Tag: dog groomer

General Dog Care

How to Prevent (and Treat) Fleas on Dogs

Alysa Marie
adult cream retriever sitting on grass
Photo by Leah Kelley on Pexels.com

Spring is right around the corner, and for those of us in the colder states we may be starting to feel the first signs of the new season right around the corner. The snow is melting, the days start to be above freezing and we occasionally get that beautiful day above 50 F. As great as that all is, this is also the time that the fleas (and other bugs) start to stir. In Michigan, I have seen that our ‘flea season’ (fleas can be a problem year round for pets, the season just indicates when they are most active) is typically between April thru November. So let’s prepare our pets to make sure that fleas are a non-issue this season! If fleas are already a problem, stick around because I’ll go over how to get rid of them if they are already on your dog and in your home. 

I am going to say, I am not well versed in natural ways to prevent fleas. Because of that, I am not going to cover that topic here. I do not want to spread information that I am just not well knowledgeable in, but I implore you to speak with your veterinarian before adopting any sort of new flea treatments for your pets: natural or medications.

Let’s go over how to Prevent Your Dog from Getting Fleas

My first recommendation would be a flea preventative. You can get these prescribed by your veterinarian or over the counter at most pet stores. Not all flea preventatives are created equal! In my years in grooming salons I have found that brands that are cheaper have a tendency to cause a chemical burn and reactions on dogs’ skins. Your vet will have a preferred brand that they like to work with and I would always go with that brand. Even if you find it more expensive than what you would like to pay, your veterinarian will know that brand and how it acts better than any other and can help you just in case your pet does have a reaction to them. 

For my dog, we used K9 Advantix II, which is a spot on treatment, and it seemed to work great for us! Spot on treatments work by applying a small dose of liquid medication on your dog where they won’t be able to disturb it: typically in between their shoulder blades. This medication then starts to be absorbed into the skin and will spread to the rest of the body, killing the fleas that may be living on your dog and being able to do so typically for about a month. If the fleas were able to lay eggs before dying, once the eggs hatch they will also die once they start to bite. Keep this in mind if you swore you got rid of the fleas and a few days later more show up, they will not be able to lay new eggs and they will most likely stop appearing.

Another flea preventative is oral medication. From what I have read, these medications can work in a variety of ways depending on what brand you decide to go with. They use either hormone growth regulators possibly alongside insecticide (which is what is used to kill the adult fleas in spot on treatments), which targets the eggs of the fleas by preventing the eggs to hatch and molt. However, a lot of brands do not have insecticide in them and oral medications are often paired with spot on treatments to make sure all bases of flea prevention are covered! Speak to your vet if you would like an oral medication that has both growth hormone disruptors and insecticide. 

Collars are a very popular option, but reviews and opinions on them vary especially in the animal care world. In my opinion, I do not recommend flea collars. Although there are some brands out there that work by slowly being soaked in by the glands on the skin, others only protect that specific area of the dog. In my salon days, I have seen many times where a dog came in with a flea collar on and we still found fleas on the dog; they just migrated to the belly or the base of the tail. I would use this method alongside one of the two mentioned above if you do want to use a flea collar. Please also be careful with the brand you pick, as stated above for spot on treatments these collars can also create burns and skin irritations and some brands seem to have these issues more than others. Speak within your veterinarian on what flea collars they would recommend for your dog. 

Examples of different flea preventatives

What if Your Dog Already Has Fleas? Let’s go over that Now

First, start with picking one of the first two options above. Getting that preventative started will help to make sure the fleas have no home to go to if new fleas find their way onto your dog again. Fleas can hop on your dog from any place, even walking across a parking lot if they just happened to have jumped off any other animal right before you walked by. It truly can happen that quickly. 

Let’s also make sure we do not over medicate our dogs. A lot of people will want to give them a flea bath and then put preventative on and I suggest extreme caution. Giving a bath is fine, but using a highly medicated and toxic shampoo then putting even more medicine on them with a spot on or giving it to them orally can possibly cause a reaction because of all the toxins. 

