Best Pet Supplies

The dog owner can do much to help a dog’s haircoat achieve its full potential and to keep it in good condition: feed a good quality nutritionally complete and balanced dog food; keep the dog free of internal and external parasites and maintain a regular grooming schedule with the appropriate pet grooming equipment.

Grooming your dog not only helps him/her look their best at all times, but also helps keep them clean and healthy.

Grooming sessions are an excellent time to assess your dog’s health. Learn what is normal for your dog, what characteristics distinguish him. Changes in appearance or behavior may be signs of illness. If a dog displays constant problems such as itching, sudden loss of hair, inflamed areas, any signs of tenderness or lumps under the skin, a veterinarian should be consulted.

A dog who is accustomed to grooming will be more at ease when he is examined or treated by a veterinarian.

The kind of grooming routine you establish for your dog will depend on how much time the dog spends outside, weather conditions and whether the dog is a longhaired or shorthaired breed.

Shorthaired breeds should be groomed two to three times a week. Longhaired breeds require daily grooming. Many terrier breeds require periodic plucking to remove dead hairs and to give them a trim appearance with careful brushing and combing between pluckings.

If your dog’s haircoat requires complicated grooming, you may want to have it done professionally. However, trips to the groomer’s are not adequate to maintain a healthy, handsome haircoat. Your dog still needs to be brushed and combed regularly between professional grooming sessions.

Most people don’t really think about how important dental hygiene is for their dogs or cats.  It’s been stated by veterinarians that approximately 70% of cats and 80% of dogs have some form of gingivits by the time they are 3 years old.  If it is left untreated, this disease can also destroy gums, teeth, and supporting structure just like in humans and it will also cause very foul breath.   If allowed to go on too long, serious problems such as irreversible bone loss, chronic pain, continuous foul breath, and even eye problems if a tooth abscesses can occur.

The only sure way to prevent plaque buildup and dental disease and to keep that bad breath away is to make cleaning your pet’s teeth a frequent routine just like grooming routines.  There are so many dental products to make it easy for you to clean your pet’s teeth such as dental gel which is made especially for pets and doesn’t have to be rinsed out.  There are also great toothbrushes in a variety of styles made just for pets.

Maintaining your pet’s dental health is another way to help make sure your pet lives a long happy and healthy life, after all we want to keep them around for as long as possible!

For most pet owners, trimming their pet’s nails can be intimidating but it doesn’t have to be.  There are many good reasons you should keep your pet’s nails trimmed.  Untrimmed nails can cause a variety of problems for your dog:

• Untrimmed nails can break causing pain and bleeding
• Long nails can affect the way your dog walks causing strain on his legs and hips
• Long term overgrown nails can actually contribute to the development of arthritis
• The quick of a dog’s nails actually grows with the nail making it more difficult to trim their nails shorter without causing pain and bleeding

There are many different types of trimmers for your pet’s nails and each has it’s own advantages.  The important thing is to take your time while trimming your pet’s nails making sure you and your pet are relaxed and not in too big of a hurry.  Trimming nails that are white are the easiest to trim as you can see where the quick is and hopefully not cut into it.  Most dogs have white nails and black nails which are more difficult to trim.  Usually you can use one of your dog’s white nails as a guide as to how short you can trim the black nails.

If your pet’s nails have grown rather long, there’s still hope.  Start out by trimming just a little bit off until you can see a dark, round, moist looking disk in the center of the nail.  This indicates you are getting close to the quick.  Repeat this about every week, and the quick will gradually get shorter.  If your dog’s nails have grown so long that it is causing health problems, consulting a veterinarian should be done.

Once you get your dog’s nails manageable, nail clipping should be done about once a month or when you notice that they are interfering with his normal walk using good quality dog nail clippers.

One last point to remember is to keep lots of treats for your dog close at hand so you can reward him when he allows you to trim his nails.  He’ll soon think of nail trimming as a good thing because he get’s lots of treats and attention when he’s being good.

When the weather starts to warm up, most long and shorthaired dogs will start to shed their winter coats. It’s a real pain to need to vacuum all the time due to a shedding dog or dog, thus, when the weather starts to warm up, it’s best to break out the dog grooming supplies. There isn’t a lot needed to groom a dog, in fact, most often it can be done with just a standard brush. However, for certain dogs, it might also be necessary to have scissors and a rake, which would be used to address mats or large clumps of hair that need to be removed. For some dogs that have a lot of fur, there are also tools like electric clippers which can be quite useful for grooming.

Grooming can be stressful for some dogs, so don’t forget to let them loose once in a while. For example, brush for about ten minutes, then throw the ball for a couple, then begin brushing again. This ensures that the dog doesn’t become stressed out and will also be much more patient when being brushed. Make sure to get outside and enjoy the weather as well! Grooming indoors can be messy and require a lot of clean up, so groom on a porch, deck, or patio instead.

