Pet Grooming Orange County

How to Spot Fleas

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Spring is here and summer is right around the corner. With summer, comes a number of issues for our pets. One of the most common skin problems pets experience during the summer are fleas. Fleas cause intense itching and skin irritation. They can also cause allergic reactions and anemia in severe cases. It’s important to learn how to spot these common pests.

Look for Signs of Fleas

Fleas drink the blood of pets. They can cause bumps and sores on both pets and people. Often these pests cause a row of bite marks as they jump from one area to the next. This is more obvious on humans because we aren’t covered in fur. When searching for fleas on your pet, you’ll need to spend a little more time looking.

Part your pet’s hair and inspect close to the skin. Look for flea dirt, which looks a lot like coffee grounds. When wet, flea dirt turns the color of blood. Flea dirt is the droppings of fleas. In severe infestations, flea dirt is easy to see. It is more difficult to spot on pets with only one or two fleas.

Look for actual fleas. Part the fur and look for small insects running over the skin and in the fur close to the skin. These insects are small and reddish brown in color. Inspect your entire pet, especially around the base of the tail and the ears.

What to Do if You Find Fleas

If you find flea dirt or fleas you will need to treat both your pet and their environment. The best way to treat for fleas is with a treatment provided by your vet. Unfortunately, fleas have become immune to many of the usual treatments including Advantage and Frontline. Your veterinarian can provide you with the best treatment available today.

It’s important to note that over the counter flea treatments should never be used. In addition to being ineffective at killing fleas, these treatments are dangerous for your pet. Many animals have died from their use.

Claws N Paws Day Spa offers dog and cat grooming services in Orange County California. We can help you determine the best flea treatment for your pet. Please call 714-962-1005 for more information.

Is It a Stray?

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People often find cats roaming around their yard. These cats might pass through or they might stay for quite some time. Occasionally, they decide to stay forever, never leaving the confines of your backyard. Most of the time, the cats that visit are neighborhood pets. This is typically the case even when cats appear to be quite scared. However, sometimes these cats are strays in need of human assistance. It’s important to know the difference before you intervene.

What to Do If You Find a Cat

If a cat has made your backyard their permanent home and you’re absolutely sure it doesn’t leave, you’ll need to do some investigating. Put up signs around your neighborhood with a description of the cat. Make sure you also post a description on social media websites. This is often the first place people go when looking for their cat.

Facebook has several excellent groups for posting information about lost and found pets. Seek out these groups and ask if you can post a picture. It might also be helpful to post a picture at local grooming shops and vets.

Just make sure you verify the owner before handing over the cat. Require a picture of them with the cat before releasing it.

If you don’t hear anything for at least two weeks, you’ll need to contact the shelter. Contact your local animal shelter to report a stray cat. Aside from social media websites, pet parents will visit the shelter searching for their lost pet.

It’s important to note that it is illegal to keep a cat that you have found. You must allow the shelter to attempt to find its owner first. You can put a hold on the pet for adoption if the owner doesn’t come. This prevents the cat from being euthanized in the sad instance that the owner isn’t found.

Special Considerations

Feeding stray cats is not recommended. Leaving food outside encourages other cats and wild animals to enter your yard. This puts your family as well as all neighborhood cats at risk.

Claws N Paws Day Spa offers cat and dog grooming and cat adoptions from our full service grooming salon in Fountain Valley. Please call 714-962-1005 to schedule a grooming appointment today.

Most Common Cat Grooming Questions

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Pet parents often have questions about grooming their cats. While cats don’t need as much grooming as dogs, they do require some basic care. This is especially true for long-haired breeds. Cats require regular brushing, nail trims, ear care, and occasional baths. In addition to keeping your pet happy and healthy, regular grooming helps expose skin issues, which can be uncomfortable for your pet.

As Orange County’s premier cat grooming salon, we meet a lot of new pet owners. The following details the most common cat grooming questions we hear.

When should I start grooming my cat?

It’s important to get your cat accustomed to grooming as early as possible. Hold your cat in your lap and brush them with a soft bristled brush. It’s normal for cats to think you’re trying to play. Continue brushing them, they will understand soon enough that this isn’t playtime.

Make sure you touch your cat’s feet, ears, and tail regularly so they get used to being handled. This will go a long way towards improving their grooming experience.

What do I do if I find mats in my cat’s coat?

Tangles can easily become mats if you do not regularly groom your cat. Mats are painful and can hide skin conditions. It’s important to remove all mats from your cat’s coat.

NEVER attempt to remove mats on your own. Cat skin is extremely thin. Bring your cat to an experienced groomer to have all mats removed.

Do cats really need baths?

Cats groom themselves a lot. This is why most people believe their cat does not need a bath. However, this isn’t always the case. Older and overweight cats might have more difficulty getting themselves clean. If your cat isn’t cleaning itself, oils can gather on the coat, contributing to body odor.

Can I use my shampoo to bathe my cat?

Human shampoos, even baby shampoo, are too harsh for your cat. It’s important to NEVER use human shampoo when bathing your cat. Use a shampoo that’s specially designed for use on cats.

What can I do if my cat struggles during its bath?

Most cats do not enjoy getting wet. It’s important to make bath time as stress-free and enjoyable as possible for your pet. Start slow and offer treats. Use basins filled with water as opposed to running water over your cat.

Contact your local grooming salon if you need help bathing your cat. Claws N Paws Day Spa has years of experience giving cats baths and haircuts. Please call 714-962-1005 to schedule a grooming appointment.

 

Keeping Your Pet Warm

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Temperatures in Southern California are reaching record lows. If you’ve been up before 7:00 am, it’s likely you’ve had to deal with ice on your windshield or frost on your grass. Just this morning, the thermometer at my house was reading just 36 degrees. I haven’t seen temperatures dip this low in quite some time. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen them dip this low in my entire time living in Orange County.