For baths, I personally like to use a tea tree shampoo. It will help relieve that itching that they have been feeling, and is also said to be a natural flea killer. Saying that, DO NOT apply tea tree oil to your dog! It is extremely hard to dilute properly so purchasing a well known tea tree dog formulated shampoo is the safest option, as if not diluted properly could make your dog very sick! I used the brand Espree while working in a salon and it smells wonderful and the dogs really seemed to enjoy it. At home in a pinch I have used dawn dish soap, but it can really damage their coat so be careful. 

*Groomer tip: Don’t wet your dog before putting the soap on. Lather the soap super thick all over, avoiding the eyes and ear canals and let them soak for a good 10 minutes. This will help your dog’s skin feel better and also help drown/kill the fleas that are on there, and I find the element of surprise (no water) catches the most fleas without them jumping off! Make sure to focus on the areas where the fleas will want to hide: belly, base of tail and the armpits!

cream toy poodle puppy in bathtub
Photo by Benjamin Lehman on Pexels.com

If you have no access to a bath and you find some fleas, there are sprays that are also sold at pet stores but I have personally never used them. Please read all the instructions before using any of the above products on your dog! 

Once we have the fleas off your dog and have a flea preventative on them, you may need to focus on how bad the infestation is in your home. With your dog on a preventative, the fleas should slowly start to fade away, however, if the infestation was really bad you may need to take further steps to make sure they are completely gone. At most pet stores you can find foggers which contain a high amount of toxins and chemicals that spread through the house and will kill most if not all the fleas. You need to be very careful to read all instructions on the package to keep all of your belongings safe during this process, as again these foggers are highly toxic. Another solution to consider is using a flea treatment in your yard. This will help, as other animals like squirrels and rabbits also carry fleas. 

If you are unsure on how to proceed with ridding your home and yard of these pests, I would recommend contacting an exterminator. They will be able to guide you in the right direction!

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References

Burke, A. (2019, July 24). How to get rid of dog fleas in 4 steps – American Kennel Club. American Kennel Club. https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/how-to-get-rid-of-fleas/

Prevent and treat fleas. (2018, February 21). WebMD. https://pets.webmd.com/fleas-prevent-treat#3

General Dog Care

Protecting Your Dog’s Paws in the Winter

Alysa Marie
Tsuki as a puppy playing in the snow

Being mid-January here in Michigan, snow and freezing cold temperatures are all around us. This doesn’t stop dogs from needing to exercise and burn energy! There are also dogs who are built for the cold who may not even want to come inside.

We all know that their fur protects them from the cold, and there are plenty of sweaters and coats to help them as well. But what about their paws? Their paws are what touches the snow and ice that covers the ground. Humans also put out salt and other products that could hurt the pads on your dog’s paws.

So what can we do to help our dogs enjoy winter? There are a few and very simple ways that we can do protect their paws against the harsh winter elements!

Image from google.com

*Boots

Some people may think they look silly, but I find them the best protection for your furry friend in the snow! They will prevent any ice and snow from gathering between their toes, and keep those melting products away. It may take your dog time to get used to them, so I would just slowly work your way to using them. Start the process in the summer/fall so that when winter comes around your dog will be comfortable wearing them! Start as slow as your dog needs, introducing them and giving rewards for each step of the process. I will have a page of references with a website that goes into detail how to help your dog get used to their new boots!

This is the company and products I use in my house call business! But lots of different balms exist if this doesn’t work for you

*Paw Balms/Petroleum Jelly-Based Products

These products help keep a protective layer over their feet to help keep a barrier between the paw pads and snow. They also help keep their paws nice and hydrated, as we all know dry skin is an issue in the winter! There are dog specific paw balms, which make sure the ingredients are safe for dogs and which is what I typically use. A few websites I found suggested petroleum jelly-based products like Vasoline but I personally have not tried that with my own dog.

This is a great option as it absorbs a lot of water and you get to keep your terry cloth towels for you and the people in the house

*Keep a Towel Handy

When coming inside, make sure to wipe down their feet and their bodies to make sure they are nice and dry. Get in between their toes to make sure nothing is hiding in there. If salt or ice melting products are stuck in their toes it could cause irritations to happen. There are paw moisturizers that you can put on after they come inside as well to help with paw health and can be used year round!

Short walks are good! He gets paw balm on when he gets home and always has his coat on!

