Pet Den

Bathing and grooming your dog

Do you like being unclean? We know your answer... it’ll naturally be a big ‘NO’. Everyone likes to be clean. This goes for animals too. They also like to be clean and healthy. They also want to look good and smell nice. But, they can’t clean themselves the way we do.

Their owners, that means you, have the responsibility of keeping them clean. Haven’t your mothers advised you not to bathe in the evening or not to come out of the bath too soon? They obviously would have done so, many times.

That is because, if you don’t bathe the proper way, you are likely to end up being sick. Likewise, there is a proper way of bathing animals too. It’s not just applying shampoo and putting some water on them.

Today our Veterinary Surgeon, Dr D.A.U. Samankumara of the Kirindiwela Animal Clinic advises you about the correct way of bathing your pet.

Bathing a dog not only keeps the animal clean, but it also increases the blood supply to its coat, helping it have a healthy and shiny coat. Bathing helps remove the ticks and fleas in the coat, while also removing the unpleasent odour of the dog.

But these benefits don’t mean that you should bathe your dog each and every day. This would reduce the natural oil content of the coat, giving it a rough, dry look. You should bathe your dog only once every fortnight. Small, milking puppies who are less than two weeks old, weak dogs and ill dogs should be bathed only at the right time(after consulting a vet).

Categorisation

We can divide dogs into two categories.

1. Dogs with long fur
2. Dogs with short fur

Different breeds require different ways and different schedules of bathing. With long-haired dogs like Pomeranians, Chaw-chaws and Collies, you should make sure that you dry them properly after the bath. It will take a long time for them to dry; so, the best option is to bathe them on a sunny day.

Dogs with short fur such as Dobermann Pinschers, Dalmatians and Great Danes do not need much attention as with those with long fur. But they too should be bathed on a sunny day. They should not be bathed too early in the morning or too late in the afternoon.

You should bathe puppies only after they are three weeks old. Their first bath should be just a sponging with warm water. The head of puppies should not be bathed to prevent water going into their ears and infecting them. It is rather common for dogs to catch an ear infection. They should not be bathed with handshowers or hose-pipes as water could go into their ears. A better option is to put a shower cap on them.

You should use soap or shampoo to wash their coats, as there is a possibility of them getting dandruff. However, you should be careful not to use soap which contains Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) as one of its ingredients. These soaps can damage your dog’s coat.

Always use soap that has Potassium Hydroxide (KOH) and pH balance between 5.5-7. If you don’t dry your dog’s coat after the bath, it will get dandruff.

Your dog’s bath time is the ideal time to check for external parasites. If there are any ticks, consult your veterinary surgeon and get medication. If you bathe your pet every day because of its unpleasant odour, think twice about this practice. It will not be very good for the animal’s coat and could even increase its unpleasant odour.

Just as much as bathing, grooming your pet is also important. So, brush your dog’s coat properly and check for dandruff and external parasites. When brushing your dog’s coat, first brush it the wrong way (in upward direction, i.e. from tail to head), then in the right direction. It’s better to brush daily. Don’t use strong perfumes on your dog. It’s not good for its sensitive nose.

If you want to darken the colour of its coat, there are many shampoos available which could do the trick. Get instructions from your dog’s veterinary surgeon however, before you experiment with such products.

- Janani Amarasekara

I love Mitty and Bitty

There are two kittens in my house. They are Bitty and Mitty. They are twins. They have grey and yellow spots. Bitty has yellow spots on its neck, while Mitty has yellow spots on its head. I have tied beautiful ribbons around their necks, so, I know which one is Bitty and which one is Mitty.

I give them chicken, fish and milk. They also have a chair to sleep on. It is very difficult to get photographs of my pets because they don’t like the camera and run under my bed whenever I take my camera out.

I love Mitty and Bitty and they also love me a lot.

D. P. Suvimali Jayasinghe, Grade 6, Sirimavo Bandaranaike Balika Vidyalaya, Colombo 7.
 

Faithful Blacky

My pet is a dog. It is a Dobermann. Its name is Blacky as it is black in colour. It’s very small. Blacky is very faithful to me. Its favourite game is hide and seek. I love Blacky very much.

Madara Pavani Abeyweera, Weerapokuna VMMV, Chilaw.
 

My pet

My pet is a dog. Its name is Pinky. My pet is white and black and very beautiful. I love my pet.

Isuru Aravinda Jayasundera, Grade 2, Oasis International School, Colombo 12.
 

Playful Lasy

My pet is named Lasy. It has a white, smooth coat. It’s small and looks like a ball. Lasy has a long tail with black and white spots. It has a lovely pink nose while its tongue is also pink. It’s very beautiful.Lasy likes to drink milk. It’s very playful. I love my darling Lasy; it also adores me.

L. W. Ashinsa Ronali, Grade 6, Kuliyapitiya Central College.