Pet Grooming Orange County

Orange County Pet Groomer Answers: How to Properly Clean the Gunk From Your Dog’s Eyes

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Orange County Pet Groomer Answers: How to Properly Clean the Gunk From Your Dog’s Eyes

If your dog suffers from seasonal allergies they probably gather a lot of gunk around their eyes. This condition typically gets worse during the spring, summer and fall. If not properly removed, the gunk can cause the hair around the eyes to stick together, and cause eye infections. Even though medication can be used to prevent these infections, nothing is as effective as daily cleaning. Claws N Paws Day Spa, your Orange County pet groomer, can help!

  1. Start by taking your dog for a long walk to tire them out. A dog is always easier to work with when their energy level is low.
  2. Use your hand to wipe your own closed eye. This will help you determine the proper amount of pressure to use on your dog.
  3. Soak a couple of clean towels in lukewarm water. You want them to be dripping wet when you use them. It can be helpful to keep them in a bowl of warm water while you work.
  4. Have your dog lie on one side.
  5. Using the wet towel, make sure your dog’s eye is closed and gently wipe the dog’s eye in one direction over and over. Start from the inside corner of the eye and move to the outside corner. As the gunk gets wet it will break loose from the hair and skin around the eye. If the towel becomes too dirty, switch to another a clean one. Remember to never pull, tug, force or press hard when removing the gunk.
  6. Stubborn bits might need the use of your fingers to slide them off. Use a very soft touch to try to remove them and then resume using the wet towel. Never use strength or force as this can hurt your dog’s delicate eye area.
  7. After finishing with one eye, have your dog turn over and repeat the process.

Claws N Paws Day Spa offers pet grooming services in Orange County, California. For more information or to schedule a grooming appointment, please contact us at 714-962-1005.

When Professional Pet Grooming Isn’t Enough To Keep Them Cool – DIY Cooling Pad for your Pets

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When Professional Pet Grooming Isn’t Enough To Keep Them Cool – DIY Cooling Pad for your Pets

During the summer, it’s extremely important to keep our pets cool. This isn’t just a matter of comfort; intense heat can be detrimental to their health and safety. Protecting your pet from the heat prevents them from overheating and falling victim to heatstroke and heat exhaustion. When professional pet grooming just isn’t enough to keep them comfortable, consider making them a cooling pad. Here’s how:

  1. Search your home or a local second-hand shop for an old sleeping bag that has an outside shell made from nylon or polyester.
  2. Determine how big you would like your cooling pad to be. You will want to make sure that it’s a good size for your pet.
  3. Cut the sleeping bed width-wise to the appropriate size.
  4. Cut a piece of aluminum foil big enough to wrap two ice pack inside and slide inside the exposed portion of the sleeping bag.
  5. Wrap two ice packs into the diagonal corners of the foil. Use tape to secure them if necessary.
  6. Slide the foil and the ice packs into the open side of the sleeping bag. The foil and ice packs should be touching the underside of the nylon or polyester.
  7. Tape up the open end of the sleeping bag.
  8. When the weather warms up, wrap up the pad and place it in the freezer for half an hour. If the pad is too big, remove the ice packs and refreeze them.

Claws N Paws Day Spa offers quality dog and cat grooming in Orange County, California. During the summer we offer summer haircuts, belly shaves, baths, brushing, mobile grooming and flea and tick treatments. For more information or to schedule a grooming appointment, please call 714-962-1005 today.

Pet Grooming Tips For Summer in Orange County

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Pet Grooming Tips For Summer in Orange County

Summer is a great time to get outside with our dogs. Maintaining their grooming routine is also important during this time of year. Regular pet grooming helps our dogs look good, feel good and keeps them healthy.

While some breeds require the services of a professional groomer, all dogs benefit from a good brushing at home. The right grooming tool can help strip out loose hair, allowing cool air to circulate against your dog’s skin. Regular brushing also prevents mats that can be painful and trap moisture and heat, resulting in nasty skin infections.

This time of year you will want to watch out for fleas and ticks. Adding an extra bath or two might be a good strategy during the summer. Brush your dog before and after their bath and choose a shampoo that is a good match for their skin and coat type. Be sure to rinse and dry your dog well, or else they might develop a bad odor or become itchy and flaky from the shampoo residue. Consider having them professionally groomed to prevent these problems.

Inspect your dog’s ears regularly, especially if they like to swim. Dog’s who’s ears fold over are more prone to ear infections. After your dog goes swimming, wipe their inside earflaps gently with a cotton ball. Your vet might be able to suggest special ear drops for dog’s that suffer from a lot of ear infections during the summer. Swimmer’s ear can be prevented with a drop of white vinegar.

Claws N Paws provides quality full service grooming and mobile grooming in Orange County, California. We can help keep your dog looking and feeling good this summer. We offer brushing, bathing, summer haircuts and flea and tick control. For more information, or to schedule your next grooming appointment, please call 714-962-1005.

When Professional Pet Grooming Isn’t Enough To Keep Them Cool – DIY Cooling Bandana

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When Professional Pet Grooming Isn’t Enough To Keep Them Cool – DIY Cooling Bandana

The heat and humidity of summer can be extremely miserable for our dogs. The combination of intense heat and a thick fur coat can make enjoying a full day outdoors with your best friend almost impossible. When professional grooming just isn’t enough to keep them cool this summer, consider making your dog a cooling bandana. These bandanas can be made quickly and easily from materials found at your local craft and hardware shop.