*Keep Walks Short

I understand that some breeds out there like the husky, malamute, saint bernard etc do not want to be inside during this time. For other dogs, keep your walks short. There may also be indoor agility courses you can take your dog to to help burn out some energy! If your dog seems to be getting restless, I would recommend getting a couple interactive toys that are like puzzles to help them keep busy while the days are shorter and they may not be able to get outside like they can during the warmer months. 

I hope this article helps those in colder climates help care for their dogs better while we still get through these next few months! Stay warm!

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References

Klein, J., & CVO. (2021, February 18). Protect your dog’s paws from snow, ice, salt – American Kennel Club. American Kennel Club. https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/vets-corner/protect-dogs-paws-snow-ice-salt/

Protect Your Dog’s Paws in Winter Weather. (n.d.). Animalhumanesociety.org. https://www.animalhumanesociety.org/news/protect-your-dogs-paws-winter-weather#:~:text=If%20boots%20don’t%20feel,keeps%20their%20paw%20pads%20hydrated

Grooming Tips for Pet Parents

The Different Avenues of Dog Grooming

Alysa Marie
Back when I was working for a corporate salon, I couldn’t have started my career without them!

Hello pet parents! In this article I want to go over the different avenues that groomers may choose to go down in their grooming career. Most people know of grooming salons, and places like Petco and PetSmart that offer grooming inside of their stores but this article will go over the different places you may be able to find a dog groomer that works best for you and your dog! 

Here is a list of all the avenues of grooming that a dog groomer may take! I will break down each to the best of my knowledge with their pros and cons. There may be even more avenues out there and I will update this article if I find them!

Avenues of Dog Grooming:

*Corporate grooming salons

*Private grooming salons

*Private homes

*Veterinarian offices

*Grooming schools/academies

*Mobile vans/trailers

*House calls

Pictures found on google.com

Corporate Grooming Salon

I owe my grooming career to a corporate salon! These places hire those who are wanting to become dog groomers as bathers, and then send them to their grooming programs to teach them how to groom. These places are very convenient for pet parents as they can get all of their pet’s needs taken care of in one place. They also allow you to stick with the same groomer if you please or see whomever has an availability first. Some cons are that because they are typically high volume stores they may not be a good fit for dogs who are dog aggressive, have anxiety, or other health problems that need to be monitored by the entire groom. You will find the prices typically in the middle of most private salons as these companies do a pretty good job surveying prices in areas and adjusting to them. 

Picture found on google.com

Private Grooming Salons

These salons are owned by individuals who are either groomers themselves or employ groomers to work for them. They are hired typically from corporate groomers looking for a change, out of grooming school or even training them at their facilities. They typically have great atmospheres and because you are there solely for grooming these groomers do not have the added stress of getting you to add on products or services and can solely focus on the groom. There is also less foot traffic and may be less stressful for your pet and private salons may be able to work a little better with pets who have special needs or are seniors. They will be priced similar to corporate salons, but depending on the location and experience of the staff you could pay more at a corporate salon. These groomers may also specialize in certain grooming techniques and styles, and will charge for those accordingly. 

person using nail trimmer on an animal
Photo by Ermelinda Maglione on Pexels.com

Veterinarian Offices

I would like to start off saying, not every veterinarian office offers grooming services. These places are good for dogs who may need some medical assistance like infections, or severe matting. It is also a good option for those who want their dogs to be around familiar faces, and if anything does go wrong during the grooming session (accidents do happen), they will be able to take care of them immediately. Salons will also refer dogs who may need to be sedated due to aggression or extreme anxiety while the pet parent works with a dog trainer or behavior specialist. Because they typically deal with more difficult dogs or will use medications/additional staff to help they may charge more a corporate or private grooming salon but will be honest in stating that I’m not entirely sure about grooming prices at veterinarian offices. 

Two houses and a garage, Caerwent
Two houses and a garage, Caerwent by Jaggery is licensed under CC-BY-SA 2.0

At Home/Private Residence 

These groomers work right out of their own homes! They convert either an outdoor patio, garage, basement, or even a shed into a mini grooming salon. Some may use cages but typically they do not work with more than a couple dogs at a time. These groomers create a relaxing, cozy environment for their dogs. They have the ability to use their own tools and products and can specialize in whatever specialty they like. These groomers keep overhead very low and can typically charge less than a grooming salon or other avenues of grooming but that will depend on what grooming service you are looking for, the experience of the groomer and condition of the coat. 

