How To Take Care of Your Dog?

We are sure you love your pet very much and try to take good care of him. Let's take a look together, have you missed anything? Caring for a dog consists of several factors.

Dog Grooming

Caring for a dog's coat requires some effort on your part, but this procedure is simply necessary for your pet to feel good and comfortable. Caring for the coat of dogs of different breeds depends on the features of the coat, the density and length of the coat, the softness and capriciousness of the hairs. It would seem that the usual procedures for bathing and brushing should be the same for everyone, however, there are some nuances in caring for a dog's coat in each case.There are four groups of dogs according to the degree of difficulty in grooming the coat: 

In order to take care of your pet's coat as efficiently and correctly as possible, it is advisable for you to visit professional dog hairdressing salons - grooming salons. There they will give you professional advice on caring for your pet, help you choose the right brushes and shampoos, and tell you how to take care of your pet at home.

How To Choose the Comb?

When choosing combs and brushes for your dogs, consult the seller in the pet store, he will help you make the right choice. One general rule of thumb for all types of brushes is that the ends of the teeth should be blunt so as not to damage the dog's skin. The length of the teeth depends on the length of the dog's coat, the longer the coat, the longer the teeth of the brush. The density of the teeth also depends on the density of the coat. The owner of the dog should have two types of brushes with sparse teeth for quick combing and more frequent teeth for more thorough combing. For the daily grooming of coarse-coated dogs, use combs with hard metal teeth. In schnauzers and terriers, it is necessary to wipe the beard after feeding with a mitten and periodically comb it with a comb.

Bathing Dogs

Dog grooming includes bathing. Bathing frequency also depends on the dog's coat type.

For long-haired dogs with a coat prone to mats, more frequent bathing and careful brushing is desirable, for short-haired dogs bathing is less frequent, about once a month. Bathing water should correspond to the dog's body temperature and vary between 37.5-39 ° C.

You need to dry long-haired dogs with a hairdryer, wipe short-haired dogs thoroughly with a terry towel.

There is a wide variety of specialty shampoos and conditioners to suit coat types and coat grooming needs. You can get more detailed information at a pet store or in a grooming salon.

Clipping Your Dog's Nails

In addition to hair, it is also necessary to trim the dog's nails, about once every 7-10 days, while it is important not to touch the blood vessel in the nail cavity, which is located at the base. Excess hair is also cut on the paws, while the style of the haircut corresponds to the breed of the dog. Mats are often formed on the paws, they need to be combed out and cut. You should also check your dog’s paws daily for dirt, glass, gum and other contaminants. If the dog has walked on fresh asphalt, tar, and other chemicals, it is necessary to abundantly smear the paws with vegetable oil and rinse with abundant soapy water or a special agent to cleanse it from this substance. 

How To Take Care of a Dog at Home?

Caring for a dog is not limited to the correct maintenance of its coat, the eyes of the dog also require attention. In a healthy dog, the eyes should be clear, if you notice purulent discharge from the eyes, this means that the dog may be sick. This can be either a sign of an allergy or a symptom of an infectious eye disease. In any case, be sure to show the dog to the veterinarian. If your dog is walking in tall grass, flush the dog's eyes with water or tea leaves from the outer corner of the eye to the inner corner (nose). After all, pollen, seeds and other particles of dirt can get into the eyes.

Ear care should be done weekly. To do this, pluck the hair inside the ear canal. If the ears are not very dirty, they are wiped with a swab dipped in vegetable oil. In addition, a huge number of special products are now produced for maintaining hygiene of ears in dogs, which have a soft composition and can be used weekly, which is especially important for dogs of fold breeds. These dogs are more prone to ear infections, so it is necessary to monitor the condition of their ears especially carefully.

Care of Teeth and Gums

When chewing on solid food, the dog's teeth are mechanically cleaned of plaque, thereby preventing the formation of tartar. If it was not possible to prevent the formation of tartar, then you need to contact your veterinarian to solve this problem. To avoid calculus formation, you need to brush your dog's teeth with a special tooth powder or dog paste, and wipe the polished teeth with a soft cloth.

Breeding or Neutering Dogs

An important decision in providing quality maintenance for your pet is the neutering of dogs, care also addresses this issue. If you are not planning to breed dogs, and you would not like to deal with an unwanted pregnancy for your dog, then the issue of neutering is important.

The whole point is how the body of a dog is arranged, be it a female or a male, they are primarily animals that are not able to control their instincts, including the instinct of procreation.

The unrealized instinct of procreation imposes harmful consequences on the health of the dog. It's all about the hormonal background, which is completely lost in dogs living in an inferior lifestyle. An unrealized instinct from time to time increases the hormonal disruption in the animal's body, which ultimately leads to numerous serious diseases in the form of cancer and neoplasms of the genital organs and mammary glands.

Sterilization takes place in two ways: endoscopic sterilization and laparoscopic sterilization. The most commonly used is laparoscopic surgery with complete or partial removal of the reproductive organs. For males, this procedure is easier, by removing the testes, for females, sterilization is more difficult, it takes place with a strip operation. During the operation, either the uterus, the ovaries, or both are removed. This is a very important operation, since it is important that during the operation the reproductive organs are completely removed, without residues, otherwise complications will arise after the operation. 

It is necessary to choose a clinic with a good reputation, see reviews.

In addition to surgery, there is chemical sterilization. The disadvantages of this method are the risk of developing numerous diseases caused by hormonal disruption in the dog's body, under the influence of these medications. Among these diseases: breast cancer, ovarian cancer, endometritis, inflammatory processes in the uterus, etc.

The optimal age for sterilization has not been fully established; some experts agree that 6 months is the best age for sterilization. Other experts say that you need to wait for the first heat, and only after that sterilize. According to some reports, it is believed that it is precisely sterilization before the onset of the first estrus that can keep the dog healthy for many years.

After the dogs have been neutered, caring for the animals requires that dogs not lick their stitches. You cannot wet the seams, you must wipe the seams with a special antiseptic for 10 days, it is forbidden to feed the dogs with bones, only soft food, and not to give a lot of liquid.

Take care of your pets and yourself!
With love to your dogs, DogRook!