Blog 5 Signs You Should Take Your Dog to the Groomer
Proper dog grooming includes taking care of your dog’s hair, nails, teeth, ears and glands. However, these things are often over looked as a pet parent. Grooming goes way beyond bathing your dog. Imagine how you would feel if you only showered without ever cutting your nails and hair, brushing your teeth, or cleaning your ears. Not only would it be uncomfortable, it could also lead to some serious health problems in the future. Here are some signs that it might be time to take your dog to the groomer.
5 Signs You Should Take Your Dog to the Groomer
Tartar Teeth
Just like humans, dogs can develop periodontal disease if their mouth is not properly taken care of. If your dog has yellowing teeth, than it is definitely time for a stop at the groomers. Most groomers don’t include teeth cleaning as part of the basic package so it is important to communicate that you want it added to your dog’s grooming visit.
Nails Noisy on Hard Surface
If Spot walks on a hard surface and makes a lot of noise it is advised to check the length of his nails. Chances are good that they will be too long. Keeping your dogs nails trimmed throughout the year is crucial to their health. It is easy for long nails to break off, causing pain for your dog and if not treated, it may lead to infection. An irregular gait (a manner of walking or moving) can also develop, leading to bone or skeletal damage.
Another way to tell if your dog’s nails are too long is to look and see if they protrude over the pad and touch the ground when standing. The nails should not touch the ground when standing still.
Matted Hair
Matted hair is another red flag. Matted hair is not only unpleasant to touch when petting your dog, but can also lead to other issues, such as ticks and fleas.
Take a comb to the hair to help treat your dog’s coat of fur. Maintaining the hair will help keep your pup comfy.
Dirty Ears
It is very important to check your dog’s ears weekly. A dog’s inner ear is designed different than our ears. You can tell that just by looking inside them. Since their ears curve, it is much easier for bacteria and parasites to get trapped in their ears.
If your dog’s ears seem to be dirty, than it’s advised that you clean them with a cotton ball lightly dipped in mineral oil and hydrogen peroxide. This will clean up the ear enough before grooming.