This is my first AKC SAFE certificate, look around your area for local dog grooming schools

Grooming Schools/Academies 

There are several industries that need clients to come visit them so they can get the experience they need to work unsupervised: dental hygienist, massage therapists, and dog groomers! Although there are not many grooming schools, if you take your dog there, they will be in good hands! Every dog is looked over before leaving by an instructor before leaving and students are encouraged to ask questions. No, your groom may not be perfect but your pet will be in good hands, you will be helping students, and will be saving money too!

Picture found on google.com

Mobile Van/Trailer

Sometimes, traveling to the groomer can be a bit of a hassle. You may have a crazy schedule, work from home while watching the kids, your dog may get motion sickness or you just love the idea of someone coming to you so you can stay home and relax. This is where the mobile groomer comes in! They typically have a large van they groom out of, or a trailer that they pull behind their vehicle. They will either come to your door to grab your pup or you can walk to them but they will perform the entire groom one on one at the curb of your house! These groomers are on the luxury price end of grooming, from what I have seen they are typically the most expensive, but the cage free environment and no travel makes this avenue a lot less stressful for pets! These groomers can also offer specialized grooms and typically have years of experience in the field.

One of my personal set ups from a house call

House Call

The last on the list, but certainly not least, is the house call groomer. That’s me! House call groomers take things a step further than mobile groomers and will set up right inside your home. They bring a table and all of their tools and only need your bathtub or sink to wash your dog in. This avenue is really good for dogs who need someone to work with them due to health conditions or behavioral problems. This is also good for senior dogs who just need comfort grooming at the end of their lives and do not do so well with the loud sounds and hustle and bustle of a grooming salon (mobile is also good for this as well). House call groomers also are on the more expensive end. They have to carry all of their tools and typically have a very physically taxing job of working on the ground or wherever the pet is the most comfortable. That is not to say the other avenues are not physically taxing, they are! 

I hope you enjoyed this list of the different areas you will find groomers! All of this stems from my experience in the grooming world, and I do apologize if there is some information that may not pertain to your area like it does mine. Please know pricing and practices do vary by location so please look more into each avenue before deciding on a dog groomer. I absolutely love all my groomers out there in any avenue that they chose to take because it gives you, the pet parent, so many avenues to choose from and be able to see what works best for you and your pooch!

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General Dog Care

Welcoming A New Puppy Into Your Home: Things to Consider

Alysa Marie
One of my clients, Chunk!

Welcoming a new puppy into your home is super exciting! Having a dog in your life can help reduce stress and loneliness along with helping you stay more active as you walk and play with your dog.

But dog ownership is a huge undertaking that should not be taken lightly. In my years as a dog groomer I have had numerous encounters with new pet parents who are overwhelmed with just how much work taking care of a puppy is, and in some situations the pet parent ended up giving their dog to another family. 

So with this article I am hoping to help you prepare for your new puppy so help the transition be as smooth as possible and to also help you decide if dog ownership is right for you.

Sit down with your family and discuss the following:

Depending on how many people are in your family, you should have a serious sit down discussion about the amount of effort each family member wants to put in. If you are single, that is even more to consider. 

First thing I think someone should consider is the amount of time and resources owning a dog takes, especially a puppy. It’s recommended that the new owner take a few days off to help the puppy get situated, is this possible for you? When you first get your puppy you will also be at the vet quite often with shots, tests for heart worms and other things. This requires a lot of time and finances. When it is time to get your puppy spayed or neutered, your puppy could take up to 10 days to heal. Someone will need to be with them the full 10 days to make sure they are healing up properly and all after care instructions are followed. So this will require either getting help from outside places like a family member or friend or the family inside the house take turns. 

Other time and care considerations will be exercise, training, and grooming. These will all depend on the breed you get and the dog as an individual. Training will begin not long after the puppy arrives and will take a team effort. Make sure everyone is on the same team when it comes to who will take what roles. Sometimes it helps to establish who will take care of the grooming, who feeds and waters the dog, and so on and so forth. There is no such thing as too much preparation! Again, if you are solo then consider that you will have to do all these things by yourself. Your work schedule will have to be accommodating for all of these things. 

