Grooming

Bath time is a great time to do a quick health check on your pet.  Simple weekly checks on your dog's physical condition and health can save you a lot of money from costly pet medical bills if you catch your dog's potential illness in its early stages.

Before you start just watch your pet’s movement to make sure they can run, jump and play, checking for lameness or soreness.

Next, as a quick examination look at:

The Head Area

Check both nostrils for drainage or discharge. Check the eyes for redness, discharge, and any excessive tearing. Check the mouth and teeth for brown scale deposits on teeth (tartar), loose teeth, very red gums, and to see if the tongue is a normal color. Check both ears for abnormal odour, redness, discharge, or excessive scratching.

Body

Run both hands down your pet's chest and abdomen checking for any areas that are painful, hot, or appear to contain a lump. When running the fingers across the chest, you should be able to feel your pets ribs without too much cushioning over the ribs hiding them & not visually seeing the ribs easily either! Its an easy and quick weight check.

Skin

Feel the skin and coat to see if it is abnormally dry, oily, or scaly. Also check for fleas by running your hand against the grain of the hair and looking at the skin, particularly over the rump area. Look for flea dirt not just fleas. Flea dirt looks like small black ‘dirt like’ grit at the base of the coat. If you are in a tick prone area, you should also look for any ticks in a similar way.

Legs

Feel both front legs completely from the shoulder to the toes and nails. Check for lumps, swellings, or joints that are painful when bent. Then feel both rear legs completely from the hips to the toes. Check for lumps, swellings, or joints that are painful when bent. If the nails (or dew claws) are long you should consider clipping them.

Spine & Tail

Gently press on each vertebral spine along the top of the back to see if your pet exhibits any pain or discomfort in this area. Then check the tail for normal hair growth and under the tail for any sores.

Select shampoos that have been formulated sulphate free to provide a mild and gentle clean for your pet's skin without stripping or irritating even the most sensitive skin.

• Sulfates such as sodium lauryl sulphate, are chemical cleansers that have high irritant and oil stripping properties that can stimulate and irritate the skin. Shampoos can be a big cause of irritable reactions in inflamed skin, so ensure you choose a sulphate free product.
• Conditioning your pet's coat & skin is important too! Either use a 2 in 1 conditioning shampoo or use a conditioner or conditioning spray after shampooing to remoisturise, detangle and silken the coat. 
• Select a quality brush, sometimes it does pay to buy quality! Selecting a quality brush or grooming comb will save you hours of time and provide a far more suitable grooming result.  Brush your pets coat daily to remove excess dirt, allergens and to prevent knotting.
  

Do

• Brush your pet before you wash them. This will remove the dirt, allergens and loose or matted hair.
• Wet your pet before applying the shampoo.
• Use a sulphate free shampoo especially made for pets for a mild and gentle clean that won’t irritate or strip the natural oils.
• Avoid products with ‘artificial fragrances’.
• Massage the shampoo gently into the coat and over the entire body (avoiding the eyes).
• Rinse well after shampooing to prevent irritation.
• Condition your pets coat and skin too, either using a 2 in 1 conditioning shampoo, a conditioner or conditioning spray after shampooing.
• Brush daily.

Don't

• Use products made for humans on your pet.
• Leave shampoo on your pets coat after washing.  Rinse until the water from their fur runs clear and then rinse at least one more time.
• Put shampoo in pets ears or eyes
• Vigorously scrub the shampoo into the coat. Instead gently massage it into a lather and cover the body.
• Wash and leave your pet wet in cold weather, particularly in the late afternoon or night. Wash your pet in the morning.
  

With regular bathing and positive reinforcement wash time can be a fun & enjoyable experience, one your puppy will always look forward to!

For a stress free puppy bath...

• When your puppy is small use a sink, bath tub or plastic washing container to keep them contained whilst bathing
• Place a rubber mat in the bottom of the tub to ensure stable footing and help your puppy feel more comfortable
• Choose a sulphate free shampoo formulated for puppies to avoid drying the skin
• Avoid shampoos with artificial fragrances.  Choose products with essential oils that provide key nutrients to replenish and strengthen young delicate skin and coats plus providing a natural fragrance
• Gather together your shampoo, conditioner spray and towels so they are in easy reach before you start
• Using lukewarm water and starting at the tail, moisten your puppies coat, leaving the head until last. This reduces your puppies desire to shake.
• Apply the shampoo to the coat and gently massage into the coat forming an even lather over the body
• Avoid the eye and ear area
• Rinse well with clean warm water until the water runs off the coat clean and clear
• Always follow with a Puppy moisturising conditioning spray to re-moisturise, detangle and nurture the coat and skin
• Towel them dry
• Finally, give them plenty of praise, rewards and love to reinforce the good feeling of being bathed!

Top tips for how to wash your cat!

Cats in general are meticulous about maintaining & grooming their own coat with their tongue. So whilst it is generally not necessary, you can wash your cats if it will let you.

Alternatively, you could consider using topical spot-on products that provide key nutrients that condition and moisturise, helping to maintain the coat and skin.

Either way, you should still brush/comb your cat daily to maintain its coat, particularly if it is a long hair breed.

Futher information and articles will be available in the near future.

Products for easy, convenient bathing & grooming:

• PAW 2 in 1 Conditioning Shampoo
• PAW Conditioning & Grooming Mist 
• PAW Rose Aroma Grooming Mist

Products for dogs with sensitive skin:

• PAW Sensitive Skin Shampoo
• PAW Sensitive Skin Conditioner

Products for puppies:

• PAW Puppy Shampoo
• PAW Puppy Conditioning Mist