What Is The Right Shampoo For Your Pet?

Pet Safety Articles

Shampoo Dog

Oftentimes, it’s difficult for dog owners to know which products are best for their furry friends. This problem is particularly true when it comes to grooming and maintenance essentials. Ads for new shampoos, conditioners, and suggestions about how to take care of our pets are found with every click of the mouse. Luckily, by highlighting current cleaning options and reviewing common grooming pitfalls, we can make better, healthier decisions on behalf of our pooches.

To start, we are asking frequent pet parent questions. “What are the best dog shampoos on the market, and what makes them so beneficial?” These questions are a little tricky because there are a lot of great dog shampoos. So, it comes down to each dog and owners’ preferences as well as consideration of your pet’s skin health. Some owners might want to spend big bucks on luxury options with custom scents, whereas other owners are only looking for a simple but effective cleaning option. Regardless, there are a few basic rules to follow when choosing a dog shampoo.

  1. Choose a product that works best with your pet’s skin condition. There are plenty of categories to pick from. Shampoos can be oatmeal-based, degreasing, dandruff reducing, hypoallergenic, organically produced, and age-specific (i.e. for puppies). Expensive shampoos can even have enhanced aromatics or odorless smells. If you don’t know how to assess your pet’s skin, have a talk with a professional groomer and your veterinarian. Certain pets may benefit from prescription-only shampoos to treat conditions such as bacterial infection (pyoderma), flea allergy dermatitis, or an overgrowth of yeast.
  2. Beware of paraben and dye. Any shampoos with these contents are unsafe for your pet – they frequently cause skin inflammation and hair loss. Not only should you avoid these ingredients but stick with a pet-specific shampoo. Though this is your fur “baby” you are shopping for, you don’t share the same skin pH; human shampoos can be drying and cause irritation.
  3. Match the shampoo to the appropriate conditioner. It’s very important to use not only the right product but the right amount of product during bath time. If a shampoo is a 2-in-1, for example, using additional substances can result in a greasy and uncomfortable coat. In general, if your pet has a greasy coat, use little or no conditioner. Conversely, for dogs with dry coats, pair shampoo with a crème rinse conditioner.

Over-the-counter products commonly recommended by

Veterinarians and groomers

  • Earthbath’s Natural Pet Shampoo: For dogs with normal coats and no dermatologic issues – no knots, not greasy or dry, no fleas/ticks- consider choosing Earthbath’s Natural Pet Shampoo. Gentle on canine skin, packed with vitamins, and made with moisturizing oatmeal and aloe vera, this shampoo helps counter common issues such as dryness, flaky skin, and removes environmental allergens from the haircoat. Fresh ‘n Clean Scented Dog Shampoo is a great choice for dogs that have problems with mats and tangles.
  • Fresh ‘n Clean Scented Dog Shampoo: Mats are a very common and frustrating grooming problem. When bathing, water causes the mats to tighten and brings them closer to a dog’s skin. The result is a very uncomfortable, potentially dangerous coat. Fresh ‘n Clean Scented Dog Shampoo contains anti-static agents that stop matting and it also has a long-lasting, popular scent – a scent that can be refreshed by the wipe of a damp towel. As a bonus, it is also the cheapest of all these shampoos!
  • Furminator deShedding Ultra Premium Shampoo: Works well for owners who struggle with heavy shedding. Infused with omega-3 and -6 fatty acids, calendula extract, and papaya leaf, this shampoo promotes a healthy coat, which prevents excess shedding.
  • Burt’s Bees Dog Shampoo for Puppies: Effectively cleans and protects the smallest of fur babies. A 4 in 1 calming shampoo, this pH-balanced buttermilk, and linseed oil formula is extra gentle on dog skin; the result is reduced irritation and itch relief. Puppies are notorious for the trouble they find; knocking over houseplants, digging in the yard, and having potty accidents leading to frequent baths. A gentle shampoo is essential since you’ll be reaching for it often!

While fleas and ticks are best treated with medications prescribed by your veterinarian, some over-the-counter shampoos contain ingredients that help kill hitchhiking pests on contact. Because these products aren’t safe for all pets and fleas and ticks require a multi-pronged approach to eliminate them from the household, check with your vet before application.

No matter which shampoo you try, the most important takeaway is to monitor your pet’s skin after bathing. Redness, hair loss, bumps, and scale are all signs of a potentially bad reaction to a product. If any of these symptoms occur, do not panic and do not bathe your dog – it can dry out the skin and cause further complications. Check with your veterinarian for appropriate pharmaceutical shampoos or remedies; luckily, there are many ways to address skin-related issues.

 

At Pet Butler, we understand what it means to want to provide the best possible care to your clients. That is why when you hire Pet Butler, we remove all your pet’s waste from your yard everything – guaranteed. Learn more about the services we offer here!

