There is a normal and natural reason for the shedding happening right now. Your dog is regulating its body temperature through its fur. The first instinct when the couches and car seats are covered in fur is to shorten the hair or shave it all off. But is that the best way to go about it? Here are grooming tips for keeping your dog happy and healthy this summer.
Is it Normal Shedding or Something Else?
Perhaps the number one tip for any pet owner is to make sure that the problem is normal and not a symptom of illness. Some dogs have natural allergies to the heat or grass. Those allergies can irritate your dog causing him or her to bite at the skin resulting in painful and sometimes infectious lesions and rashes.
If you start to see bald spots from shedding, you should take your dog to the vet – that’s not normal shedding. If you see redness, swelling, or any kind of irritation which coincides with the shedding, it could be lice or some other parasite.
Get them checked out as soon as you start to notice symptoms. In fact, it’s best to just start the summer and shedding season with a trip to the vet just to be on the safe side.
Is Your Dog an Outdoor Dog?
Not every dog is going to face the same dangers over summer. If you have an indoor dog that enjoys the air conditioning and rarely leaves the house, you don’t have to worry about sunburn – yes, dogs can get sunburn too – or heat rashes during the summer.
However, if you have an outdoor dog, there are very important things that you have to prepare for in order to keep your pooch safe.
Tip #1
Shorter hair is best for dogs that swim. Pools have chlorine in them and can mess up your dog’s fur, making it stiff, dry, and matted. Keep your dog’s fur shorter in the summer. Clipping the fur between their toes will also keep them from slipping and sliding on wet surfaces.
Tip #2
Use clothing and sunscreen when your dog is out in the sun all day. For dogs, the nose is the burn spot when outside in the sun for a long time but they can also get it on their thinly covered underbellies. There are sunscreens that you can buy for dogs – do not use human sunscreen – it can poison them. If you have a short haired dog, put some on their skin or put a light colored t-shirt on them.
Tip #3
Pay attention to hot weather advisories. If you spend a lot of time in the sun with your pet, you have to be careful that they are not over-exposed to the sun. If there are heat warnings for humans, imagine how hot your furry friend is, even if Fido is sporting a short hairdo. Keep water and shade around so that they can cool themselves when necessary.
Tip #4
Always rinse and dry your dog after they’ve been in the water. Whether they’ve been in the pool or in the lake, when your dog’s ears get wet inside, they become the perfect breeding ground for bacteria and infection. Make sure that you rinse chemicals from the pool off and then dry them thoroughly.
DIY De-shedding
Many pet owners DIY dog grooming, which is fine if you know what you’re doing. The problem is that some people think they’re doing the right things but they’re not. And even if you are doing the right things, you may not be doing the best things.
- If you are going to do your pet’s deshedding grooming yourself, make sure to use the right kind of deshedding tools. Brushes differ for different types of breeds and hair.
- If you get bristles that are too harsh for a dog with sensitive skin, you’re going to create skin irritations.
- Also, during the summer, if your dog sheds a lot, you have to brush them often, for some dogs, every day. It both helps to get the dead, damaged, and shedding fur off and keeps their coat looking nicer.
- Keep in mind however that if you brush them too much, it can cause “brush burn” which is irritating and painful.
Bathing helps with de-shedding but if you wash your dog too often, it can cause skin problems. Some recommend a conditioning bath at least once a week in the summer if your dog spends a lot of time outside.
Choosing the Right Pet Spa
The experts at Bubbles Pet Spa have a perfect de-shedding dog grooming treatment for the hot summer months. It’s much better than risking seriously hurting your dog with the wrong clippers or scissors. Plus, using the right shampoos and conditioners, the frequency of baths, and quality of the de-shedding grooming will have a huge affect on doggie’s overall summer health.