Pet Grooming Orange County

Gum Disease in Dogs

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It can be hard to tell when a dog is feeling unwell. A slight change in behavior or appearance may go unnoticed, but it can be symptomatic of something more. Gum disease often hides among a dog’s regular functions and is therefore difficult to catch. However, it is important to understand the symptoms to avoid a major problem.

Here’s What Happens

Gum disease, or periodontal disease, occurs as a result of excessive plaque buildup. This may affect a single tooth, an isolated area, or the entire mouth. Plaque buildup creates cavities between the teeth and gums, allowing bacteria to enter and grow.  Eventually, a dog with unchecked gum disease will experience tooth and bone loss. It can also facilitate heart disease, as bad bacteria from the mouth continues to move through the circulatory system.

Detection

While gum disease is extremely silent, there are a few ways to detect it before it becomes a serious problem. Usually, the earliest way to tell is by smelling your dog’s breath. Dogs with especially foul-smelling breath may have it as a result of excessive plaque buildup. You may also catch early to intermediate-stage periodontal disease by monitoring your dog closely. Are your dog’s gums red or swollen? Do they have any yellow or brown teeth? Do they have an abnormal appetite? These are signs of gum disease.

In the later stages of gum disease, dogs will begin to show signs of discomfort. They may have problems picking up or eating food. The aforementioned symptoms will be much worse, with physically loose teeth and bloody saliva.

If you notice anything abnormal, schedule a trip to the vet. The official diagnosis of periodontal disease must come from a number of lab tests.

Treatment

In the early stages of periodontal disease, deep cleaning is essential. Your vet may prescribe products or simply suggest a professional tooth cleaning. Dental wash is an increasingly popular way to prevent and even reverse some of the damage caused by gum disease. Talk to your vet about which option best suits your dog. Intermediate stages are marked by a clear separation of the teeth and gums. This space will need to be cleaned by a vet. Additionally, your dog may require antibiotics. In the late stages, invasive procedures such as tooth extraction and bone replacement become necessary.

Due to the severity of periodontal disease, prevention is extremely important. Good dental hygiene is the only defense against plaque buildup and bad bacteria. Brush your dog’s teeth every day using pet-safe toothpaste, and schedule regular professional teeth cleanings at your local groomer or veterinary office.

Claws N Paws Day Spa is a full-service grooming salon where your pet’s health and hygiene are made a priority. Contact us at 714-962-1005 or visit our location in Fountain Valley, California for more information on our services.

Himalayan Salt Lamps: The Hidden Danger for Pets

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The use of Himalayan salt lamps in the home has become increasingly more popular in the past few years. They have been said to create a more comforting atmosphere, reducing anxiety and providing a unique sense of warmth. However, they pose a serious threat to cats and dogs.

The Problem

A Himalayan salt lamp may not look like food, but some animals may be curious to taste it. This is mostly true with cats, but dogs may also develop this curiosity. Read here for more information on feline compulsions to lick or eat inedible items. Cats are also at more risk of licking salt lamps due to their ability to reach higher places in your home. As with humans, the taste of salt can be addicting to your furry friends. A bit of natural curiosity can easily become an obsession.

The problem with this is that salt is toxic to cats and dogs. They can consume about 16.7 mg per day, but any amount exceeding this can lead to salt poisoning. Salt poisoning has a wide variety of symptoms, including but not limited to vomiting, diarrhea, a change in appetite or thirst, tremors or seizures, and potential kidney damage. If left untreated, it will become fatal. An animal dedicated to licking salt lamps can easily consume over the recommended daily amount and develop salt poisoning.

What You Can Do

Many pet owners simply place their Himalayan salt lamp out of their pets’ reach. This is more possible in homes with dogs because they are not quite as nimble as cats. However, due to the unpredictability of animals, it might be ultimately safer to opt for a mood lighting lamp. If this is going to be in the reach of animals, ensure that it is heavy enough for them not to knock it over.

If you are looking for the atmospheric uplift associated with salt lamps, there are many alternatives that are safe and even beneficial for your pets. For example, growing cat grass indoors is a great way to increase the natural air flow in your home while encouraging safe chewing habits.

Claws N Paws Day Spa provides extensive grooming services to both cats and dogs. Additionally, we operate a cats-only boarding facility. Visit our location in Fountain Valley, California or contact us at 714-962-1005 for more information.