  1. Start by cutting a piece of fabric 4 inches by 45 inches in length. For larger dogs, you might need a piece as big as 60 inches long.
  2. Fold the fabric lengthwise with the print facing in, and sew the long side together.
  3. Press the sewn fabric with an iron. Turn the fabric right side out and press it again.
  4. Sew one of the ends shut.
  5. Slowly pour 2 to 3 tablespoons of polymer granules into the tube. These granules are used for gardening, and can be found at most gardening or home improvement stores.
  6. Sew the open end shut.
  7. Soak the bandana in water for 20 minutes. The granules will soak up the water. Use your fingers to ensure that the granules fill the entire bandana.
  8. Place the cooling bandana in the refrigerator for 12 hours.
  9. Wrap the bandana around your dog’s neck and secure the ends with 2 safety pins.

Claws N Paws Day Spa offers professional pet grooming in Orange County, California. For your convenience, we also offer full service mobile grooming. For more information about how we can keep your pets cool this summer, please call us at 714-962-1005 today.

Preventing Fleas and Ticks – Orange County Pet Grooming

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Preventing Fleas and Ticks – Orange County Pet Grooming

Fleas and ticks are external parasites that can cause a lot of discomfort for your pet. During the summer, Orange County pet grooming shops typically have to deal with a lot of fleas and ticks and the problems that come along with them.

Fleas

Fleas can be found almost anywhere. Although there are more than 2000 species of fleas, the common cat flea is the type that is most often seen on both dogs and cats. Fleas prefer warm, humid conditions. This is why fleas are more prevalent during the summer and early fall.

Fleas can cause flea allergy dermatitis, which is a severe allergic reaction to flea saliva. In severe cases, flea allergy dermatitis causes intense itching and inflammation that often leads to bacterial or fungal infections. Fleas also play a role in the transmission of tapeworms and cat scratch fever. In severe infestations, fleas can remove so much blood that they cause anemia.

Ticks

Ticks are not actually insects. They are closely related to spiders, scorpions and mites. There are approximately eighty tick species in the U.S. but only a handful of them pose a problem for people and their pets.

Tick bites can be both painful and irritating. However, the real concern with ticks is the number of serious diseases that they are able to transmit.

Ticks can be found all over the United States. Although they can be seen during any time of the year, they are most prevalent during the early spring and late fall. Ticks prefer dark, moist, brushy places.

Preventing fleas

Today, there are many safe and effective flea control products to choose from. These products are administered either orally or topically. Some flea control products are only active against adult fleas, while others target other stages of the flea’s life cycle. Keep in mind that these products are separately labeled for dogs and cats. Never use flea medication meant for dogs on your cat.

Once an infestation is established it can be extremely difficult to get rid of. It might be necessary to treat your pet several times. It is also important to treat the pet’s environment.

Preventing ticks

Many major flea control products have formulations that help prevent ticks as well. These products are usually applied topically at the back of the neck. Just make sure that you never use medication intended for use on dogs on your cat.

Keeping your pet out of heavily wooded areas and tall grass are an important part of tick prevention. It might be necessary to treat your yard to reduce the number of ticks.

It’s a good idea to check your pets regularly for ticks. If you find ticks, never attempt to remove them with your bare hands. Your veterinarian or groomer can help you figure out the best way to remove ticks.

Claws N Paws Day Spa can help keep your pet free of fleas and ticks. For more information or to schedule a grooming appointment, please call 714-962-1005.

 

 

Orange County Groomer Discusses Why You Should Never Leave Your Dog in a Hot Car

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Orange County Groomer Discusses Why You Should Never Leave Your Dog in a Hot Car

 If you take your dog with you everywhere you go, it’s important that you never leave them in the car while running errands, even for a few minutes. The consequences of doing so can be severe under conditions much milder than you might realize. The intense heat inside a vehicle, regardless of the make or model, can be brutal and unrelenting. This Orange County Groomer doesn’t think it’s ever worth the risk.

How dogs deal with heat

A dog’s primary defenses against the heat are panting and their coat. Panting releases moisture and their coat is specially designed to provide insulation against the sun’s rays. The average body temperature for an adult dog ranges from 99.5 to 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit.

What happens to a dog in a hot car?

When a dog is left in a hot car, they pant in an attempt to keep cool. The more they pant, the more body fluid they lose. Even after just a few minutes, a dog can develop symptoms of non-fever hyperthermia or heat stroke. The longer a dog is subjected to intense heat, the greater the chance that it will affect all of their vital systems. Even though senior dogs and puppies are at increased risk, dogs of any age that are left in a hot car can suffer from multiple organ failure and/or death.

How hot is too hot?

Vehicles are built from materials that trap, conduct and distribute heat. Parking under a shady tree, using a reflective dashboard or windshield cover or leaving the windows open only makes a very small difference. The interior of a vehicle gets extremely hot, very quickly. The air temperature only needs to be between 81 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit for a dog to begin showing signs of heat distress. If it is 89 degrees outside, the interior of your vehicle can reach 123 degrees within just 30 minutes.

What to do if you see a dog alone in a car

If you see a dog alone in a parked vehicle you should always attempt to locate the owner first. Write down the vehicle’s license plate just in case legal action is necessary. Alert the local authorities. If you feel that you must intervene, remember that you do so at your own risk.

Claws N Paws Day Spa believes that if you must run errands on a hot day it’s always best to leave your dog at home. Keep them cool this summer with professional pet grooming. To schedule a grooming appointment, please contact us at 714-962-1005.