Dog Smells: How to Eliminate Them...

Dog Smells: How to Eliminate Them...

Certainly every dog owner we know loves to cuddle up to their pet pooch while some even sleeps with their beloved pet. Constant hugging and cuddling with your pet promotes a stronger bond between you and your pet. But what if your beloved pooch starts to give off an unbearable stinking smell? Foul dog odor can develop from a number of reasons and causes a lot of concerns to dog owners. But you don't have to worry, these abominable smells that your dog get is easily eliminated if proper hygiene is practiced. Here are some smell elimination tips you can try to get rid of those funky smell in your pet:

Regular washing. Schedule a weekly washing of your dog's bedding and blankets to remove stinky odor. Regular washing of your pet's beddings and blankets prevents odors from wetness and dirt in getting sealed into his bedding.

Bath you dog. Depending on the kind of breed and activity level of a dog, some dogs requires weekly bathing while other dogs need only to be bathe every few weeks to a month. Determine the right bathing schedule for your dog and do it regularly. In general, if your dog starts to smell like a dog, then it's always the right time for his bath. Buy a dog shampoo that is formulated to remove smells.

Regular grooming. Not only a dirty coat can cause BO in your dog, many other parts of your dog's body can contribute to his smelliness. Check and clean your dog's ears, ear wax can build up and cause a stinking smell in your pet's ears. Regular brushing of your dog's teeth and occasional application of dog breath spray helps prevent bad dog breath.

Impromptu mess cleaning. If your dog is sick and vomits, or has diarrhea, or an accident, quickly clean up hiss mess. Use water to clean the mess and white paper towels to dry it.
Check your dog's food. A number of manufactured dog foods contribute to an unpleasant dog stink due to some ingredients. Try giving your dog a homemade diet more often to decrease foul stink.

Neutralize odors. Neutralize stinky dog odors by applying pet deodorizing spray in your dog's coat.

Check your pet's anal sacs. Anal sacs are two small scent-sacs in the area of your dog's anus. Dogs whose anal sacs have filled up with fluid will experience itching, irritation and discomfort around the anus, as well as emitting a foul odor. If your pet starts to "scoot" or "drag" his bottom on the floor for relief, he is actually attempting to express the sacs himself. Immediately bring your pet to the vet for proper medication.

Bring your dog to the vet. Make a regular visit to your vet every 6 months for your dog's check-up. Your veterinarian should tell you whether or not your dog's smell is due to a sickness or not. Some of the diseases that causes stinking dog odor includes ear infection, atopy, gum and teeth disease, diabetes and kidney failure among others.

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Brushing When Your Dog is Shedding...

Brushing When Your Dog is Shedding...

One major concern of most dog owners during shedding season is how to properly brush and groom their pet’s shedding hair without worsening hair loss. Here is how to groom your dog’s hair during shedding:

Step 1:
Once the shedding begins, take a trip to the pet shop and buy two types of dog brushes, a soft brush and a small metal-bristled brush to remove most of the shedding hair.

Step 2:
It is recommended to brush your dog’s hair in an outdoor location to avoid having dog hair all over your house. Brush your dog in the backyard, or in a hard floor where you can easily sweep up the fallen pet hairs.

Step 3:
Ensure that your dog’s coat is perfectly dry before brushing. Have your dog sitting or standing when grooming him, although a standing dog is easier to brush all at once.

Step 4:
Pet your dog so that he will be comfortable during the brushing activity.

Step 5:
Start working with the soft brush to release all of the hair that is getting ready to come off. Then carefully brush the metal-bristled or shedding brush through your dog’s hair, from front to back. Hair will gently start to pull off your dog's back.

Step 6:
As hair accumulates in the brush, pull it off, and then continue brushing until all loose hair is removed. If hair looks like it's about to shed, but doesn't come out, you'll have to wait for it to naturally loosen.