Guide for Pet Grooming at Home

Pet Health Articles

dog nail trim

Many dog owners opt to be their pet’s hairstylist. While getting the perfect poof for your pooch might be ambitious, there are some necessary aspects of grooming you need to know to ensure you’re doing it properly and in order to keep your pets healthy.

Grooming Tools

Combs & Brushes: Have the right tools for the job including brushes and combs appropriate for your dog’s breed: some require a slicker brush with pin-type bristles; Labs may benefit from a de-shedding blade to eliminate loose hairs; and a Furminator rake grabs dead undercoat hairs in dogs like the German Shepard.

Nail Clippers: I love my Miller’s Forge trusty orange handled nail clippers and have cornstarch or Kwik-stop styptic powder on hand should I accidentally trim nails too close to the blood vessel.

For Eyes and Ears:

  • Sterile eye lubricant, like Genteal, and cotton balls are great for protecting eyes and ears during bathing and grooming procedures.

Shampoos:

  • A mild pet shampoo is a must; ask your veterinarian for their recommendation as the pH of pet skin makes it unsuitable to use a human shampoo. Some pets have skin conditions that require a medicated shampoo and a bathing routine that is more frequent than once a month.

Shampoo Dog

Hair Clippers:

  • Professional pet hair clippers like the Wahl Bravura or Andis Excel Pro-Animal along with a blade lubricant and disinfectant are an investment worth making if you will be trimming your pet’s coat regularly. A number 10 blade can be used close to the skin on areas such as the tail or chest. Cordless dog clippers varieties are great for smaller areas between the toes or closer to the face. They have a narrow blade and are easy to maneuver in tight spaces. Use extreme caution on think skinned areas near the underarms, hock, and groin. I’ve accidentally clipped skin in that area and I do not use scissors for the same reason! If you can secure your pet on a non-skid table or yoga mat with good visualization and lighting, you will have a better grooming experience.

Provide plenty of high value treats like rotisserie chicken bits and your pet will have a better experience too! Above all, have plenty of patience and a sense of humor!

Brushing Your Dog’s Hair

Depending on your dog’s breed, daily brushing of the coat and teeth are necessary for maintaining optimum skin and oral health. Some dogs with double coats, such as the German Shepard Dog, shed dead hair on a continual basis and need daily brushing. Other breeds such as terriers need less aggressive coat maintenance. Regardless, a daily brushing, coat inspection, or massage allows you to check your pet head to tail for mats, ticks, and any new lumps or bumps. It also helps distribute the oils in your pet’s skin and remove dead hair which can lead to infection if left to mat and obstruct airflow to the skin’s surface.

brushing dog hair

Brushing Your Dog’s Teeth

Use a pet toothpaste and a finger brush, a kid’s soft-bristle brush, or even a gauze square, to gently massage your pet’s gums. Daily oral care is just as important to maintain your pet’s health as it is for humans. Not only does the accumulation of bacteria and minerals in saliva lead to unsightly tartar, but gingivitis, halitosis, and even heart or kidney disease can develop if bacteria is left to colonize the surface of the tooth and gum line and enter the bloodstream.

brush dog teeth

Cleaning Your Dog’s Ears

Ears are an extension of the body’s skin and should also be examined daily.

  • Cotton balls can be placed in the ear canals to avoid introducing water inside the ear during bathing and grooming.
  • Use a drying solution recommended by your veterinarian to saturate the inside of the ear canal once a week.
  • Massage the ears to loosen debris and let your pet shake, shake, shake! Cotton balls can be used absorb the remaining moisture.
  • Lots of treats should be involved in ear cleaning.

There is nothing worse (except for nail trimming) than attempting to clean a dog’s ears that is unaccustomed to ear handling and maintenance. A foul ear odor, excessive debris, redness, or pain should be brought to your veterinarian’s attention immediately.

Trimming Your Dog’s Nails

When you’re feeling confident and your pup is relaxed and comfortable, it’s time to tackle the nails! It’s extremely important to acclimate your dog to the sight and feel of the clippers as well as handling of the feet before attempting the trim. Rub the clippers over your pet’s feet while they’re eating, snuggling, or are otherwise happy and content. Give lots, and lots, and lots of food rewards and praise when they settle while having their feet touched! Then to trim your dog’s toenails…

  1. Have a hungry pup and a partner who can continuously distract and offer snacks.
  2. Use the scissor-type nail trimmer and don’t use the guard as it impairs visualization of the nail.
  3. Have your pup give his paw while sitting on a non-slip surface.
  4. Place the nail in between the blades and decisively snap the clippers together to shave just a few millimetres off the tip of the nail. Usually the tip of the nail, which is safe to trim, is brittle; as you get closer to the quick, which is the vessel in the center of the nail that looks like a small dot, the nail becomes softer.
  5. Shave bits off around the quick if your dog is still happy and eating treats.
  6. Should you injure the quick, use cornstarch, Qwik-stop, or even cold snow packed in the nail to staunch the bleeding.
  7. The goal is progress, not perfection. Aim for one or two nails a session.

dog nail trim

Cutting the quick isn’t fatal, but it is painful, and your dog will be less likely to willingly participate in nail trims in the future. Weekly trimming causes the quick to recede. You should be able to trim your pup’s nails shorter and shorter as recession occurs, which means there is less likelihood of torn or ingrown nails!

