You & your pet

WHY SHOULD YOU GROOM YOUR PET?

Pet care doesn’t start and end with feeding and walking, grooming is another important activity that needs to be put into action when you have a pet.

Most of our pets have hair and, like us humans, it needs to be kept in good condition because if not it can have a negative impact on your pet…

We often look at our pets and may be inclined to think that they are okay to groom themselves because this is something they do naturally. While they can give themselves a good clean, there are actions we can take to make it easier for them.

When not taken care of, your pet’s hair can become matted, this can result in their fur or hair pulling at the skin which can be extremely heavy and uncomfortable. If not treated, matted hair can lead to skin irritations that may cause infections. In extreme cases, this has been known to restrict movement and may even result in an adverse change in the appearance of your pet.

There are simple steps to avoiding your pet’s coat becoming matted such as combing, brushing, and regular washing with pet-friendly products. Keeping their hair cut back and trimmed will prevent your pet’s vision from being restricted resulting in a happy pet.

Grooming not only includes the maintenance of your pet’s coat but their nails, claws, and hooves. With dogs and cats overgrown nails if left can cause disfigurement and make it

difficult to walk as the nail can curl and grow into their footpad.

Unlike cats and dogs, horses don’t have nails or claws, instead they have hooves that carry the weight of their body, and if these are not taken care of it can cause severe pain – so routine hoof care is essential. Their grooming pattern will change from winter to summer as the speed at which their hooves grow increases in the summer months.

Regular grooming will keep your pet happy and healthy. Grooming gives you and your pet the perfect opportunity to spend some one-on-one time together which is great for bonding. Starting this at an early stage in their lives so they don’t feel anxious or scared will make it easier on you both, however, if you have an older rescue animal or are new to grooming then your pet may be unsure about these new tools they are faced with. Introduce your pet to its new set of grooming tools, giving them time to smell and play with them. When they seem comfortable, gently allow the brush or comb for example to touch their coat, reassuring them and praising them for good behaviour.

If you are new to grooming or indeed washing your dog, why not pop down to one of our stores which are all fitted with

a self service dog wash. The in store team will be on hand to help you out with getting your dog washed if you require some assistance.

If you have any further questions regarding grooming of any pet the team in store or online will be more than happy to help, and remember to pop in to store this month as we will be having offers on our grooming ranges. n

Ashlee is the social media and marketing assistant at petplace. Animal obsessed, she has a fondness for all living things and the environment using her creativity to build awareness. If you follow petplace on social media you will no doubt have interacted with Ashlee, she loves engaging with their customers and, most importantly, seeing all your wonderful pets.