Furminator Love
Today I ran my hand down Lollie’s back and got a literal handful of loose hair. Yuck. The best thing to do when they shed like that is to get out the brush, and not any old brush, but the mother of ALL brushes – the Furminator.
I love the Furminator for many reasons and the main one is that once I furminate my dogs I don’t have to do it again for at least a week, usually more like a month. Really it is that effective. With ordinary brushes I would brush and then that night it would seem like they were still shedding just as much. Now I really see the results (gobs of hair coming out on the brush) and these results last.
So, if you haven’t explored the wonders of the Furminator, I encourage you to check it out. It is one of my all time favorite dog related tools.
 Pile o' fur 10lbs of hair lighter! |
 10lbs of hair lighter! |
Pictures of Lily
Here is a note with cute photos of Lily (from Chloe’s group):
She finally had hair long enough that when she got her nails clipped they gave her little bows..
- Lily with bows
How to brush your dog’s teeth
In my last blog entry I discussed my experiences with nail trims. Now I want to cover teeth brushing. Luckily, this is a task that is SO easy I’m surprised we don’t all do it regularly! Dogs love getting their teeth brushed…well, maybe they don’t LOVE it but they like the taste of the toothpaste and readily take to it.
I think most people don’t brush their dogs’ teeth because they don’t’ know that it is possible to do so, or they just haven’t ever thought about it. I remember all of our dogs in my childhood loosing their teeth in old age, after a lifetime of going under anesthesia for teeth cleanings. I am so sad for this unnecessary and probably painful result of our lack of care of them. Many people come into Petco complaining about their dog’s bad breath. Most of them are surprised when I suggest brushing their teeth. So, let’s spread the word about this easy, preventative task.
Ok, so what you’ll need is a toothpaste specially formulated for dogs. DO NOT give them your toothpaste! Please! You can buy dog (and cat) toothpastes at any pet super store or your vet. Make sure that the product contains an enzyme – this helps to break down the plaque and tartar. C.E.T poulty flavor is a brand is a brand I like (I’ve also gotten it at my Vet’s office) and Petrodex is a brand I use at Petco. I have had great results with both.
Nail Trims and Grooming
How many of you out there regularly brush and bathe your dogs? How many out there trim your own dogs’ nails? How many of you out there brush your dogs’ teeth? My guess is that the numbers decreased with each question. Most of us understand that bathing and brushing come with owning a dog. And for many of us, these tasks are an enjoyable part of interacting with our dogs. Some of us, for many reasons, choose to have our dogs professionally groomed. But all of us expect that there is some “maintenance” required in owning a dog.
However, many of us forget about the rest of the animal. I have seen many dogs with extremely long toe nails, some so long that the foot is being deformed and the dog is clearly uncomfortable walking as a result! These dogs are usually loved and cared for but their owners, for whatever reason, have neglected this part of their anatomy. Nail trimming IS often difficult. Most dogs dislike having their feet handled and if a dog hasn’t been given regular nail trims from puppyhood, they can resist nail trims with a nearly violent reaction.
Lollie after a nail trim
My own dog, Lollie, hated nail trims. I tried to give them to her as a puppy but she struggled so much she often got out of our hold. Once she learned that she could escape by fierce struggling, she struggled all the harder with each attempt. Add to this my fear of her reaction and we had a horrible situation on our hands. It got to the point that at one attempt I was certain she was going to bite me. I stopped trimming her nails and took her to the vet. There she was muzzled and put on her side and struggled so much that the vet assistant, who was restraining her, ended up with multiple scratches and the vet’s glasses were flung across the room (her flailing foot caught the stem of them and off they went, into the air). I realized that we were in for a lifetime of panic and unnecessary drama unless something radically changed.
144 Puppy Toes!
Pups are worth the work!
Today’s big event was nail clipping!! Fun fun. I got around to nearly all of them, which is a lot of toes if you think of it…5 on each front foot, 4 on each back makes 18 each pup x 8 = 144 toes. Yikes! Don’t ever break it down like that, it seems overwhelming. Like, for example, I’ve done at minimum 2 loads of laundry a day since the pups were born so that makes 28 loads of laundry in two weeks. With about 6 more weeks to go that means I’ll have at minimum 84 more loads to do until these guys leave…and that doesn’t include MY household’s laundry, just puppy bedding!!! Like I said, don’t break it down. Best if you take it one day at a time, one growth milestone at a time, one warm, wet, wuffily nuzzle at a time…
