Nail Clipping: More than a Pawdicure

CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK!

For those of us with hardwood or tile floors in the home, it's a familiar sound. Once we can hear this sound it's time for every dog's least favourite thing... Having their nails clipped.

Now, let's be honest.  Many dogs (including both of mine) HATE having their nails clipped. They'll fuss, whine, pull their paws away and occasionally use their teeth to protest as well!  But no matter how much your pup may disagree, keeping your dog's nails short is an important part of a regular grooming routine. Longer nails over time can negatively affect your dog's gait and damage bone structure in the feet. In extreme cases, nails can grow long enough to curl back around into the pads of the feet.  

Needless to say, both of these possibilities are extremely painful but can be easily avoided by regular clipping. Depending on how often your dog walks or runs on pavement (which wears down the nail naturally), their nails should be addressed either via clipping or filing every 4-6 weeks.

For the DIY'ers

Trimming your dog's nails from home is also an excellent option.  Set yourself up for success by ensuring you have the right tools.  

The most important thing you'll need is a good pair of nail clippers. There are a few different styles to choose from, but I recommend and use scissor style clippers.  This style of clipper gives you the most leverage and control. A photo of the clippers we sell in our salon is shown below.  These sturdy, stainless steel clippers are durable and have rubber coated handles for easy gripping.

The other tool you'll need in your nail trimming arsenal is styptic powder. 

Kwik Stop brand styptic powder

Styptic powder is an anesthetic as well as a cauterizing agent designed to stop bleeding on contact. Bleeding can occur when you accidentally cut the nail too short and clip the nail's quick.  

A diagram of various nail lengths and proper clipping length 

Some websites and blogs will suggest that baking powder or flour is a suitable alternative, but in my experience there is no substitute for the real thing.  Most containers cost under $10 and will last for years if you're only doing your own dog's nails at home (and you're careful!)

Once you've got the tools, you're ready to start clipping!  Check out this video for step-by-step instructions.

The Easy Answer

The easiest way to avoid the heartache and frustration of attempting to clip your own dog's nails at home is to take them to the groomer on a regular basis. Sometimes, the most wiggly of dogs who just won't let their owners do them often are just fine when they're on a groomer's table.

Don't feel badly if you can't clip your dog's nails.  You're not alone!

Many dog groomers offer nail clipping as a walk-in service and can often do them while you wait for a reasonable price.

Nail clipping teamwork at The Friendly Groomer

The Last Resort

Some dogs absolutely REFUSE to allow their nails to be trimmed by their owner, or by a groomer. The last resort should never be to leave nails to grow un-clipped.  Unfortunately, no matter how upset or aggressive a dog may become, it still must be done.  In these cases, I recommend taking your dog to the vet.  Vets can ensure both your dog and the person attempting to trim their nails remain safe.

Final Thoughts

Keeping your dog's nails trimmed is more than just a luxurious pawdicure. Whether you decide to bring them to a groomer, a vet or even do it yourself, it's an important part of keeping your dog at their best!

 
-Peter

Is My Dog Overweight?

Is your dog overweight?

If your answer is "no",  are you sure? 

Only 22% of owners believe their own pets to be overweight. 

But in reality, a 2011 study showed that 53% of dogs are overweight.

This means that 31% of owners are in denial about their dog being overweight...


I, for one, was sure that my Springer Spaniel Wallace was NOT overweight and was simply "big-boned".  This was despite the fact that Beth (my gf and Wallace's mom), my sister and some of my friends told me that my boy needed to lose weight. I found this all to be quite offensive and was quick to jump to poor Wallace's defense.  I deflected their comments by saying that our vet didn't say Wallace was overweight, that Wallace eats a high quality food so he couldn't possibly be overweight and that Wallace probably just looks to be on the heavy side since he needed a haircut.

Don't you dare call my fur baby fat!

Eventually it was Beth's turn to take the pets to the vet for their check-up.  She, of course, asked the vet point blank if Wallace needed to lose weight. It turned out he did.  It also turned out that I am part of the 31% of owners in dog obesity denial!

Just one more treat???

In addition to speaking with your vet, here are a few ways for you to tell if your dog is a healthy weight:

1) Your dog's weight vs. their breed's ideal weight - The rule of thumb is that if your dog is more than 15% above its breed's ideal weight (which can be found here) it is considered to be obese. (Wallace is 16% above the high-end of the Springer range).

2) Can you feel their ribs? - You can also check by feeling for your dog's ribs and spine. You should be able to locate both with only a thin layer of fat separating the skin and bones.  If you have to press harder or dig deeper, you may have an overweight dog.

3) Eyeball it - You may recognize the chart below from your vet's office. It can be very useful to help decide if your dog is a healthy weight. (This chart also classifies Wallace as heavy)

What can I do? 