Tsuki is a cattle dog/Australian Shepard mix. Very high energy! Consider before adopting your next puppy/dog.

A final piece of consideration to getting a new puppy is the breed of puppy you get. Breeds like Huskies or Malamutes are not recommended breeds for first time dog owners. They need several hours of exercise a day, along with major grooming needs. If you are considering a poodle mix of some sort (think doodle), keep in mind you never know how your dog will look in the end. They have massive grooming needs and you will be at a groomer typically every 4-6 weeks.

If you are not sure of what breed of dog to get, akc.org has a quiz that you can take, and they ask you about the different aspects of your life to help you find the best fit for you! They also have a list of reputable AKC certified breeders if that is the route you want to take. Also look at local rescues, there are many breed specific rescues as well!

Now that we have done some serious planning and research and have found our perfect breed and breeder/rescue, let’s get to the fun part. Buying all the things your puppy will need when they get to your home! 

Items to have before your puppy arrives home

I came across a couple of websites that gave wonderful lists of items to have when welcoming your new puppy, and like always I will have all my references at the end of the article!

  1. Crate
  2. High Quality Puppy Food and High Quality Treats
  3. Water and Food Bowl
  4. Variety of Toys
  5. A Sturdy Leash and Collar
  6. I.D. Tags
  7. Bed
  8. Stain and Odor Remover

Other items that may not be necessary depending on living and training situations but I do recommend also having baby gates and puppy pads. 

Let’s dive deeper into each of these items:

Crate

Your puppy’s crate will be a safe place for them to go to feel secure and to sleep. It will take time for your puppy to be used to their crate and there are lots of articles, videos and podcasts out there to help you with that process. Another note is you do not need to have a large crate! Your puppy’s crate needs to be big enough for them to stand up and turn around but nothing more. If your puppy is going to be a larger breed, consider getting a large cage with dividers. They allow you to have an appropriate size without having to keep upgrading and spending money on cages. 

High Quality Food and Treats

Nutrition is so important for your puppy to grow up healthy and strong. I personally advise getting your puppy’s food from a pet store and avoid major chains that don’t specialize in pets. When I look for new food for my pets, I always look at the ingredients list. When it comes to pet food, they list the ingredients by weight. Avoid any foods where the first ingredient is corn or corn meal. These are filler ingredients that don’t do anything for your pet nutrition wise. I look at the first 5 ingredients to make sure they are healthy options. 

Please note, if you see “meal” at the end of a food that’s okay! When you see “chicken meal” or “beef meal” that simply means that the food has been dehydrated and the moisture taken out. No water weight, all nutrition and protein!

Water Food and Bowl

This one is pretty simple. Make sure the bowl walls are not too high so your puppy isn’t struggling. Or, the opposite. My last dog was a Saint Bernard, so my family needed to invest in a set of water and food bowls that were lifted up to her, even at a very young age. It is very important especially with large breeds to prevent bloat or other digestive issues with any breed of dog to have the appropriate height bowls.

Variety of Toys

Toys are going to help keep your puppy entertained and help burn that puppy energy. When purchasing toys, pick a variety. You never know what your individual puppy will find the most fun. Do they like squeaky toys? Frisbees? Rope toys? There are so many to pick from. Toys are also helpful when it comes to puppy biting, when your puppy nips you, give them a toy instead! Also grab a few for teething, as your puppy will go through teething just like a human infant does. Having something like a soft rubber toy (you can typically find the puppy specific ones in softer colors in the pet stores) will help soothe their gums. 

Note, I would advise getting some sort of chest or container to keep the toys in. Changing out the toys daily helps keep things mentally stimulating and they won’t get bored which can happen if they have access to all of their toys all of the time. It will also help your home stay cleaner!

Sturdy Leash and Collar

It’s going to be so tempting to buy all the cute collars that have the plastic buckle but those plastic buckles will wear over time and eventually will no longer hold, and they typically give when you need them to hold the most. I personally love the collars that have a metal belt type buckle on them. Nylon is great because it’s easily washed, and a leather collar is really sturdy and can also be wiped down easily. 