Step 7:
Reward your dog with a treat after successful brushing, and then clean up the floor or the yard with a vacuum.
Aside from proper hair brushing, it is also important that you know what kind of brush is right to use for the job. The following are the best brushes you can chose from for your shedding dog:

Rubber Brushes. Rubber brushes allow owners to gently pull loose hair from short-coated shedding dogs. Rubber curry brushes are the best brushes for removing dead, unwanted hair and bringing a healthy sheen to the fur of short-haired dogs.

Slicker Brushes. These types of brushes have fine wire bristles embedded into a cushioned surface and a wood or plastic handle. Slicker brushes are best for removing loose hair and tangled mats from long-haired or curly coated shedding dogs.

Bristle Brushes. Bristle brushes have nylon or boar bristles and are best used on all types of dog coats, but they are best suited for small dogs and dogs with sensitive skin. Bristle brushes promote stimulation of dog's skin and increase coat health. They can be used for everyday grooming to get rid of surface dust, dirt and dead fur on your dog’s coat.

Pin Brushes. Pin brushes are typically oval-shaped with rust-resistant, rubber-coated wire pins to prevent scratching or irritating your dog’s skin. Pin brushes are efficient in separating and untangling fur on shedding dogs with sensitive skin and medium to long thick, woolly or curly coats.

Undercoat Rakes, Shedding Blades and the FURminator. The undercoat rake works best for dogs with thick double coats. The rake's teeth infiltrate through the overcoat into the thick undercoat, removing loose hair or work out tangled, matted fur. Used like a brush, shedding blades are the best tool for removing loose hair from thick-coated, heavily shedding dogs. The FURminator is best for long-haired shedding dogs. It can reduce shedding up to 90 percent by removing dogs' loose, dead undercoat without hurting their topcoat.



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Seasonal Allergies I : Flea Allergy...

Seasonal Allergies I : Flea Allergy...

Allergies caused by the change in season are very common to pet animals, most especially in dogs. One of the most common seasonal allergy problems in pet dogs is flea allergy dermatitis. Flea allergy is the result of your pet's reaction to flea saliva when a flea bites your pet. Flea allergy dermatitis can result to severe allergic reaction for most dogs and can lead to the development of secondary skin infections like pyoderma, if not treated properly.

Fleas are parasites that live on sucking the blood of its host; it can live a life span of 6 to 12 months. However, this life span is influenced by environmental conditions and can vary from two to three weeks up to a year. Optimal conditions also include humidity of 75 to 85 percent and temperature of 65 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Humidity is more important than the temperature. Flea eggs are found in the environment, though, the adult flea inhabits most of the time in its host body.

Flea allergy disease is manifested through the following: severe and excessive itching, chewing and biting of body parts; hot spots or acute moist dermatitis on your dog's hips or face, which is a result from exuberant scratching; and oozing lesions from chewing.

If your pet happens to have a flea infestation, no need to panic yet, flea allergy is treatable. Effective treatment of flea allergy dermatitis includes four important phases:

The prevention of flea bites that causes the allergy.
Assertive control of flea infestation in your pet dog as well as in his environment.
Treatment of secondary skin infections that have developed in your dog's body due to itching and scratching. Antibiotics and antifungal drugs may be administered to treat skin infections triggered by the flea allergy.
Breaking your dog's itch cycle. Giving steroids to your dog, on a short course, may be essential to break his itch cycle.

Below are some tips on how to prevent and avoid flea infestation in your pet dog:
Clean-up. Frequently vacuum and clean your carpeting to remove eggs and larvae from your dog's indoor dwelling. If you had difficulty exterminating the fleas inside your house, you can hire a professional cleaning or exterminating service to effectively do the job.

Dog Brushing. Frequently grooming your dog with a "flea comb" can help remove fleas from his hair and coat.

Flea Control Products. Try using an effective and safe flea control product on your dog on a regular basis during flea season. You can start using this flea control product one month prior to the start of flea season and continuing up until a month after the flea season ends.

Dog Check-up. Take your pet to the vet for flea allergy diagnosis that is based on history, clinical signs and a positive response to flea control. If your pet has already a flea allergy problem and starts developing acute skin lesions (acute moist dermatitis) due to excessive biting or scratching at fleas, consult your veterinarian for proper medication to be given to your dog.

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