Seasonal Professional Grooming for Your Pet

As the seasons change, you’re probably looking into a wide range of dog wellness concerns to ensure that your canine is happy and healthy in the new season. One of the tasks that should be at the top of your list is bringing your furry friend into the groomer for a seasonal session. This holds innumerable pet care benefits for your canine and it can help him stay comfortable as the mercury rises over the coming months.

Here are a few reasons why you should make that appointment very soon:

On-the-spot health check 

Groomers see a multitude of dogs over the course of a month, so they’ve seen just about everything that relates to a canine’s health. The learned eye of a groomer will be able to spot out skin growths, dry patches and other skin issues that you may have missed during your regular brushing. Groomers will also take a close look at your canine’s ears and teeth and will let you know if they spot anything that requires a vet’s attention. Bathing will also eliminate germs and dirt that your pup acquired from outside playtime.

Take care of those tangles 

Tangled or matted fur can be a huge problem for some canines, no matter how intense your brushing regimen may be. Unless you’re trimming your dog’s coat yourself, some breeds’ coats are prone to excessive tangling and matting that can be increasingly uncomfortable. This can become extremely itchy and can get caught on objects in your home, so it’s best to get these taken care of for your pooch’s well-being. Some dog breeds can also shed dander, tiny or microscopic dead skin flakes, which can cause allergies in humans when inhaled.

A summer trim

While your companion will lose a majority of the thick undercoat he produces in winter during his spring shedding, a full trim will go a long way toward keeping him comfortable throughout the summer. When the mercury and humidity start to rise, he will be far more comfortable when venturing outdoors or simply lounging around the house. After all, a long winter can leave your canine looking less than stellar, and your pet can feel the difference when he’s back to being handsome. Keeping the hair short around the eyes for long-haired breeds will also give them a better view.

A nail trim while at the groomer is also advised to prevent germs from accumulating inside of them. Trimmed nails are also important to help keep you and your home furniture safe.

Regular grooming is as much of a necessity for a dog as food, water, vaccinations, de-worming, and walks. Your dog will not only be clean and healthy but also be very pleasing to look at. Remember, a clean dog is a happy dog!

What are some of your favorite things about a cleaned up pup? Is it how they feel or smell afterwards? Share a photo of your freshly groomed pooch with us!

For more information on Hartz flea Control products for cats and dogs, logon to http://hartzfleacontrol.com

How to Keep Pets in Their Cages

Lindzee, one of our favorite pet people, provides these simple tips below to help keep your small animals safe!

“When I was around 10-years-old, my 5th grade teacher gave me our class pet – a hamster named Toby – to babysit for the summer. About a week into the summer, Toby vanished from his cage! I’m still not sure how he escaped, but I think he must have eventually gotten hungry because he reappeared in his cage safe and sound!

Small pets like Toby have an uncanny ability to follow their curiosity to unknown places beyond the walls of their habitats. Using their wit and wile, they often find themselves wandering the halls of your house, exposed to all the dangers that come with that territory. To help prevent this dangerous situation, as well as a long and frustrating search and rescue for you and your family, you should make sure you know how to keep your small animal, be it a rat or mouse or hamster, in his cage.

After discovering Toby was an escape artist, I took extra precautions to keep his adventurous spirit in check. These tips should help you do the same!”
Make sure your pet has a proper cage.

Bar Spacing -If you’re keeping your small pet in a wire cage, you need to ensure that the cage has the proper amount of space between the wires. Anything too wide and your furry friend will be able to wriggle its way through! For mice and hamsters, the spacing should be no greater than ¼ inch. For rat cages, this number is ½ inch. Guinea pig, rabbit and ferret cages should not have more than 1 inch of spacing. Using a tank as your small pet’s habitat is one way to keep from worrying about bar spacing.

Keep a Lid On it! -Your small pets may surprise you; no matter how high the sides of their cage or tank are, they always seem to be able to get to the top. For this reason, your cage should always have a lid. But sometimes even this won’t be enough! Many crafty pets (like Toby) can figure ways to pop open a loose lid. You should make sure your lid is very secure and maybe even consider reinforcing it. Keeping a dictionary on top would weigh it down and ensure your pet’s safety.

Check Every Corner – Many small pet cages are complex and have lots of features (tubes, wheels, hideouts, etc.) that could be loose or not secured properly. They could be covering potential escape routes for your small pet. If you have a cage like this, or even have a very simple cage, make sure to check every nook and cranny for potential weaknesses. One common weakness is the door, which can provide an escape route if loose or improperly secured.
Feed your pet carefully! If your small pet’s habitat has a door that is placed at cage floor level, you need to be watchful when opening it for feeding (or any other reason!) Small pets can be very fast and may dart by your hand before you can react.

Keep your pet away from larger animals. If you have cats or dogs as well as small pets, you should be extra careful with your cage! Predators can see your small pets as prey and may try to break into their cages. Even if they don’t catch anything, they can damage the cage and create escape routes.

Educate your children. Kids, much like my ten-year-old self, are often the perfect accomplice to a small pet escape artist. Children wanting to play with a small pet may not understand how easily they can be set free! Be sure to educate your child on keeping your small pet safe inside his home.

For more information on Hartz flea Controlproducts for cats and dogs, logon to http://hartzfleacontrol.blogspot.com