When picking your leash, pick one that is about 6-8 feet long. Retractable leashes are hard to use when training your puppy and most dog trainers do not recommend them. They can also break if your dog lunges and pulls on the leash hard enough. Same as the collar, a sturdy nylon or leather leash will last you some time. 

Make sure to pick the appropriate weight and thickness. A leash for a Shih Tzu or chihuahua will be much smaller and thinner than a leash for a Labrador Retriever. 

I.D. TAGS

Make sure to always have I.D. Tags on your puppy! Since they are so new to your home, if they accidentally run away they won’t know where to run back to. Talk to your vet about microchipping as well, as tags can fall off and are not a 100% way of getting your puppy back. Microchipping also helps if the unfortunate event happens that your puppy is taken, a vet will be able to scan the chip and see your information registered. 

Beds

Again, a pretty straight forward item. With the cage, make sure it isn’t too big so they can snuggle up and stay secure. I would put a bed where you would like your puppy to rest as well if you do not plan to let them on the couch or your own bed. Look for ones that are easily cleanable, as puppies have accidents. I also advise not purchasing expensive beds for your puppy until they grow out of the chewing phase. I’ve personally lost many dog beds during this time!

Stain and Odor Remover

As mentioned before, puppies have accidents. Having a good stain and odor remover is important, because you want to make sure no odor is left behind. Not only for your own home, but once they smell the spots they pee they tend to go in the same spots again. 

I hope this list and in depth dive to getting a puppy helps you and your family welcome the new bundle of fur! I want to end this article with an extra stress on thinking of training, grooming and veterinary care. Currently this article is being written October 2021, and animal professionals are currently overflowing with the rise of dog ownership due to the coronavirus. Depending on the times you get your puppy, sometimes contacting professionals weeks and months in advance is required. My grooming salon is typically booked weeks out, veterinarians booked out even longer. Do research and find each of these professionals that you want to work with either right when your puppy comes home or before, so when the time comes you won’t be stressed trying to find someone who can take your dog on short notice. 

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References

DogTime. “Bringing Home Your New Dog: Prepping and First Steps.” DogTime, DogTime, https://dogtime.com/dog-health/general/262-adults-bringing-home. Accessed 7 Oct. 2021.

Perry, Somyr. “9 Things You Need Before Bringing Home a New Puppy | BeChewy.” BeChewy, Chewy, 14 Nov. 2018, https://be.chewy.com/new-puppy-checklist-9-things-you-need-before-bringing-home-a-new-puppy/?gclid=CjwKCAjwkvWKBhB4EiwA-GHjFi6FwP239tFxvbU5dVuUJPbryXObEpKAHNXHKff-aGVDb_AW_PHu1RoCWLIQAvD_BwE.

Grooming Tips for Pet Parents

What are Tear Stains and How to Help Reduce Them on your Pets

Alysa Marie

Tear stains are those pesky brown or reddish spots that develop under your dogs’ eyes, muzzle and feet. We noticed this mostly on lighter colored dogs, but this can develop on dark colored coats too. 

Look at Meiko’s face, you can see tear stains around his nose and eyes!

What are they exactly? According to Dogtime.com, these stains are a build up of porphyrin which is a pigment that is found in tears. Now, the reason this build up occurs is typically due to a condition called Epiphora. This condition causes an excess production of tears or is the inability to drain tears correctly. 

Dogs who typically have a hard time with draining their tears are poodles and cocker spaniels due to possible genetic conditions that prevent the tear duct from developing correctly, but this can happen to many breeds. Dogs who are brachycephalic, think pugs and shih tzu, sometimes have a hard time closing their eyes all the way along with these development issues. This inability to close their eyes causes more debris and irritants to be able to come in contact with their eyes creating more tears (dogtime.com). 

There are many medical reasons why your dog is developing tear stains, but this article won’t dive too deep into these. I will provide links to the information I found at the end of this article if you would like to dig deeper! I HIGHLY recommend and encourage talking to your veterinarian. Everything that I said does not come as medical advice for your dog and I am strictly here to help you understand what may be occurring with your dog. Every dog is different, and the veterinarian field is always changing! Again, speak with your vet for better understanding. 

Besides medical issues, in my grooming experience and also listed by dogtime.com, tear stains are also created or are made worse by dyes in a dog’s food, minerals in their water, or stress. 

