News & Special Offers
The benefits of grooming your pet
Grooming pets has many benefits for both you as the owner and your pet. We groom ourselves daily so why shouldn’t our furry friends receive the same treatment? You should begin grooming from a young age, and throughout life, grooming should form part of a routine you have with your pet. This could be after they have been outdoors, before dinner… whenever suits your lifestyle. Getting to know your pet physically is important, as it allows you to notice changes that occur to the body. Once you understand your pet’s coat and how much self-care they do, you can decide on the optimum frequency of grooming.
The skin is the largest organ in the body and helps to protect the rest of our body – we should take a small amount of time to improve the efficiency of its function. That said, different breeds of dogs, cats and rabbits have different coats and shedding patterns. This could mean you need to groom your pet more at different times of the year. You should do some research to know what your pet’s coat should be like, allowing you to use the correct brush for their skin.
Seven really important reasons to groom…
1 – Health of your pet’s coat – hair shedding is very important in allowing our pets to control their body temperature. Sometimes when our pets moult, the hairs remain stuck to the body elsewhere still having an insulating effect. When we groom and remove loose, shed hairs, new healthy hairs are able to come through the skin more easily, ensuring the coat looks healthy and can function effectively. Lack of grooming can cause a build-up of grease, accumulation of dead skin and bodily fluids on the surface of the skin, which can block pores and cause cysts to form. Grooming, therefore, helps to prevent skin conditions as well as improving the appearance of their fur.
2 – Detecting disease – by regularly grooming, you’re constantly checking your pet all over. This makes it much easier to discover signs of illness such as weight loss, sores, lumps and bumps. If you detect any of these signs, you will know that you need to make an appointment with us to get them checked before they become a problem.
3 – Allergies – many people are allergic to dust found within the hairs of animal skin. This allergen causes a reaction when the amount in the environment is above a certain threshold. If you brush your pets little and often, this reduces the risk of the allergen accumulating up to harmful amounts reduces the risk of an allergic reaction. It helps to keep the coat manageable.
4 – Fleas – grooming is one of the more effective ways to remove adult fleas from the body. Physically removing the flea from the body ensures immediate removal, although is more time consuming than using a spray. Flea combs can be used to remove flea dirt and flea eggs too. That said, you cannot rely on them, as most of the fleas are in the environment, not on the pet! Think of grooming as one extra way to control fleas, meaning your routine flea treatment is that much more effective.
5 – Cleanliness of house – brushing your pet to remove excess hair helps to reduce the amount that you will find blowing around on your floor and stuck to carpets!
6 – Cleanliness of pet – grooming helps to get rid of any dirt the coat has accumulated during the day, whether that be visible to the naked eye or not. If pets go outdoors, move, and rub along objects, their fur can become matted. This can be very irritating for pets and if the mats get too large, they can restrict movement. Mats gather dirt, food and wetness which can lead to further skin conditions. Mats are very hard to remove and removal may require sedation.
7 – Social bonding – pet grooming is a good activity to help get your pet used to being handled. The more frequently you groom, the less stress will be associated with the procedure. This is important and useful, as it will make procedures like visiting the vet or groomers less stressful when palpating must be done.
Professional groomers can be used at a price. They are useful if you want your pet to be trimmed in a specific style, if you have a particularly busy life or if you feel like your attempt at the job would not be sufficient. They will have the best restraining methods, lotions and perfumes for all kinds of skin. However, professionally groomed or not, you should be setting aside some time for grooming them yourself as well!
Overall, frequent grooming for a small amount of time helps to keep our furry friends healthy and happy and should, therefore, be performed by owners.