Although the dog is a favorite pet for many Americans, the animal carries different foreign enzymes that can be harmful to your family members. Dogs are also known to spread different zoonotic diseases.

Pet grooming is a cleansing process that enhances your pet’s appearance and keeps it stay hygienic and clean. The recent study concluded that grooming helps to keep the pets stress free and comfortable, especially those with long or heavy coats.

Importance of pet grooming

Pet grooming becomes necessary to curb the chances of attracting zoonotic diseases and also to provide your dog relief from matted hair, dirt, and enzymes.

Benefits of pet grooming include;

• Eradicate health problems
• General cleanliness
• Keeps vital organs in check
• Increase physical appeal
• Ensure a stress-free environment

Here are a few of the major importance of pet grooming.

a. Remove Dirt and Dead Skins

Like humans, dog’s need regular cleansing of the skin to remove external dirt, dead hair, dead skin, and dandruff. Dirt and matted hair can be a home to tick infestation. Brushing of dog’s coat plays a vital role in the pet grooming process. It easily removes the hidden enzymes from coat fur. Another key importance of brushing is the stimulation of the natural oils in the pet’s fur. These oils naturally spread across the entire coat keeping their skin and fur healthy.

b. Avoid Nail Complications

Unlike wild animals, a domesticated pet such as dogs requires regular trimming of nails to avoid nail complications. Indoor pets can often have a problem with overgrown claws that are associated with painful conditions. Overgrown nail can also cause accidents.

Dewclaws on the inner paws of dogs and cats can grow into toe pads, which can lead to a painful infection.

A professional pet groomer can trim your dog’s nails without doing any damage.

c. Avoid Dental Issues

By the age of 3, 70% of cats and 80% of dogs have some form of gum disease.

Periodontal disease and bad breath in pets can be linked to dental issues. Periodontal is a dental disease common in pets. The disease starts when bacteria in the mouth combine with food particles to form plaque on the teeth that forms tartar and enter the gum line to create toxins. If your pet remains uncured from dental disease, they are at a higher risk of heart, kidney, and liver disease.

d. Avoid Matting of Hair

Matting of the hair can be an extremely painful experience for dogs. The uncombed hair mixed with moisture and dirt can lead to matting of the fur. Severe fur matting can also restrict the flow of blood and in many ways restrict their body movements resulting in temporary deformity. Regular brushing of hair and occasional professional grooming can help to prevent matted hair.

Check the infographic for more information:

e. Avoid Intestinal Conditions

Although it’s uncommon among canines, coughing up hairball can sometimes be a problem for dogs with medium to long fur. It is mostly attributed to self-grooming, however, their other reasons for the dogs to ingest their own hair.

Known as tricholith or trichobezoar, hairball is the accumulated animal hair or fur that surrounds a non-digestible item generally stuck inside the stomach of the animal.

Grooming is essential to keep the pet skin cleaner. It prevents excessive licking of fur which may cause hair fall. Bathing cuts down the hairballs, which cats vomit or discard in the litter box.

f. Control Shedding

Shedding is common among many dog breeds and aging dogs. While you cannot change this, you can prevent excessive hair fall by keeping their fur clean. Regular brushing, using the right shampoo, and cleaning tools can help to reduce the level of skin and fur shedding in dogs.

What is generally included in a dog grooming?

The tools for dog grooming include;

• Grooming Brush
• Nail Clippers
• High-quality shampoo
• Dog drying towel
• Deshedding tool
• Dog hair clipper set
• Toothpaste and toothbrush
• Grooming wipes
• Ear cleaner

How often should a dog be groomed?

Professional groomers suggest that the general grooming for a dog depends on their coat type.

Short-haired

Short-haired dogs such as German shepherd may require fewer baths and grooming compared to a long-haired dog. Grooming every 5-6 months is generally enough. They can be bathed every 4 months.

Short hair and double coated

Short hair and double-coated dogs typically shed seasonally. They can be groomed four times a year to keep them clean and prevent excessive shedding. They require a bath every 6 weeks to keep their coat clean

Long hair and double coated

They frequently suffer from matted and overweighed hair and require grooming on a frequent basis. You must never shave your double-coated dog, as they are unable to grow their top layer coat back! Akita, Alaskan Husky, Alaskan malamute, American Eskimo, Chinook, Chow Chow, Finnish Spitz and Finnish Lapphund few examples of long-haired double-coated dog.

Thick Undercoated

Thick undercoated dogs require proper grooming to ensure their thick undercoat remains safe. These undercoats must be removed seasonally but never shaved. Shaving may cause severe skin problem, allergy, and sunburn. Golden Retrievers, Huskies, Collies, Shelties, and Shepherds are dogs with a thick undercoat.

Silky coated

The single coat tends to be silkier which grows continuously, hence it must be trimmed periodically. They can be groomed every 2-3 months. Some may require grooming every 4-6 weeks to prevent severe matting such as Afghan hound, Maltese dog, Shih Tzu, Skye terrier, Tibetan terrier, and Yorkshire terrier.

Curvy or Wavy coated

These dogs are the most likely to develop mat because of the excess of hair and chances of entanglement such as curly coated retriever, Pumi, Portuguese water dog, Irish water spaniel, Lagotto Romagnolo, and Poodle. Any hair longer than half an inch should be brushed at least twice a week; and hair longer than an inch should be brushed daily. They require grooming every four to six weeks.

Are human products applicable to dogs?

Although most people are unaware if they should use human products such as soap and shampoo on pets, you as a pet owner must be aware that dogs have an entirely different skin of skin compared to a human.

Did you know that baby shampoo is 150 times too acidic for a dog’s epidermis?

The different in pH level in pets and humans brings a vast contrast in the products to be used. These simple products can severely irritate the dog’s skin because a dog’s skin has a different pH level and thickness.

pH level in Pets ranges 7.0-7.52 compared to humans 5.2-5.5. Pet products are specifically formulated to be pH balanced for their skin as to not cause irritation.

Urban Pet Hospital and Resort

Urban Pet Hospital & Resort offers the premier pet grooming service in Des Moines. We offer best veterinarian care in Des Moines that accounts for highly skilled DVM or Veterinarians, experienced vet professionals, state-of-the-art technology and exam rooms, surgical procedures, grooming, and training.

Some of our most-sought after services include

• Internal Medicine
• Surgery
• Diagnostics & Lab Testing
• Grooming
• Training
• Dermatology
• Day Care
• Dental Care
• Nutrition
• Pain Management
• Boarding
• Preventive Tests

We specialize in pet grooming in Urbandale and offer professional grooming service for all kinds of pets. Our groomers have experience of over 40 years in handling and professional grooming of pets. We use the finest grooming tools and methods, and ensure to clean eyes, ears, teeth, nose, underside, Skin and Coat, Nails, and pads during every grooming session.