So what can we do about these tear stains? 

Again, the first thing I would recommend is talk to your vet. Make sure your dog does not have a yeast build up or any other medical conditions that could be causing this build up. As you can see, there are so many factors that can come into play so it’s better to be safe!

After we have seen our vet and made sure that nothing serious is going on, here are 4 things you can look into and try to see if they help reduce/eliminate these stains.

Look into the quality of your dog’s food

A big contributor for tear stains are the dyes that are in some dog foods. I generally tell my clients to avoid foods that have different colors in them. This is just to appeal to us, the owners. Pick foods that do not start with ‘corn’ or ‘corn meal’ in their ingredients as these are just fillers and convert into sugar. No corn, no dyes!

Look into your dog’s water supply

Some of the brown colors coming out of those tear ducts may be the extra minerals that are found in tap water. For this, the solution is pretty simple! Filtered water helps to remove all that excess ‘stuff’ that you find in tap water and will hopefully help to relieve some of those stains!

This product does not require rinsing and is great for in between bathing
Make sure to get a high quality facial shampoo. They will help get those faces clean, along with making sure they don’t hurt your dogs eyes

Start a daily eye hygiene routine with your dog

Pet stores and some online retailers (I would try chewy.com if you can’t make it into your local pet store! I’m not affiliated in any way, they just have a great selection of products) sell wipes that you can use around the eyes to help reduce tear stains. Be careful to make sure not to get any product into the eye itself. With some dogs it will take practice and patience until they are used to having their face handled, but don’t give up and just stay calm and patient. 

When face shy dogs come into my salon or I am grooming them house call, I talk to them in a gentle soothing voice as I pet the top of their head until they calm down. I then work around the checks until they eventually let me touch around their eyes. And yes, sometimes it can take several visits and several tries until the dog trusts me enough to really clean those eyes out like their mom and dad may want. It’s all about trust building!

Keep these areas as dry as possible

If you can, keep some soft paper towels or cloths around and when you notice that there is moisture there, dry it up the best you can. The more moisture that sits there the more of a chance for yeast and other bacteria will build up which can make the stains worse. Again, just like the daily hygiene routine this can take a bit of time before your pup doesn’t make you wiping around their eyes. 

I hope that the information provided and tips given help you get rid of those pesky tear stains! Some of this information is also useful if you find some staining around the mouth and the feet as well! 

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References:

Tear Stains Under Dogs’ Eyes: What They Mean And What You Should Do About Them

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/tear-stains/

Grooming Tips for Pet Parents

Different Types of Brushes for your Dog

Alysa Marie

Hey there pet parents!

Brushing your dog is a key part of taking care of them. Not only does it feel really good to them, it helps you bond and strengthen your relationship. Brushing your dog also gives you a great opportunity to see how your dog is doing physically. Over time you will be able to notice subtle changes: new bumps or moles, if your dog is sensitive to touch in areas, if the skin is getting dry or flaky, etc. Bring these things up to your groomer, trainer or vet. It can make a huge difference!

Depending on the kind of dog and the coat type they, it will determine what type of brushes you should use and how often you should brush them.

So how often? Let’s cover that first! From my experience, I recommend a daily or every other day brushing for long hair dogs which I consider to be dogs like Poodle/Doodle, Shih Tzu, Yorkie, Maltese and such. Breeds with hair that grow continuously like ours. 

 And a weekly brushing for our short hair or double coated dogs. These are our shedders: goldens, labs, beagles, Shelties etc. 

Brushing prevents matting, helps make coats shiny and soft, and lessens shedding. 

CAUTION: With some brushes I am going to give special attention to “brush burn”. This is when a person brushes either too hard or too much in a certain spot and the skin becomes red and irritated. If the spot starts to become really irritated you will see dark red spots appear in the red area. If any irritation occurs, stop! Let this heal. There are products you can purchase online or at most pet stores for hot spots. Typically this comes in a spray or foam, and is used to help their skin feel better. I keep this on hand, as I never know how sensitive a dog’s skin can be to brushing. Always pause to check for redness. If your pet starts to fuss while brushing first ask yourself if you’ve recently checked the skin! Lastly, even if not mentioned brush burn can happen with ANY brush and ANY type of fur. There are certain brushes that may cause it more easily than others. 