There’s nothing worse than having a home full of dog hair, and right before summer is the time when dogs shed their winter coats. During the last month of spring, it’s important to brush dogs often to ensure that their winter coat winds up in the trash or compost bin, rather than on carpet, furniture, and clothing. Instead of regular grooming, some owners opt to have their dogs shaved right before summer, which isn’t a bad idea, but some long haired dogs can look a little odd without their regular coats. Instead of shaving, make use of a dog grooming comb a couple times per week. Brushed on bi-weekly basis, it should only take about fifteen minutes per day to ensure that a dog’s coat is smooth and free from shedding. However, some breeds with very long hair, like Collies and English Sheepdogs, might require more combing and brushing.

For tangled hair and mats, it’s best to take a three step approach with a rake, scissors or clippers, and a soft brush. First, untangle the dog’s hair a little bit with the rake, then take the scissors or clippers and cut out the mat or clump of tangled hair, afterwards, brush the area with a soft brush or comb.

Although most of us really don’t think about grooming our cats or kittens, it really is important for lots of good reasons.  Most cat owners believe that because cats spend alot of time grooming themselves, cat owners don’t think they need to do anything as far as grooming them.  this couldn’t be further from the truth.  Cats can get serious hair balls from constantly licking their coat which can lead to more serious health problems for them.  Gently brushing and combing your cat not only make their coats shiny and healthy, it also gets rid of loose hair which lessens the risk for hairballs and hair all over your house.  If your cat runs at the sight of combs or brushes, there are grooming gloves you can use to groom your cat while petting it and make them think they are only getting lots of wanted attention from you. Long haired cats need more frequent combing or brushing especially in the spring when they naturally shed their winter coats and short haird cats can benefit from weekly combing or brushing fairly often.  Combing through your cat’s coat also helps to rid them of those nasty fleas and matts and tangles that the fleas seem to flock to.  When you groom your cat, use dematting and deshedding combs made especially for cats.  You and your cat will be glad you did!

There are alot of nail trimmers out there to trim you pet’s nails. The most common nail trimmer is the guillotine trimmer. The top of the dog’s nail is inserted into the opening of this metal tool above the cutting blade. When the handle is squeezed together, the cutting mechanism is activated. Other nail trimmer types are the scissors type and the safety nail trimmer, which is equipped with a safety stop near the cutting blade to limit the amount of nail trimmed. Then there are nail files and electric nail trimmers. Your pet’s nails should be kept relatively short  for the feet to remain healthy. Long nails interfere with the dog’s gait, making walking awkward or painful. They can also break easily. This usually happens at the base of the nail, where blood vessels and nerves are located, and can case pain and a trip to the vet. Another problem affects dogs whose overgrown nails curl toward the foot, eventually piercing the sensitive pads and causing deep pad infections. Dewclaws most frequently become overgrown, presumably because owners commonly overlook them. Many breeders routinely have dewclaws removed when puppies are a few days old. If your dog still has the dew claws, be sure to check them frequently to make sure they aren’t getting too long. When you begin to clip your dog or puppies nails, start by regularly stroking your dog’s feet, gently touching each toe in turn. Allow your pet to become accustomed to having their paws handled, so they won’t be apt to panic when you get down to business later. Unfortunately, some dogs never adjust to having their nails trimmed. They need only see the clippers and they’re squalling, long before you’re anywhere near a nail. In that case, trimming nails becomes a two-person job: one person to hold the dog, the other to do the work. It can still be a test of wills. That’s why you should accustom your young puppy to nail care. It increases the likelihood of maintaining peace when the animal is fully grown. Unpigmented or white nails are simple to trim. If your dog has at least one unpigmented nail, examine it closely. You should see a small pink triangle extending from the base of the nail narrowing toward the tip. This triangle houses the blood supply and nerves, which you want to avoid when trimming the nail. Position the nail trimmer so that it clearly bypasses the pink area, and proceed to clip. That’s all there is to nail trimming.Of course, trimming nails is infinitely more challenging in dogs with black or pigmented nails. Because you can’t see the pink part, you must estimate how much nail to clip. To be on the safe side, trim only the part of each nail which hooks downward. The trimmed nail should just clear the floor.  Once your dog gets used to the idea of getting their nails clipped, it will increasinlgy become easier.

Dogs should be bathed when they look dirty and/or have a strong doggy odor. If your dog or puppy has matts, they should be removed by combing or clipping before bathing as matts seem to get a lot worse after getting wet.  Puppies or small dogs can be bathed in sinks and tubs while large breeds may require bathtubs. (After bathing your dog, be sure to scrub and disinfect the area prior to human use.) If the weather is warm, a child’s wading pool and garden hose may be used. Have your dog’s shampoo or soap, brush and comb and towels nearby before you begin. Place the dog in the tub and soak the dog through to the skin. Use a shampoo that is pH balanced for dogs. If your dog has a special skin problem, ask your veterinarian to recommend a shampoo. When starting the bath, be sure to start at the neck by lathering all around it.  This will prevent any fleas from running to their face or ears.  I personally use a wash cloth to wash their little faces because it’s easier and my dog loves it!  I shampoo twice  ( the first shampoo to loosen dirt and the second shampoo to remove it), each followed by a thorough rinsing with warm water, not hot water, should be sufficient to get your dog clean.  I also like to use a conditioner to make their coat soft and sweet smelling and it helps prevent matts.  Be sure to use a shampoo and conditioner made especially for dogs otherwise you may cause undue skin irritation and dryness.