BATHING YOUR DOGS

             

               Bathing your dogs gives an opportunity to bond and share your affection which makes you more friendly with your dogs. Its also a key to maintain good health. start bathing your puppy as early as possible. It is necessary to get them used to bathing at an early age so that we encounter less trouble later.

HOW OFTEN TO BATHE THE DOG?

           This depends on the dogs environment and type of the coat. Normal coat dogs needed to bathe once or twice a month while oily coated dogs needed frequent bathing as once a week. 

         Dogs with thick coats needed fewer baths and lots of brushing to get rid of dead hair and to retain their natural oils which keeps the dogs coat healthy.

PROTECT THE EYES AND EARS.

        keep your dogs eyes and ears protected while bathing. Utmost care should be taken that water shouldn't get into the dogs ears. The canine ears are L- shaped and this is the reason that dogs are prone to ear infections. So, stuff some cotton into the ears so that water will not get into the ears.

PROCEDURE FOR BATHING.

         Before going for a bath, brush your dog completely to remove the tangling hairs and dead hairs from the body.  Use shampoos or soaps according to the skin conditions recommended by your veterinarian.  Dog shampoos are formulated according to the pH level of the dogs skin. Never use a human shampoo. 

         Check the water temperature. It should not be too hot or too cold. Wet the skin and coat as much as possible especially in long coated dogs. Apply the shampoo or soap all over the body from tail to head so that the shampoo gets applied not only in the coat but also on the skin. If its double coated pre-mix the shampoo with water and apply it.  Apply it down on all four legs, all four paws.

        Lather your dog and ensure the shampoo gets evenly distributed to the whole body. Then rinse thoroughly . Take some time with long or dense coated animal and ensure that all the soap/ shampoo are rinsed off well. Wash the head and face seperately, raise its chin up and rinse with soapy water. use a wash cloth to clean his facial folds.

        Dry the dog by using a towel or blow-dry. Then clean up the eyes to remove the tears and dirt. Use an ear cleaner to clean up the ears. Pour  the liquid directly into the ear canal. Massage it gently and then swab out the wax and debris and lastly clean up the pinna of each ear.

         Most people clean up the anal sacs while bathing. But as a veterinarian i would not recommend to clean up the anal gland secretions while bathing unless impacted. Healthy anal glands empty their fluid on its own when your pet has a bowel movement. The fluid secreted by the anal glands contains a distinctive odour that identifies the dog of its own and also other dogs about its age, sex, health status etc. So, emptying is generally not needed during bathing.