I will update the article with pictures as soon as I can gather up my tools!

Types of Brushes:

Slicker Brushes

Slicker: This brush has small, fine metal bristles that are typically hooked on the end. This is used for helping to brush out mats on long coated dogs. Because of how close these bristles are and because normally these brushes do not have plastic tips on the bristles either, they can cause brush burn if used in the same spot for too long. They come in a variety of sizes and bristle length. Make sure you get one long enough that will get all the way through the coat to the skin.

Pin: Pin brushes are similar to slicker brushes. Typically round in shape, the bristles are more stiff, spread farther apart and have a cover at the end or are more rounded. They make these for people too, although I do not recommend using people brushes as they may break. These brushes are used for the silkier breeds, Silkie Terriers and Yorkies as some examples. Although you can use a slicker brush on these breeds, their fur is typically much thinner and can develop brush burn more easily, so the pin brush is easier on their skin. I also love to use this type of brush in the bath! I brush through the conditioner to make sure the dog is soft and tangle free!

Metal Tooth Combs

Comb: For your dog, you should always use a metal toothed comb. You can find these at most pet stores and online! These are great for going in after using a pin or slicker bruck to find tangles or mats you may have missed. No need to try and get those out with the comb if they are too big, as it can pull on the skin. Take turns using your comb and brush to get out all the tangles and mats! They also make shedding combs which are metal and have 2 different sized teeth and are closer together to catch the undercoat, and are great for golden retrievers, shelties and similar. 

Shedding Blade/Furminator: I decided to put all of these tools together because they are all very similar in both function and the types of breeds that use these tools. Shedding blades are metal and small v shaped teeth. You will see them in big loops with a handle for bigger jobs, but personally I avoid using these. The ones I would suggest have a wooden handle and are much smaller. Not sponsored in any way but I am in love with my SleekEZ brand. Anything similar would be great, I feel this just helps me make sure I get out more undercoat while being able to work around the dog’s skeletal structure better. Furminator is another name brand tool, but you can find others just like it. The Furminator is similar to the SleekEZ, but has a button to help release the hair from the brush. They come in more of a variety of sizes, and their packaging helps pet parents know which size is right for them! These are my go to’s for huskies, malamutes, heavy shedding labs, german shepherds, etc. 

Bristle: These bristles are the closest together, and are typically made of plastic or natural fibers and are much softer. A lot of times you will find these made for dogs with a bristle brush on one side and a pin brush on the other side. Bristle brushes can be used for both long and short haired dogs! On long coated dogs after the de-tangling process to help make their coats shinier, and to help clean and deshed very short and smooth coated dogs like boston terriers, boxers, and italian greyhounds. These are great for those later breeds as most other brushes could cause brush burn on them as their coats are so fine. 

Undercoat Rake

Rake: These are metal toothed and come in a variety of styles, google “undercoat rake” and you will see what I am talking about. Like you will be able to see when I get this updated, my favorite has 2 rows of metal teeth, the front row is longer than the back. As suggested by the name, these are another tool for heavy shedders with double coats like Malamutes, Huskies, and Chows. There are also ones that typically have 1 row, and have a hook on every other or every third tooth. Be careful with these! It is very easy to cause brush burns and also called “dematting rakes”. I rarely use them, so just use caution when using them to be sure you use them on the correct areas and breeds of dog. 

Rubber Curry Brush: These are rubber type brushes and are typically round and fit in your hand. Used on short coated dogs, I like to use them during the bath to help massage the dog and work the soap into the coat. It feels great for them and helps get a really good clean on them! I do not recommend using these on long coated dogs, pin brushes will give you this effect for those breeds! Rubber curry brushes can also be used on short coated dogs outside the tub on dry dogs to help remove dead skin and hair, and can even be used on breeds that use bristle brushes as long as you watch for skin irritation. Zoom Groom is a name brand item for these, and I do prefer these as I like the way they fit in my hand the style of rubber teeth. 

These are the most common brushes that you will use at home! I hope I was able to cover most of the major ones, with recommendations on brands the best that I can! Please feel free to leave comments if you have any questions, I would love to answer them! Have a most wonderful day and I hope you and your pet enjoy many wonderful grooming sessions together!

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