Best Pet Supplies

Just like dogs, cats shed hair, and worse than shedding, long haired cats are prone to having mats form on their fur.  Mats can pull against the skin, not only causing pain, but also causing potential infection.  Unlike dogs, cats are often not fond of being brushed, thus it’s important to start brushing your cat when it’s a young kitten.  If you start brushing your cat at an early age, they will either enjoy, or won’t mind being brushed when they are a more mature feline. 

There are a couple options for brushing your cat.  In general, owners are fortunate that cats groom themselves, and thus their fur is often smooth.  However, mats can still form regardless.  If your cat happens to have mats, it’s best to start brushing them with a rake brush, and even use scissors to remove existing mats.  Once your cat is mat free, a cat comb applied to their fur once a week should keep mats from forming. 

The other day we covered why it’s important to check and clean your dog’s or cat’s ears.  Today, I’m going to give some tipes on how to clean your pet’s ears.

First off, I definitely do not recommend using cotton swabs or Q-tips as they are usually called.  It makes it too easy to go too deep into a pet’s ears and possibly causing damage to the ear drum.  Cotton balls are the best to use as long as you don’t push them too deep into the ear canal as this can actually push the ear wax and debris further into the ear.

Pull your pet’s ear back and place approximately 5-8 drops of ear cleaner into the ear.  Massage the base of the ear to loosen ear wax and debris.  You should hear a “squishing” sound which means you’ve gotten the cleaner down where it needs to be.  Your pet will want to shake his head.  This is definitely okay because it helps in removing all that foreign stuff.  Using a cotton ball, you can remove excess cleaner from the outer part of the ear canal so it won’t go everywhere when your pet shakes his or her head!  After you are finished cleaning the ear canal, there are powders that you can also use to keep the ear dry which will keep ear mites out and will also prevent any bacterial infection that can be a problem in your pet’s ears if they remain dampened.

Cleaning your pet’s ears should be done at least once a month.  There are a lot of good products to clean your pet’s ears including liquid cleaners, ear powders, and even pre moistened cloths.  They all work well and it really depends on your personal choice of which is easiest for you and your pet!  You can find everything you need to keep your pets ears clean at First Rate Pets and they are very affordable!  Check out all of their grooming supplies and you’ll find keeping your pet clean, happy, and healthy is easier than you thought!

Checking and cleaning your dog’s or cat’s ears is very important to their overall health.  Prevention of ear wax buildup and mites in their ears can mean the difference between a very happy healthy pet or expensive trips to the vet.

When checking your dog or cat’s ears, make sure they are calm and in a quiet environment.  Most pets don’t like their ears messed with.  Look for wax buildup, any kind of discharge, and a brownish substance which may indicate your pet has ear mites.

There are several good products that can be used safely on your pet’s ears whether you have a cat or dog (or both).  Powders are great for keeping your pet’s ears dry which will inhibite the growth of bacteria and will keep mites out of the ear.  Liquid cleaners will remove excess ear wax and dirt.  Combined they will help you keep your pet’s ears clean and healthy.  You can find a large selection of ear care products at First Rate Pets that will help you maintain the health of your pet.

Be sure to check out our blog Friday as I will publish a more in depth article on how to clean your dog or cats ears using the helpful ear products available.

While short haired dogs will only require a quick brush now and then, long haired dogs require regular attention when it comes to grooming.  Dogs not groomed regularly can develop serious skin problems, particularly due to matting of their fur.  Mats can pull against the skin causing irritation, and also cause infections if left alone for some time.  To prevent matting, you will need to groom your dog about twice a month.  Using a dog grooming kit is advised, as this will give you all the necessary tools to prevent matting and remove existing mats. 

To remove mats, you should first cut out the mat with scissors, and then gently loosen the fur with a rake or brush to prevent further matting.

If you have hardwood floors you’re looking to salvage, cutting your dog’s nails can be a big priority in your life. But it isn’t always an easy proposition. Dogs like to howl and wiggle their way out of the process, so it is important to follow some of the following tips to make the endeavor a bit easier (on everyone involved).

-Start young. If your dog is used to the process from puppyhood, he is likely to put up with some nail clipping with minimal complaint.

-Use the proper equipment. Dog nail clippers are not the place to scrimp in your budget. Invest in a quality pair of clippers that will cut quickly and cleanly.

-Be conservative. Don’t cut too much. This is the most important rule! If you hit the “quick,” it will cause your dog a lot of pain. Cutting a little bit at a time more often is a far better plan than cutting a bunch at once and risking that painful snip.

