Pet grooming is the best opportunity that you have got to bond with your pet. That is not all, grooming your pet all by yourself is cost effective as compared to taking it to a professional. However, grooming your pet at home is not an easy task.
If you decide home dog grooming, you have to be very careful because a simple mistake can result in an injury of your pet or if the worse comes to the worst, your pet can die. What you should understand that if you make a mistake while grooming your pet, the injury that you will cause your dog or cat or any other pet that you own will not only be physical, but it is an emotional injury as well. Once this happens, your pet is likely to lose its confidence in you, and thus your relationship is likely to be affected.
What you require if you choose to groom your pet all by yourself is a lot of patience and the right grooming equipment. You can be sure that with these two things, your pet grooming will be fun and very simple.
The following are some of the common grooming mistakes that pet owners make while grooming their pets and what you should do in case an accident happens:
Shaving
Many pet owners make mistakes while shaving their pets. While shaving their pet, pet owners tend to get too close to the skin of the pet while shaving, which is likely to lead to a nasty razor burn to the skin. When you are shaving your pet, ensure that you do not get too close to the skin of your pet because the razor is likely either burn or cut the skin of your pet.
When the skin of your pet gets burnt or cut, it is an entry point for germs and other disease-causing pathogens into the body of your pet.
If while you are shaving your pet, you realise that you have accidentally injured the skin of your pet, stop immediately and apply some first aid to your pet to avoid any possible infection from occurring. It is recommended that if such an accident happen while you are shaving your pet, clean the wound and apply some antibacterial salve before taking your pet to the veterinary for further treatment.
If an injury occurs while shaving your pet, one important thing that you should do is to let your pet know that you did not do that intentionally. You can hug your pet and show it some love and apologise, though it will not understand your words, your actions will speak louder than words.
Poor Shampooing
Many pet owners make mistakes while shampooing their pets. You will agree with me that pets either a dog or cat will not stay still while you are grooming them – they like moving their heads. This, coupled with carelessness during the shampooing process that leads to disaster.
When you are shampooing your pet if you are not careful, the shampoo or chemical that you are using can easily get into the eyes of your pet. When shampoo or any other chemical, in that case, gets into the eye, it causes eye irritation, and your pet is not going to like it at all.
If while you are shampooing your pet, it enters into the eyes, stay calm and wash off the soap with clean water or a saline solution. When you have done this, gently dab the corners of the pet’s eyes with a clean towel. Next, show your pet some affection by either cuddling it to make it feel that you did not intend to hurt it.
*Also take note that you have to be extra careful to avoid water going through their ears and nose. When water enters into their ears, it will cause ear infection and water can get into their lungs when water get into their nose.
Let The Pet Loose
Another very common mistake that pet owners make while grooming their pets is to let the pet unrestrained while grooming it. This is not recommended unless you have successfully groom your pet multiple times with training commands.
If you let your pet loose while grooming it, it might be injurious to your pet. This is because many pets do not like baths, and hence they will try to run away. While your pet is trying to run away, it can be very dangerous to the well- being of your pet and yourself. Your pet might run and slip on the wet floor, resulting in fractures or it might be frightened and turn on you, either scratching you or jumping on you.
It is recommendable that when you want to groom your dog, for example, have it on a leash. You can also opt to muzzle your pet when grooming it or if you are bathing it outside, ensure that your gate is closed so that it will not run on the road and onto incoming traffic. The necessary evil for its safety.
Too Hot Or Cold Water
Often, pet owners make the mistake of bathing their pets using either too hot or too cold water. If you use too hot or too cold water when bathing your pet, you are likely to provoke a negative reaction from your pet – hatred of taking a bath. It is recommended that you use lukewarm water when bathing your pet.
So, how can you know the right water temperature to use to bathe your pet? It is easy, spray some water on your forearm, if you can withstand the temperature, then it is safe for use. However, you should remember that your pet’s skin is more sensitive to temperature change than yours so be careful.
That is not all if you are using a nozzle spray to wash your pet, ensure that you do not use a spray jet directly on your pet because the loud noise that is made is likely to frighten your pet. Hence it is advisable that you use a hand spray to wash your pet.
If you do not have a hand spray, spray the water directly on your pet but ensure that the water first falls on the back of your hand to reduce the pressure.
Grooming your own pets should not be a pain in your life. If you prefer to have someone else groom your pet, opt for a professional groomer like us and we can groom your pet in the comfort of its familiar surroundings.
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