Along with exercise, exercise and more exercise, controlling your dog's food portions and the amount and type of treats they get are the main factors that will help you get your dog back down to a healthy weight.  If you do an honest assessment of how much your dogs eats in a day (not just meals, but extras like treats, scraps from the kitchen, treats from others) you may find that simply cutting out the extras can be the difference. 

As for meal time, a feeding guide can be found on any bag of dry food.  Once you have a target weight for your dog, find the lowest amount for that weight range and measure carefully. We now use a measuring cup as Wallace's food scoop. 

Keeping your dog's weight in check is critical. As with humans, an overweight dog is more susceptible to a wide range of health issues including joint issues, trouble breathing, high blood pressure, diabetes, reduction in life span and skin conditions.  Next time you bring your dog to the vet be sure to ask if he or she is a healthy weight.

- Peter

Getting Ready for Spring: Shedding

It's that time of year again...

When your vaccum is ready to quit...

When your home feels like the wild west with all the fur tumbleweeds drifting through it...

When you can't sit on your furniture without putting a fur sweater on...

That's right. It's shedding season (commonly referred to by non-pet owners as Spring).

Before I get into how to reduce shedding I would like to start with how NOT to reduce it...

DO NOT SHAVE your double, or triple coated dog.  While shaving your dog will help to reduce the amount of fur flying around your home, there are other solutions that are much healthier for your pet.  

I will NOT shave your husky!

The issue with shaving a double-coated dog is that their coats act as a natural layer of insulation, both against heat and cold.  During summer a heavy coat will actually guard them against the heat from the sun's rays and keep their bodies cooler.  In addition, if shaved,  their skin will be exposed to the sun and they become more susceptible to sunburns. Instead, help thin the coat out,  I often clip back the hair on the bellies to  offer relief during the summer months.  For more information on the myths of shaving double-coated dogs, check this article out.

So what to do??

Regular brushing is the best thing you can do to get rid of the fur by speeding up the shedding cycle (in a healthy way).  Brushing will allow you to get that coat out on your own terms instead of waiting to find it in patches on the couch. 

One of the most popular and effective de-shedding product lines is made by Furminator.  This is a fantastic line of tools as well as shampoos and conditioners that work very effectively to lift the undercoat from your dog.

Furminator tools (brushes) are more expensive than your typical pin or curry brush, but everyone I know that has one stands by them -- and with good reason. Furminator tools dramatically cut down the amount of time spent brushing when compared to a typical brush.  They come in different sizes and models so you can select one that is best suited to your dog's breed.

Notice the ends of the brushes?  They are designed to actually grab the fur from your dog's coat, rather than simply pass through it.

Bathing your dog regularly will also help to reduce shedding. If you use a de-shedding solution/conditioner during the bath you will find the Furminator brush will work even better since the fur will be loosened before attempting to brush.

While bathing and brushing are the most obvious fixes to shedding you may also want to consider what food you are feeding your dog.  Low quality foods may actually increase the amount your dog sheds while a high quality food can help to reduce it.

Are you sure this is normal?

Finally, if the amount of shedding is abnormal for your dog's breed consider taking them to the vet to ensure that is is not due to a medical problem. According to the ASPCA,  it's time to see your vet when there is evidence of:

• Skin irritation (redness, bumps, rashes, scabs etc...)
• Open sores of any kind
• Bald spots or thinning of coat
• Dull, dry hair that pulls out easily
• Scratching
• Constant foot licking or face rubbing

I hope you've found my de-shedding tips helpful!



-Peter

Getting Ready for Spring: Fleas

It's one of those dirty words that makes you (and your dog) itch just thinking about it; fleas.  Perhaps the greatest fear of pet owners during the spring and summer months, fleas are external parasites that live off of hitching a ride onto a mammal (not just dogs and cats), biting their skin and sucking their blood.  These tiny vampires are very small, about the size of a sesame seed, so they can be very difficult to detect on your pet until a full blown infestation is underway.

                                 

How can I spot fleas?
During our first spring with Wallace, we noticed him scratching himself more than usual, and upon inspection, we noticed his armpits and belly looked a bit dirty. It turns out this was flea dirt.   Generally the most tell-tale sign that your dog has fleas are deposits of flea dirt rather than the actual fleas. Flea dirt is dried blood that the fleas have passed through their body -- Basically, it's flea poop. The fleas and flea dirt can most commonly be found hiding in the armpits and between the hind legs.  Fleas can be especially tricky to spot on darker coloured dogs since the dirt and fleas tend to blend in.

Flea dirt is usually the easiest way to detect fleas on your pet.

Where do fleas come from?  
One of the most frustrating things about being a groomer is hearing from a client "my dog got fleas from your shop!"  This is not impossible (that is to say, nothing is impossible) but it is extremely unlikely. Good groomers will take precautions to make sure that all fleas found on a dog in their care are immediately eradicated and the shop is properly cleaned and sprayed with insecticide.