If you are feeling the cold, your pet probably is too. Just like humans, our pets become accustomed to the warm Southern California weather. The cold can make them anxious and miserable. This is especially true for pets left outdoors. The following tips can help you make sure your pet stays warm this winter.

Bring Them Indoors

If you normally let your cat explore outdoors all night or your dog spends most of their time outdoors, chances are pretty good they are getting too cold. While temperatures might not reach as low as other areas of the country, it’s still too cold to stay outdoors, especially throughout the night and early in the morning.

Older pets and larger breeds commonly suffer from arthritis, joint conditions, and back problems. These conditions are aggravated by cold weather. If possible, bring your pet inside where it’s safe and warm.

Try a Sweater

Although not all pets will tolerate clothing, putting a dog sweater or baby t-shirt on your pet can help keep them warm.

Keep an Eye on Their Skin

The cold weather combined with the dry heat inside our homes can lead to a number of skin conditions. Make sure you keep a close eye on your pet for excessive scratching or licking, missing fur, and hot spots. These issues can escalate quickly, so it’s best to have them dealt with the moment you notice a problem. Your veterinarian can advise you on the best course of action.

Claws N Paws Day Spa offers dog and cat grooming and cat boarding in Fountain Valley, CA. Please call 714-962-1005 to schedule a grooming appointment.

Most Common Feline Health Problems

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Cats are very good at hiding problems. Some feline health issues present themselves in strange ways. It’s always a good idea to have your cat seen by a qualified vet if they develop new habits or display unusual behavior. This is often the first sign of a problem.

Vomiting

Vomiting is an extremely common problem with cats. Often times, vomiting is caused by eating too quickly or ingesting too much hair (hairballs). Other, more serious problems such as urinary tract infections, diabetes, and poisoning can cause vomiting as well. It’s a good idea to have your cat seen by a vet if vomiting comes on suddenly and occurs on a regular basis.

Feline Lower Urinary Tract Diseases (FLUTD)

Feline Lower Urinary Tract Diseases (FLUTD) are extremely common. In fact, it’s estimated that as many as 3% of all cats seen by vets are diagnosed with this condition. FLUTD has multiple causes and is more common in overweight cats fed a strictly dry food diet. Symptoms of FLUTD include:

  • Blood in urine
  • Straining to urinate
  • Inappropriate elimination (not using the litter box)
  • Depression
  • Lack of appetite
  • Vomiting

Sometimes, cats cannot urinate at all. This is an emergency situation! It’s crucial you take you cat to the vet immediately.

Fleas

Signs of fleas include excessive scratching or licking, red skin, and skin infections. A visual inspection of your cat can help you determine if fleas are present. Part the hair and look close to the skin. You might see moving fleas or flea dirt, which looks like coffee grounds that turn red when wet. Fleas are common in both dogs and cats.

Although you might be tempted to give your cat a flea bath or use an over the counter treatment for fleas, this can be dangerous for your cat. Ask your veterinarian or groomer for advice about treating fleas.

Most cat health problems are easily treated when caught early. This is why it’s so important to pay close attention to your cat.

Claws N Paws Day Spa offers cat grooming and cat adoptions in Fountain Valley, CA. Please call 714-962-1005 for more information about our grooming services, cat boarding facility, or adoptable pets.

Understanding Hip Dysplasia in Dogs

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Hip dysplasia is common in large breed dogs. This condition is hereditary and amplified by environmental conditions such as excessive growth, weight, diet, and exercise.

What is Hip Dysplasia?

In order to understand this common skeletal condition, you need to know the basic anatomy of the hip. The hip joint consists of a ball and socket. In dogs with hip dysplasia, the hip joint fails to develop properly. It rubs and grinds against the socket, as opposed to sliding smoothly. Over time, the joint deteriorates and eventually becomes unusable.

Hip dysplasia reduces quality of life as it causes pain and discomfort for dogs affected. Some dogs begin showing symptoms of this condition as puppies, although symptoms are more common later in life. The severity of symptoms depends on the level of inflammation. Common symptoms include:

  • Decreased activity
  • Decreased range of motion
  • Difficulty rising, jumping, and running
  • Pain
  • Stiffness
  • Lameness
  • Narrow stance
  • Swaying gait
  • Audible grinding of the hip joint
  • Loss of muscle mass in the thighs

If your pet is exhibiting any symptoms of hip dysplasia, it’s important to discuss your concerns with your vet. Your veterinarian can help you determine if your pet is suffering from hip dysplasia through physical examination and x-rays. Proper diagnosis is important, as the type of treatment used depends on the severity of the condition.

Hip Dysplasia Treatment

Treatment for hip dysplasia commonly revolves around lifestyle changes. It’s important that your dog loses weight to remove any additional stress to the joint. Physical therapy and anti-inflammatory medications are often recommended. You may wish to restrict your pet’s activity as well.

Surgery might be necessary if symptoms are severe. The most common surgeries used to treat hip dysplasia include:

  • Double or triple pelvic osteotomy
  • Femoral head osteotomy
  • Total hip replacement

Special Consideration – Grooming

Dogs with hip dysplasia often have difficulty standing. This makes grooming painful and uncomfortable. Many grooming salons are not properly equipped to deal with this common condition. At Claws N Paws Day Spa, we care about your pet. We want to make sure that they are comfortable and safe while in our care. Our salon has a lower tub for easy access by pets with special needs. We also offer grooming on the floor.

Our professional groomers have years of experience working with pets. They know how to ensure your pet’s comfort and safety. Please call 714-962-1005 to schedule a grooming appointment today!