 

Controlling Ticks

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Ticks pose a major threat to your pet and home. Ticks are painful to pets and have the ability to spread disease. In rare cases, a tick can consume enough blood to cause anemia. It is for these reasons that controlling ticks is extremely important to your pet’s well-being.

When Ticks Strike

Ticks usually sit on the tips of grasses or other plants, waiting for a host to brush past. They look for warm and moist places on an animal to attach themselves. If you suspect that your animal has a tick, first check between the toes, in and around the ears, in the “armpits,” around the neck, and near the base of the tail. However, a tick can situate itself anywhere on your pet. Make sure that, wherever you search, you look deep within the fur. Ticks are small and very easy to miss.

What to Do If You Find a Tick

If you do find a tick on your pet, removing it successfully is crucial. This limits how much blood the tick can consume. Ticks can be removed using either fine-point tweezers or specialized tick removal tools. Wear gloves to avoid the spread of unwanted disease. Grab the tick as close to your pet’s skin as possible, and pull out its entire body with one straight outward motion. It is important not to squeeze the tick to avoid breaking it. Pieces left embedded in an animal’s skin may cause infection. Clean the area surrounding the tick bite with alcohol, and keep an eye on the wound for a few days. Write down the date that you found that tick in case an infection or disease does occur.

Prevention

Even a pet who is outside for a brief time may be exposed to ticks. Because it is impossible to regulate every space your pet comes into contact with, it is important to practice regular prevention. Methods range from spot-on medications to tick collars. Your vet can provide you with the best information on tick products. Keep in mind that these products use sensitive chemicals and must be approved for your specific pet. Every pet is unique!

Meanwhile, there are various ways to ensure that your home and yard are tick-free. Ticks are attracted to a messy yard. Mow the lawn often and dispose of leaf litter and old furniture. Ticks will have less places to hide and will be more likely to move onto another yard. Keeping ticks out of the home is a similar process. Organization is the most important step; a clean home will be less likely to attract ticks. Prevention is important because, in the case that ticks do enter the home, it will become necessary to call an exterminator. This is an expensive and extremely invasive process.

Claws N Paws Day Spa provides grooming for dogs and cats. Visit our location in Fountain Valley, California, or contact us at 714-962-1005 for more information on our grooming services.

Flea Treatment in the Summer

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Summer has arrived. As we prepare to enjoy these upcoming months of warmer weather, so do unwanted pests. The risk that fleas will become a major problem in your home increases drastically during the summer. However, there are many ways to prevent this from happening.

Faster Development in the Summertime

While fleas survive throughout the year, summer provides the optimal conditions for their breeding and spreading. Flea development from egg to adult depends on a certain level of humidity. Eggs cannot survive in low humidity, so humid summers provide the perfect atmosphere for fleas to breed. Fleas do not depend on temperature to reproduce, but warmer weather speeds up development. This makes it easier for a home’s flea problem to escalate into something much less manageable. It is especially important, in this case, to treat for fleas quickly and before the problem spirals out of control.

Over-the-Counter Treatments

The most popular type of flea treatment is over-the-counter medication such as Advantage or Frontline. However, many pet owners are finding that these medications only do half of the job. Their only purpose is to target fleas on the animal itself, and they therefore cannot rid the home of fleas. Fleas can survive without a host for 100 days, and new ones can easily enter a home after an old population has died out. Thus begins a vicious cycle of reapplication which can be potentially dangerous for your pet.

Additionally, over-the-counter medications have confusing and often misleading labels. Many contain ingredients that are potentially harmful to your pet, including essential oils and insecticides. These can have lasting harmful and even fatal effects on your pet. If you do choose to use over-the-counter medications, remember to read the label carefully and understand any risks involved.

Recommended Treatments

Home treatment begins at the host animal. Rather than opting for over-the-counter medication, consider using a flea collar. Flea collars slowly release their preventative ingredients from the collar to your pet’s skin and coat. Fleas that come into contact with these ingredients are immediately killed. Collars are especially effective because they are close to the eyes and face, where the majority of fleas gather. Collars across brands have some different factors, but it is always important to size them correctly. Seresto collars last 8 months and are heavily trusted by the staff at Claws N Paws.