In reality, fleas prefer warm, humid habitats such as sandy areas, crawl spaces under houses and gardens or under leafy vegetation.  As such, the most common way for fleas to get onto your pet is from out in nature....  This has become increasingly true in recent years as the use of pesticides is becoming more and more rare, due their being outlawed in many regions.

So no, your dog has probably not gotten fleas from other dogs at the groomer's but likely picked them up in your own backyard! 

Fleas live out in your yard, so make sure you're protecting your furry friends from them!

I found fleas! What do I do?
The first thing to remember is to not panic and the second is to call your vet.

When we first found the fleas on Wallace we immediately ran out to the pet store and bought a shampoo to give him a bath and went about vacuuming every inch of carpet and upholstery in our house every day for a week straight, sprayed insecticide all over and took all of the towels, bedding and curtains to the laundromat. Our house was very clean, but the fleas were still there and Wallace was still scratching...

If only we'd spoken to our vet!  It turns out that although Wallace was on a flea prevention program, our indoor kitten, Bridget, was not, and should have been. After Wallace brought the fleas into the house they would hop onto her and multiply. 

After speaking with the vet we decided to keep Wallace's flea treatment the same and start Bridget on a program as well.  Wallace is on a product called Trifexis which is a pill he takes once a month.  It's very effective as it not only kills adult fleas that try to feed on his blood, but also sterilizes them so they cannot ley eggs either. We also like that it's made in Canada.  We use a different product for Bridget called Advantage that is a topical application.  Generally cats get topical "spot-on" products since getting a cat to take a pill is not fun.

Again, consult with your vet  before using any flea treatment; these products are intravenous, meaning they are absorbed into the bloodstream, and some products sold in stores (Zodiac, Frontline) may have severe side effects.  

Getting Rid of Fleas - Step by Step

1. Call your vet. Book an appointment to put all indoor and outdoor animals on flea prevention programs.
2. Put your dog's bed, blanket and fabric toys in the wash.
3. Give your dog a bath with medicated flea and tick shampoo for immediate relief (or send them to the groomer to do it).
4. Vacuum your home paying special attention to corners, behind curtains and by the baseboards.
5. If your dog spends a lot of time in the backyard consider treating the leafy shrubs with insecticide as well.  There are specialty sprays available at pet stores.

Keep your pets free from fleas this summer with a preventative treatment from your vet!

Fleas are a very common pest that can cause agony for your pets by making them itch horribly.  To make matters worse, incessant scratching and licking often leads to skin irritation and infection.  Make sure you nip this problem in the bud and get your dogs (and cats) on a prevention program from your vet from spring through fall to keep them healthy and happy!

-Peter

                                          

Keeping Your Dog's Coat Beautiful: Brushing

Brushing is one of, if not the, most important thing you can do to help your dog's coat and skin stay shiny and beautiful. Brushing helps to prevent matting which can be uncomfortable, and even dangerous to your dog's health.

Many pet parents do not realize the severity of mats. Often, a  will matted dog will be brought in for "just a trim" and it will end up having to be shaved.  Asking your groomer to brush out mats is like asking a hairdresser to brush out dreadlocks. It just isn't going to happen without causing an unnecessary amount of pain to your pet.

Aesthetics aside, matting is extremely uncomfortable for your dog. Imagine grabbing a clump of your own hair, twisting it taught then yanking. Ouch!

In addition to being uncomfortable, the biggest concern with mats comes when they proliferate and whole patches form on their body, concealing other issues.  Matting can also trap moisture, dirt and bacteria which can lead to infections and sores.  It’s very easy for fleas and other pests to hide under a matted coat, leading to even more discomfort for your furry friend.  Here is a great article with information on why paying attention to your dog’s coat (and not just for matting) is a great way to keep and eye on their overall health

Finally, shaving a dog with mats is dangerous.  As the mats are pulled tight to the skin, there is the chance that the groomer’s clipper can snag skin that has been pulled up by the matted fur.  This is, of course, something every groomer takes precautions to avoid, but unfortunately accidents do happen.  

Needless to say, it’s in your pet’s best interest to keep a close watch of their coat for matting.   For most dogs, matting is easy to prevent, a quick brush all over (don’t forget the legs!) once or twice a week and they’ll be fine.  Other dogs' coats are a little higher maintenance and may need daily brushing.  It's important to make sure that you're using the best brush for your dog's coat type; for help with this click here. And this is a basic brushing tutorial. 

There's no better time of year to give your dog's coat a fresh start than spring.  Many dogs are clipped short in the spring and summer to keep them cool anyway, so your dog will blend right in!

  

- Peter