Positively associating grooming with food, attention, and verbal praise can make bathing, trimming, and keeping your pet clean and healthy a cinch. It should ultimately be a fun bonding experience for you both!

Dog Shedding: Why Our Dogs Shed and How to Manage It

Pet Health Articles

dog shedding

Future pet owners often ask me what types of dogs are “hypoallergenic”, especially if there are humans in the house with allergies to pet dander. While there are no truly hypoallergenic dogs, there are several breeds that tend to shed minimally, thus depositing fewer hairs and the offending dead skin cells that trigger allergies in the environment.

Dogs with double coats such as Huskies shed the most, but all shedding is based on the natural growth cycles of the hair in follicles, which can vary based on breed, age, health, hormones, and environment. These factors all determine whether your dog has long or short hair, coarse and wiry hair or curly fur, and whether they shed prolifically year-round or minimally during certain seasons.

A Dog’s Hair Growth Cycle

To fully understand the hair growth and shedding process, the type of coat your dog possesses, and finding the pup that best suits your family’s needs, it’s a good idea to review the hair growth cycle and its four stages.

  1. Anagen Stage – During the Anagen stage, hairs are actively growing. Long-haired breeds such as Afghan Hounds have hair that spend more time in the growth phase.
  2. Catagen Stage – During Catagen, new hairs reach the end of their growth phase and cease growth.
  3. Telagen Stage – Telagen is the stage where hairs are dormant but are still attached in the hair follicle. Terrier breeds, like the West Highland White and some toy breeds such as the Maltese and Shih Tzu, have fur that tends to rest in the Telagen phase of the hair cycle for longer periods of time.
  4. Exogen Stage – Exogen is the period where hair reaches the end of its lifespan and is shed. Year-round shedders have some hairs that alternate between Exogen, Telagen, Catagen, and Anagen stages. Their hair may always appear to be uniform in appearance. Dogs with a single coat, such as Yorkies, may shed less and do so year-round vs dogs with a double layer coat; double-layer coats consist of a layer of guard hairs covering a thicker, soft undercoat. This protective, insulating, undercoat is shed as the weather warms up seasonally and is replaced by a thinner undercoat. This spring shedding is known as “blowing the coat” and is the bane of many pet owners’ existences!

dog hair shedding

What Can Affect a Dog’s Shedding?

With a house full of Golden Retriever hair, I am all too familiar with the massive period of shedding in the spring. Some factors that can affect a dog’s shedding process include…

Indoor Temperature Shifts: When firing up the furnace in the winter or A/C in the summer, those gusts of wind heating or cooling your home can cause dog hair to blow around the house.

Hormone Changes: Hormone changes can occur with pregnancy or thyroid disease can also lead to a massive and sudden loss of the undercoat.

Nutrition: Maintaining optimal nutrition levels and reducing stress can play a part in a dog’s hair growth and shedding cycle. Hair growth, while essential for maintaining protection of the skin and regulating body temperature, is not essential for life. Resources such as vitamins, minerals, and nutrients, like fatty acids, will first be used for life-sustaining activities such as respiration and neuron function. By providing the correct balance of protein, fat, and carbohydrates based on your pet’s breed, age, size, health status and activity levels, nutrients needed for hair growth and retention can reach the follicles. Hair coat will cycle normally through the four stages of growth and loss, and the fur will look shiny and healthy.

How to Maintain My Dog’s Shedding Hair

For the Dog

To facilitate a faster blow-out and clean-up of the tumbleweed disaster, purchase some good grooming supplies and plan on daily brushing and monthly bathing.

  • Nature’s Specialties EZ Out Deshedding Shampoo will help loosen the dead hair when massaged into the coat using warm water.
  • The powerful Metrovac Pet Vacuum cuts drying time by 75% and is perfect for dogs with thick double-coats.
  • Once the coat is dry, a FURminator de-shedding tool is great for brushing out the undercoat.
  • Daily brushing with a slicker brush or soft bristled brush will keep your pooch in top shape.

dog hair

For the Home

  • Maintaining humidity will lessen the fur that sticks to surfaces and static cling.
  • A rubber broom or squeegee will loosen hair from carpets and furniture; the Dyson pet vacuum or Shark have both helped keep the hair to a manageable level in our three-dog home.
  • Throw blankets cover our most often used furniture pieces and can be laundered when needed. We also keep our glove compartments and kitchen junk drawer loaded with sticky rollers. In a pinch, dryer sheets are fabulous at grabbing dog hair from clothing, upholstery, and floors. And they smell great too!

Keep these tips in mind to help maintain your furry friends’ hair growth cycle and shedding process this season.

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