Happy Sunday!

I'm enjoying a nice day off, but after submitting a few new photos of some pets I groomed this past week, I of course started reminiscing. There were a couple that I took some great, useful home grooming tips from. Let's get started.....

1. I groomed Mushie, the sweetest, most cooperative Persian cat ever! Persians have very smooshed in noses and therefore their folds between the eyes and the nose get "gunky". So make sure and use a moist (warm or tepid, never hot or cold!) piece of gauze to wipe away any gunk within the folds. Make sure and wipe the eyes gently and also the nose. With a smooshed nose, there can be a tendency to have difficulty breathing. So make sure and keep the nostrils free of any discharge or "boogers"!

2. Some people with dogs and cats that have long hair don't realize the maintenance that can be entailed when acquiring the pet. So read this! Certain breeds of dogs like Shih Tzus, Yorkies, Poodles, long haired dogs can get matted, or knotted, hair. This can be very uncomfortable as it pull on the skin. Imagine if you had longer hair and you didn't brush and your hair just developed a huge knot, pulling on your scalp. Well, that's what they feel. Long haired breed cats, such as above mentioned Persians, and also Himalayans and your typical domestic long haired cat can also require maintenance to avoid matting. So to prevent this, you want to go to your local pet store or hop online to Amazon or wherever you will to acquire a couple of essential grooming tools.

    -A steel comb. This is a great tool for regular, everyday combing. Why a steel comb and not those brushes that have the wire bristles?? Well, the brush with wire bristles, aka slicker brush, only brushes the top coat. It doesn't get down to the roots. A comb will. You want to get a comb down to the roots and comb the hair through. Mats will typically start closer to the root and not the ends. The longer the mat is there, the worse it gets. ALWAYS COMB THE HAIR RIGHT BEFORE BATHING!!! Bathing and wetting the mat only makes it worse. The next time you get in the shower, if you have long hair, don't brush beforehand if you normally do, and you'll notice the difference.
    -A rake. This is a comb, if you can call it that, that will get down to the roots under a mat that has already developed. It is comprised of blades that will cut the mat out of the hair. This is only to use on mats that have just started forming!! If your pet is severely matted, do not use the rake. Your pet needs to have a shave down. Again, let's use our imagination. You have long hair and this big knot that is pulling on most of your scalp and you try to use a comb, that yes has blades, but you have to pull and pull to get that knot out. The smaller the mat, the less pulling, the less "torture" as I like to call it.

So please make sure and pick up these tools and use them appropriately! This will help you avoid matted hair and make your pet much happier!