Pet Grooming: Animal Pampering
Proper grooming is an important part of keeping your pet healthy and happy. A regular trip to the pet groomer helps keep fur shiny, ears clean, and nails healthy, and it also keeps your pet looking good! Who doesn't love the look and smell of a freshly shampooed and trimmed dog with a bandanna around his neck or a pink bow between her ears? Cats too can benefit from a regular grooming, especially if they have long hair.
Regular grooming serves as an informal health check for your pet. A thorough grooming can help detect skin conditions, abnormal growths, ear and eye problems, and fleas and ticks. Grooming should include a thorough tooth brushing and gum check to find any dental issues. The condition of a pet's nails can also serve as an indicator of a pet's health. Animals may also catch pebbles or other debris between their toes, so an inspection of the paws in general is beneficial. Regular brushing and combing reduces shedding and helps pets cool themselves. Conditioning of the fur and skin may also reduce allergies in both pet and owner.
Professional groomers are familiar with the individual needs of pets of all breeds and sizes. They know to treat elderly or arthritic animals with special gentle care, and they know which shampoos or lotions to use to keep a dog's or cat's fur well-conditioned and healthy-looking.
Many veterinarians and pet hospitals offer grooming as a part of their general services. Ask your local animal hospital if they provide grooming services. If the groomer is part of a clinic that also boards pets, the animals may require certain vaccinations before they can be groomed.
Once you and your pet find a groomer that you both are comfortable with, you can make a regular appointment for grooming to keep your pet healthy and looking and smelling great. Grooming is also a bonding experience. If you do your pet's grooming yourself, you will feel closer to your pet. If you take your pet to a professional groomer, over time the pet may form a special bond with the groomer, and the groomer becomes another source of love and caring friendship for the pet. The pet grows to love the attention given while grooming. Little does the pet know that the pampering experience is also a regular dose of care and concern in the form of a health check.