Recently, a lot of attention has been placed on the importance of keeping your dog’s nails trimmed.  I’m sure you have all seen the new commercials for the dremel type tools for trimming your dog’s nails.  I’ve had a lot of people ask me what type of dog nail trimmer is best and I wondered about that too, so I did a lot of research on it and asked many pet groomers and veterinarians what they thought about it.

What I found was there is no “one size fits all” when it comes to trimming your dog’s nails.  Many factors come into play such as the breed of the dog and what the pet owner’s preferences are.  One thing I found is that most pet groomers prefer the old fashioned way using clippers specially designed for dog’s nails. They sometimes use the dremel type tool also to polish the nail and to get rid of rough edges. 

If your dog’s nails have become rather long, using the dremel tool takes longer to get the nail shorter and most dogs aren’t very patient when it comes to messing with their paws.  However, it may help in maintaining the shortness of the nail, once they have been trimmed.

Most pet owners are fearful that they may cut their dog’s nails too short and accidently cut into the “quick”.  Though that is a  possibility, it can still happen using the dremel type tool.  Everyone I talked to strongly agreed that you don’t have to get all of your dog’s nails trimmed in one sitting.  Slow and easy will get you where you want to go and your dog will gradually get used to the idea of getting his nails trimmed.  This is especially true if your dog has dark colored nails where you can’t see the quick.  If you trim just a little bit off each time, you reduce the risk of hurting your dog.  There are also special metal files that will take care of sharp and rough edges.

If you are still nervous about clipping your dog’s nails, the best course of action would be to take him to a groomer for an initial trim and then after that, maintaining them should be easy for you.

Be sure to check out the excellent grooming tools available to keep your dog’s nails trimmed and his coat shiny and healthy and matt free at First Rate Pets!

I adopted a senior dog from our local humane society recently and he had a terrible skin irritation.  But he was the sweetest friendliest dog I’d ever seen and I told myself that I could “fix” his terrible skin problem.

I tried so many different things- diet, oatmeal rinses, all types of shampoo, but they only seemed to help some but didn’t take care of his itching and skin dryness.

I came across an all natural herbal pet soap which I was skeptical about at first, but now I’m so happy I decided to give it a try!  It’s a bar soap which lasts so much longer and isn’t messy like other shampoos and it actually fixed my dog’s skin problem the first time I used it!  The best part is that it’s 100% natural and makes my dog smell really good and makes him feel great! Now my new dog is actually free from the dry skin and itching and he’s also flea and tick free!  What a wonderful product! You really should try this new pet soap called Nikki’s Natural Herbal Pet Soap if you have a pet with skin ailments.  And, yes!, you can safely use it on cats, too and you can find this soap and other grooming supplies at First Rate Pets!

Pedicures for humans are totally underrated—I think everyone should have at least one.  (You don’t have to have your nails painted!)   But almost all dogs and cats need their claws trimmed regularly to prevent not only damage to your furniture and household in general, but prevent splitting, cracking, or ingrown claws.  Bassett hounds and Dachshunds are particularly notorious for needing a bit of help keeping their nails at a reasonable length.  Some animals that walk on hard surfaces or cats that use scratching posts frequently shed their claws naturally, but–on cats, especially–check those back claws every so often.

It is a good idea to have a vet or vet tech show you where the nails are on your cat or dog and learn how to trim the nails before you even start.  Dog nail clippers, cat nail clippers and many other helpful grooming supplies are available at First Rate Pets.

One of the most essential dog grooming supplies is something that will aid in the removal of dog hair.  A handy dog hair removal tool is the dream of every pet owner.   There is not always time or energy for vacuuming, and the use of lint roller sheets can become very expensive.

A good dog hair removal solution is the Bamboo 3 in 1 Grooming Glove.  It can be used wet or dry, either to brush and massage your dog, or just to remove unwanted dog hair from furniture.  The Bamboo 3 in 1 Grooming Glove is machine washable and can be used over and over again, unlike lint roller sheets.

One of the most essential dog grooming supplies is something that will aid in the removal of dog hair.  A handy dog hair removal tool is the dream of every pet owner.   There is not always time or energy for vacuuming, and the use of lint roller sheets can become very expensive.

A good dog hair removal solution is the Bamboo 3 in 1 Grooming Glove.  It can be used wet or dry, either to brush and massage your dog, or just to remove unwanted dog hair from furniture.  The Bamboo 3 in 1 Grooming Glove is machine washable and can be used over and over again, unlike lint roller sheets.