The skin is the largest organ of the body and it’s a mirror of your pet's health:
One of the secrets of skin health is nutrition, a correct hygiene and the welfare of your pet. A poor diet or illness will be manifested in the fur, making it dull and brittle.
Hygiene care vary depending on the coat type, lifestyle and animal species.
Brushing:
Animals with long coat should be daily brushed to maintain the dog’s coat health and cleanliness. Animals with short or medium coat, should be brushed once to twice per week. In spring and fall, the brushing should be more frequent, to remove the dead fur.
Bathing:
Cats, usually, don’t require bathing. They can take care, very carefully, of their personal hygiene.
Regarding dogs, the minimum baths rule should be applied. Indoor dogs should take, maximum, one bath per month. Outdoor dogs should not bathe during winter.
When bathing your pet, you should use an appropriate shampoo to the species and type of coat. Avoid using perfume or shampoo with intense smell because they disturb your animal. Never use insecticide shampoos because they can be toxic.
These recommendations apply only to healthy animals with fur. In the case of animals with skin problems, seek advice from your veterinarian.
Cleaning eyes and ears:
The eyes can be daily cleaned if necessary with ocular solution or wipes especially to this effect.
You should check and clean the ears of your pet every week with a suitable wash solution, to prevent otitis. The use of swabs is not recommended.
Nail cutting:
Like our nails, the dog’s nails also grow. If the dog spends a lot of time outdoor, you don’t need to worry about the maintenance of the nails because the wear will proceed naturally. Indoor dogs, sometimes have oversized nails. In this cases the size of the nails can cause difficulties in waking and they can easily be broken causing painful sores that can infect. The dog’s nails should not exceed the level of the base of the paw. You can consider a sign that they are getting to long when the dog is walking and you hear the touch on the ground.
In the case of cats living only inside the house, trimming the nails every two weeks would be ideal. Regardless of cutting nails, cats should have access to a scratching pole. Cats that have access to the exterior of the house should have their nails cut since they are essential to self-defense and to escape from other animals.
