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Dog Grooming Essay

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All dogs need grooming, but some dogs need more grooming than others.

Baxter's owners did not realize that their dog should be combed frequently and completely to prevent kinks and knots caused by intertwining of hairs or by dirt, grit, or vegetative matter in the coat. Mats can pull tender skin and cause pain and lead to hot spots or wounds to irritated skin and eventual infection, general skin outbreaks, or fungus or insect invasion.

Shaving may be the only solution for felted mats, but it must be done carefully to avoid nicking the dog or further irritating already inflamed skin.

Breeds that need frequent grooming to prevent mats and keep their coats healthy include Cocker Spaniel, Afghan Hound, Otterhound, …show more content…

Before bathing, clear any mats or tangles from Ginger's coat.
Teach her to stand in the tub, then add warm or tepid water.
Soak her to the skin, lather, then rinse thoroughly to prevent dull, sticky coat and dry skin.
Take care to keep water and soap out of her eyes and ears and clean her face and the insides of her ears with a sponge or washcloth.
Daily examination
Even if Ginger doesn't need daily grooming, check her thoroughly to make sure she has no cuts, sores, fleas, rashes, bumps, ticks, or hitchhikers in her coat or dirt in her ears. Remove fleas with a fine-toothed comb and drop them into a container of soapy water. Remove embedded ticks with tweezers or protected fingers and drop them in a vial of alcohol. (Grasp the tick body, rock it back and forth, then pull firmly.) Carefully remove vegetative matter such as grass awns, seed casings, or thorny twigs with fingers or comb.

During this daily exam, check Ginger's feet and ears, look at her teeth, and feel for cuts or tumors.

Shedding
Dog hair grows and dies just as human hair does. Some dogs — particularly hard-coated terriers and Poodles — hang on to their dead hair, thus requiring special grooming to remove it. Other dogs give it up quite readily, all over the house. Double-coated dogs generally drop their soft undercoats twice a year and lose their guard hairs once a year, although some individual dogs might shed constantly

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