barking bobtails

Regular ear check-ups & cleaning contributes to healthy ears, free from painful infections. Inbetween your

dogs grooming sessions the pet owner should practice a weekly cleaning habit, routinely cleaning with a commercial ear cleaning solotion & checking their dogs ears.

DO NOT USE SOAP & WATER AND NEVER USE COTTON BUDS.

Dogs can grow hair in the ear canal & although this can sometimes protect the ear, too much growth & loose hair can cause bad infections. This hair must be removed by your vet or your groomer during their grooming session. The hair in the ear canal must only be removed when there are no signs of ear health problems. If the pet owner or groomer should see any signs off problems within the ear then this should be investigated immediately by your vet.

COMMON EAR PROBLEMS: Head shaking & ear scratching

  Ears sensitive to touch

  Waxy discharges & strong odours

  Fleas, ticks or mites

  Swelling & skin redness

Never clean or remove hair more than one half inch down into the ear opening. The ear area further down is best left to your vet.

Over cleaning sensitive ears may cause irritation. The result may be redness, or the dog scratching its ears where it wasn't before, however this should soon settle down. To help soothe your pets ears which have become irritated from the the hair removal process, moisten a cotton wool ball very lightly (it must not be dripping) with a commercial ear cleaning solotion and swab the ear canal area. Repeat as needed.

If symptoms persist than i recommend you see your vet.

Cutting your dogs nails can be frustrating since most dogs do not like sitting still!

However checking that your dogs nails do not grow too long is an important part

of their check-ups, as

they can grow and curl into your pets pads or break causing your dog a lot of pain.

The earlier you introduce your pup to having his/her nails clipped or filed the better

as it can be very hard

to introduce this to a dog later in their lives without causing them some distress. If the nail is left to

grow to long, it is most likely that the quick will be closer to the end. This means more liklehood of

bleeding during trimming.

Light coloured nails are easier to cut than dark ones as the blood vessels & nerves that supply the

toenail, called the quick, is easier to see. If you cut into the quick the toenail will bleed and your dog will experience some pain. The bleeding can be stopped with some 'blood powder stopper' (these are available

from most pet shops & grooming suppliers). Even without treatment the nail

should stop bleeding in about 5 minutes. Nails on the rear paws are often shorter

& require less frequent trimming. It is much better to have a small amount trimmed

on a regular basis than to try & remove large portions.

Walking your dog on hard surfaces such as pavements will naturally wear down

the nails, this will also help to regress the quick into the nail. Walking your dog

and regular trims will allow you to cut the nail shorter each time.

Just remember little & often is important when trimming your dogs nails.