Since Valentine’s Day is coming up fast, many pet owners are off to the groomers to prep them for the big holiday. After all, our pets are symbols of unconditional love; what better way to celebrate them than with a pampering grooming session? Here are just a few of the benefits of grooming your pet regularly!
For Dogs
- Regular nail trimming keeps dogs’ nails from overgrowing. Overgrown nails can make it difficult for your dog to walk and be extremely painful.
- Ear cleaning can remove any water or debris build-up to help prevent ear infections.
- Regular brushing is beneficial to all dog breeds, not just long-haired ones. Brushing the hair redistributes your dog’s natural oils across his or her coat to bring out that beautiful shine. In addition to that, brushing also removes dead hair, dandruff, and dirt from your pet’s coat to help keep it clean between baths.
- For long-haired or curly-coated dogs, regular trips to the groomers [typically every 4-6 weeks] are crucial to the prevention of tangles and matting of the fur.
For Cats
- Most cats groom themselves quite efficiently, making grooming seem unnecessary. However, there are still benefits and remember that some cats are unable to properly groom themselves due to medical conditions like arthritis, obesity, or brachyecephaly [flat-faced breeds].
- Nail trimming prevents your cat’s naturally sharp claws from a number of things. This includes the total destruction of your furniture as well as the pain inflicted when they lovingly knead you. But untrimmed cat claws can also get stuck in carpeting, blankets, and more and proceed to break, which is extremely painful.
- Brushing your cat regularly benefits your cat by redistributing the natural oils in his or her skin across the coat. It also removes dead, excess hair. And remember that the more hair that is brushed off, the less your cat is swallowing, leading to fewer hairballs on your carpet.
- Having a grooming routine at home helps your cat adjust to being handled frequently and can be a designated bonding time for you and your feline companion.
- Cats, especially long-haired ones, can struggle with with matting or having fecal material and urine stuck into their fur. Regular grooming will help prevent this.
- Not all groomers will groom felines, so be sure to find a cat groomer near you!
We spoke with groomer Briana Kelly, asking what she feels is the most important for pet owners to know when starting a grooming regimen. In order to keep grooming less stressful for your pet, she recommends beginning grooming habits as a puppy or kitten [if possible] to get them used to it. ‘
Other tips she has include:
- Playing with their paws frequently at home, even if you can’t trim their nails. Having their paws handled regularly will help make nail-trimming time less stressful for them and the groomer.
- Brushing should be done every 2-3 days and before AND after every bath in order to prevent tangles and matted fur.
- Brushing your pet at home will help reduce stress and anxiety during grooming trips.
Here at Emerald Animal Hospital, pet health is our #1 Priority. We are fortunate enough to have an experienced groomer like Briana working with us. Not only is she a fantastic groomer, but she is great about answering any questions you may have about starting your at-home grooming routines. She is currently learning more doggy hair-dying techniques as well as offering nail polish to her repertoire. She’s even hoping to jump on the latest trend of temporary tattoos for pets so she can offer even more variety to her four-legged clients! To set up an appointment with Briana [vaccines required], give us a call at 216-749-7161! We are sure she cannot wait to meet your pet!
Grooms by Briana Kelly
[Please note that Briana also grooms feline friends, who happen to be a little more camera-shy]
