Sudsy Puppy Pet Grooming

Well it’s that time of year again here in Temecula Valley, Southern California! The fox tails are out and we are already finding them the feet and hair of dogs and cats that we groom. As pet groomers we deal with them every year and they are very unpleasant! It surprises us how some of these furry friends of ours are able to walk with a sticker in their toes or feet.

What is a foxtail? Foxtails are a wild barley very common to our area. They are designed to work their way further and further into their host by way of little barbs built into their tops. They typically are not a problem for pets until they dry out. At this point they very easily become embedded in fur (and socks!) and are difficult to remove. A foxtail can work its way right into the skin and even the bloodstream and should be taken very seriously as they can create expensive vet bills and lots of discomfort to a pet!

5 Grooming Tips on Managing Foxtails for your Cat or Dog

1. Check your dogs feet often! Look in the pads and remove and stickers or foxtails after they’ve been out in nature or even just for a walk.

2. Check your dogs ears, and bottoms. Foxtails can become embedded in a pets privates if they sit on them. They can also enter ears easily and this is a common reason for a vet visit.

3. Avoid weeds and wild fields. Try the park or the beach for an outing instead and if you are on a trail keep your dog on a leash so they dont crash around in the underbrush and collect stickers and foxtails.

4. Keep your pet professionally groomed. In grooming your pet we cover everything! We find remove and report possible foxtails on a weekly basis in the summer.

5. If you think your dog has a foxtail. If you suspect your dog has a foxtail in its foot, often you can apply a warm compress to drain and squeeze it out. If the foxtails is embedded too far in you will probably need to have it lanced out by a vet.

Please feel free to comment or add to our list! Every little bit helps keep our pets healthy and happy!

And don’t forget cats can get foxtails too, so be sure and follow these steps wherever appropriate if your kitty spends time outdoors.

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Today I wanted to write a little bit about pet couture! Well dog sweaters to be exact, a little known fact is that your groomer often cringes when they see a dog wearing one. Now that’s not all dogs, but the ones with long hair. Not that we want your pets to be cold! But we have noticed that the unfortunate effect of a sweater, especially one that is worn for weeks without being removed, creates a sort of body armor of matted hair beneath it. This is why I previously mentioned the longer haired breeds.

Basically the way it works is, friction creates matts, this is why we generally find them in armpits or behind the ears, this again is more of an issue with longer hair and especially curly type of coat. A tight sweater will press the hair down against the skin and when the pet walks, move the hair back and forth until it begins to cling together and begin to form what we call a “matt”. Once you have a small matt it grows outwards like a spiderweb and becomes larger and larger. The larger that matt is the less practical it becomes to try and work it out.

But dont panic! There is a solution. We had this same issue with our pet Willow who is a shih tzu. We let her grow out in the winter and she has some carefully chosen winter wear. What we’ve learned is that tight cotton sweaters are the worst culprits for matting up her hair. The best solution is to find a nice well fitting but not tight, velcro type of jacket. Willow’s has a warm fleece lining to keeps her feeling toasty and a waterproof exterior to keep her dry when she goes out if its raining. The jacket velcro’s easily in the front on her chest and under her lower ribs.  It does a great job of keeping her warm, dry and without the unfortunate side effects of matting from a tight cotton sweater.

Additional to the selection of the coat, we make sure to take if off when she really doesn’t need to wear it, and brush through her coat to catch any little starter matts that may be appearing. Taking these steps will save you, your groomer and pet from much of frustration that dealing with matted pet hair can create!

Click here to view an example velcro pet jacket (jean jacket style)!

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Welcome to week 1 of our weekly pet grooming tips! We’ll be covering everything from grooming your pets, to pet health and even obedience. We hope you’ll find the information here useful and really appreciate comments on the articles or link suggestions to related materials.

Often we are asked why pets get stains around the eyes and mouth. This seems to really affect white pets, but we believe this is simply because they are more visible on that coat color. The stains can be caused by environmental factors like minerals in the water, excessive tearing and blocked eye ducts or a combination of these. Eye stains can be genetically inherited and some pets may have a low grade bacterial infection from the constant wetness and its important to try and wipe the area often and keep it as dry as possible. Some puppies experience watering eyes while teething, while females can be afflicted while in heat.

Bacterial infections and blocked tear ducts should be treated by a vet. Our 12 yr old Shih Tzu, “Sugar” really got a lot of relief after we had her tear ducts flushed, be aware that the ducts can become clogged again so this procedure may need to be repeated.

Remedies include giving your pet distilled water or adding a bit of white vinegar to their water. Providing a higher quality diet can help in some cases. Keep the hair around your pets eyes trimmed regularly to help avoid tiny hairs from touching the eyes and if your pet has a bright green discharge coming out of the eyes consider taking him to a vet.

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