However, a collar alone is not enough to fight a flea outbreak. As previously mentioned, fleas can survive quite a long time off of the host. Furthermore, their bites are painful to both animals and humans. Fleabusters Rx powder kills flea at the larval stage in your carpet. Its ingredients are much safer than common insecticides, and a little powder goes a long way.

Claws N Paws Day Spa is a full-service pet grooming salon in Fountain Valley, California. Our staff is passionate about making sure your pet is safe and flea-free. Stop by or contact us at 714-962-1005 for more information about flea prevention.

Keep Your Pet Safe This Summer

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As temperatures rise in Southern California, it’s important to keep your pet safe. While a day in the sun might provide a welcome escape from the rainy weather we’ve experienced for most of the year, the heat presents a number of dangers for your pet.

Never Leave Your Pet in Your Car

A vehicle acts like an oven on warm days, reaching up to 170 degrees inside. It only takes a few minutes for the temperature inside your vehicle to cause harm to your pet. Never leave your pet in your vehicle alone, even for a few minutes. If you need to go somewhere that you can’t take your pet, it’s best to leave them at home.

Check Sidewalk Temperatures

Always check the temperature of sidewalks and roadways before walking your pet. If it’s too hot to touch, it’s too hot for your pet. It’s also important to make sure you check outdoor areas as well. Your pet should have plenty of room to get away from the sun and off the sidewalk. It might be best to keep them inside as much as possible during the summer. Pets that walk on hot cement risk serious burns to the pads of their feet.

Make Sure Your Pet Has Fresh Water At All Times

Just like humans, our pets need to keep hydrated throughout the summer. Make sure you keep fresh water available at all times. Try putting a few ice cubes in your pet’s water bowl to keep it cool.

Fleas

Fleas become more common during the warm summer months. Make sure you check your pet regularly for fleas. Look for flea dirt, which looks like coffee grounds against the skin. When wet, this “dirt” turns red. This is actually flea droppings. If present, you need to treat your pet for fleas. This is important whether you see live fleas or not.

Claws N Paws Day Spa offers summer haircuts for dogs and cats. Our groomers have years of experience providing pet grooming from our full service grooming salon in Orange County, California. Please call 714-962-1005 to set up a grooming appointment.

The Benefits of CBD Oil For Pets

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The 2018 Farm Bill made the use of Cannabidiol (CBD) derived from hemp legal in all states at the federal level. This was due to the significant medical benefits it provided. Since then, the CBD industry has boomed, and many pet owners are taking advantage of CBD to treat their furry friends.

Why CBD?

While CBD is often associated with medical marijuana, it does not provide nearly the same results. Rather 

than creating a psychoactive “high,” CBD targets specific cannabinoid receptor sites in the central nervous systems of humans and our beloved pets. The result is a calming sensation free of intoxicating effects.

CBD is most commonly known to relieve pain and reduce anxiety, but it has many other effects. It is known to regulate appetite, promote better sleeping patterns, and enhance skin and heart health. In pets with more severe concerns, CBD products can be used to treat epilepsy and even prevent cancer.

Unlike many prescribed medications, CBD has no significant side effects for pets. This allows pet owners to use the products for a wide variety of reasons without worry. CBD can even be used to calm pets during Fourth of July fireworks or stressful home construction.

A New Market

Because CBD was approved for public consumption so recently, product labels can be misleading. Companies will often label their products as having more CBD than is actually included. Rather, these products rely on unnecessary additives and fillers. Owners using these products will assume that the pet has received a proper dosage, but in truth the effects will be diminished or even eliminated. Caring pet owners find themselves in a difficult position when selecting CBD products. It can be hard to know which companies to trust.

About the Product

Claws N Paws carries CBD products from 4 A Higher Good, a company devoted to health and healing using only organic ingredients. Their products do not contain unnecessary fillers, featuring short lists of ingredients that are easy to follow. These products have been tested and approved by the Claws N Paws staff, earning them their place in our display case. Furthermore, 4 A Higher Good is a local Huntington Beach company that is quickly available for all inquiries. More information can be found on their website.

Claws N Paws carries hemp extract treats, pet tinctures, and anti-itch skin and coat conditioner at our full-service grooming salon. Contact us at 714-962-1005 or visit our location in Fountain Valley, California for further inquiries about our CBD products.