Brushing your Golden Retriever regularly will help prevent shedding (especially important if you have allergies) and matting of his fur. Matting is not only unattractive, but it’s uncomfortable for your dog as well. Brushing also helps you remove burs and other foreign matter that could threaten his health. Regular grooming will help maintain a shiny, healthy coat and enhance your Golden Retriever’s quality of life.
Grooming your Golden Retriever is a time-consuming process. Grooming should be done at least once, preferably twice, ever week. You can expect to spend about one-half an hour in the grooming process. The first step in the grooming process is a good brushing. Brush the entire body, from head to tail. When you’ve finished brushing, you can use a comb to remove any remaining loose hair and help distribute oils evenly throughout your Golden Retriever’s coat. While you’re accomplishing hair removal, you can also inspect your pet’s roots and skin for ticks and fleas or skin irritations. This will also be a good time to inspect his ears to be sure they’re clean and healthy and trim his nails.
You should give your Golden Retriever regular baths, too. Though it’s a little complicated, the path will keep his coat and skin in good condition and reduce your exposure to allergens. After brushing to get rid of tangles and loose hair, bathe your Golden Retriever with a shampoo designed specifically for dogs. Human shampoos are too harsh for a dog’s sensitive skin. You’ll find that two baths a month will be sufficient to maintain your Golden’s coat. If you do it consistently, your Golden Retriever’s coat will be easier to brush and clean.
Abhishek is an avid dog lover and he has got some great Dog Health Secrets up his sleeves! Download his FREE 80 Pages Ebook, “How To Take Care Of Your Dog’s Health” from his website http://www.Dog-Tale.com/192/index.htm . Only limited Free Copies available.
Dalmatians & Demodicosis
Demodex mites are present on the skin of all dogs, even Dalmatians, but in some animals born with a defective immune system the numbers increase and begin to cause problems. Dalmatians are usually cited as one of the most common breeds affected with this condition. Although it is thought to be genetically transmitted, the mode of transmission has never been conclusively demonstrated.
Most cases of demodicosis are seen in young pups and fully 90% of cases self-cure with or no medical intervention by the time Dalmatians reach18-36 months of age. In these cases, it is suspected that the immune system is marginally compromised and eventually matures and gets the condition under control. On the other hand, some pups (about 10% of those initially affected) do not get better and, in fact, become progressively worse. These are thought to have more severe immunologic compromise and are often labeled as having “generalized demodicosis.”
The diagnosis is easily made by scraping the skin with a scalpel blade and looking at the collected debris under a microscope. The Demodex mites are cigar-shaped and are easily seen. What is harder to identify is the immunoiogic defect that allowed the condition to occur in the first place. Recent research has suggested the problem may be linked to a decrease in interleukin-2 response but the genetics is still a question.
If the cause of the immune dysfunction can be cured, the mange will resolve on its own. Likewise, if Dalmatians outgrow its immunoiogic immaturity or defect, the condition will self-cure. This process can best be assisted by ensuring a healthy diet is being fed, treating for any internal parasites or other diseases, and perhaps using cleansing shampoos and nutritional supplements that help bolster the immune system. However, if the condition does not resolve on its own, or if it is getting worse despite therapy, special mite-killing treatments are necessary.
Amitraz is the most common dip used. It must be remembered that killing the mites will not restore the immune system to normal. Regarding prevention, it is best not to breed Dalmatians with a history of demodicosis and dogs with generalized demodicosis should never be bred.
Grooming Your Golden Retriever
Grooming your Golden Retriever is a never ending process. The entire process should be down once or twice a week, and will take you around a ½ an hour of time. Brushing your dog while he is shedding will help to control shedding quite a bit. While outside, if your Golden Retriever manages to get burs or other defects in his hair, you should instantly take a few moments of your time and get the burs or other matter out of his coat.
When you groom your pet, you should always start with a good brushing. Brush his entire body, then once you have finished brushing you can switch to a comb to get out any loose hair that remains in the coat. While you are getting out the hair, you can also inspect your pet for ticks, fleas, and other types of skin ailments. If you wish, you can also check his ears and trim his nails as well.
Bathing your Golden is essential to grooming, and can be somewhat complicated. Before you attempt to give him a bath, you should always brush him first, to get rid of tangles. During shampooing, you should always use shampoos that are specifically for dogs, since human shampoo can dry a dog’s skin out. You don’t need to bathe your dog often, once every other week is good enough. If you properly maintain your Golden’s coat, you’ll find it’s much easier to clean.
To prevent matting, which is very common with Golden Retrievers, you should always make sure that you brush your pet on a daily basis. Metal combs and brushes work extremely well, and will help you to get a great deal of the hair out. Although some people choose to use scissors and cut the mats, you can easily injure your Golden Retriever if he happens to move or jerk. Scissors aren’t recommended, as brushing and proper bathing will help to prevent matting of the hair better than anything else.
When you cut your dogs nails, you should trim them a great deal, all the while avoiding going down into the quick. You should never let the nails of your Golden Retriever get too long, as long nails can easily take the shape of the dog’s foot, resulting in a splay. Therefore, you should always check your Golden Retriever’s nails and trim them every few weeks. If you trim them just right, you’ll have at least 2 weeks before they need to be trimmed again. If you do happen to trim the nails past the quick, bleeding will occur. To stop the bleeding, always keep some styptic powder on hand to make sure that you are prepared if you do make a mistake.
With other types of grooming, you should also make sure that you clean your Golden’s ears as well. They can get ear infections quite easily, if you don’t clean their ears on a regular basis. To get the best results and protect your pet from ear infections, you should clean his ears once a week using a quality cleansing solution. This way, you can rest assured that your Golden Retriever has healthy ears.
Grooming is an essential aspect to the health of every Golden Retriever. All it takes is a little bit of time from your day to groom your pet and keep him healthy. If you don’t have the time to groom your Golden, you can always take him to a professional. Whether you do it yourself or take your Golden Retriever to a pro – grooming is something that simply must be done.