What Happens if a Pet is not Groomed

How often do you go between haircuts? You probably cut or trim your nails pretty often don’t you? Showers come at regular intervals right? Keeping clean and being properly groomed is important to you. Not only do you look and feel good but it is an important part of keeping you healthy. The same can be said for your pets.
Grooming can be done at home or by a professional or both. It can be as simple as giving your pet a combing to remove loose hair to trimming their nails or giving your dog a bath. It is the perfect time to apply flea and tick medication and let’s face it your pet probably likes the attention that they get. Not everyone is capable of doing this on their own and that is where professional grooming services like Doggie DoLittle come in. Leaving your pet alone is not a good option.

Grooming helps to keep them cool and healthy

Of course your pet is an animal and is capable of living its life without being professionally groomed. That would be fine if it were in the wild and it was able to take care of itself as nature intended but your pet has become domesticated and needs human help. For example dogs have always been able to trim their nails by running in the wild. Inside of a home they are not able to do that and overgrown nails force a dog to change the way it walks which can accelerate arthritis in the legs and hip and lead to a premature death.
Dogs and cats cool off by panting and by getting air to circulate through the pads on their feet. Long or overgrown hair can prevent this leading to overheating. This could quickly lead to death if they are not taken to place to cool off. A good brushing can help to alleviate this for both dogs and cats and a dog can be given a haircut. This can also help to remove matted hair which can pull on the skin and lead to an infection. Hair can also become stuck in a dog or cat’s toes which will cause a lot of discomfort and could lead to an infection.

Pets are not all fun and games

Not every part of owning a pet is fun and games. Your pet’s ears need to be checked to make sure they are clean and that no infection is present. A dog’s inner ear hair should also be trimmed and cleaned every 4-6 weeks and if not done it increases the chance of an ear infection. Your dog’s private areas should also be cleaned to remove anything that is stuck. Not only will they feel better but it prevents it from being dragged into the house where you will have to clean it up. While cats can usually keep their private areas clean sometimes they too need some extra help from their human.

Stop fleas and ticks

Regular grooming can also help to identify skin and health issues. If caught early enough many of these can be treated and will not require an expensive veterinarian bill. A proper grooming can also catch any parasites like fleas and deal with them before they become a major problem. If your pet spends any time outside there is a good chance that fleas will find them and if left unchecked they can have serious health consequences for your pet.
At the very least a pet should be brushed at least once a week though some may need a brushing more frequently. This is something that nearly every pet owner should be able to do and this time can be used to inspect their eyes and ears to make sure they look normal. For a haircut, a bath or a nail trimming those supplies can be picked up at a pet supply store or a professional grooming service like Doggie DoLittle can be used. If you are not comfortable doing this yourself it would be best to have a professional service do it.

References:

https://ashtonanimalclinic.com/clients/10881/documents/groomingyourdog.pdf
https://www.care.com/c/stories/6413/to-groom-or-not-to-groom-it-is-not-a-quest/
http://www.thehappylitterbox.com/2011/06/do-you-wipe-your-cats-butt/

Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. — Robert A. Heinlein