidays are an excellent time to celebrate with your entire family, including your pets. One activity that can bring a family together during this special time of year is making holiday ornaments. This is an inexpensive way to decorate your home while creating personalized ornaments that represent your entire family. The following instructions will help you create paw print dough ornaments:

  1. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 cup of flour, ½ cup of salt and ½ cup of water. Mix thoroughly to form your dough.
  3. Lay the dough on a flat surface. Sprinkle some flour on a rolling pin and the surface of the dough and roll your dough out to a thickness of ¼ inch.
  4. Cut out a circle or square of dough that is large enough to fit your pet’s paw.
  5. Press your pet’s paw down into the dough to create a paw print. You might need a little help to keep your pet still.
  6. Using a toothpick, write your pet’s name across the middle of the paw print or below it.
  7. Use the same toothpick to create a hole in the top of the ornament. This will be the hole that you will thread your ribbon through to hang your ornament.
  8. Place your ornament on an ungreased cookie sheet.
  9. Bake your paw print ornament in the oven for two hours.
  10. After the ornament has cooled completely you can paint it however you like. You can also glue sequins and glitter to the ornament for an extra special look.
  11. Once the paint is dry, thread some ribbon through the hole at the top of the paw print ornament and tie a knot at the top. Now you are ready to hang your ornament!
  12. In addition to decorating your home or tree, these ornaments can be tied to the tops of presents.

We hope that this information has been helpful as we strive to provide education on all aspects of pet care.

Claws N Paws Day Spa offers quality dog and cat grooming in Orange County, California. For more information, or to schedule a grooming appointment, please call 714-962-1005.

Receive a free teeth brushing for your pet when you mention our blog!