Taking care of a pet is a big responsibility for all owners. It is necessary to pay attention to the furry’s basic needs, such as food, health care, emotional well-being and hygiene. And, of course, many questions arise during everyday life: am I offering adequate food? Is the animal disease free? Do pets need bathing and grooming all week?
For some questions, only the assistance of a veterinary professional is indicated to answer them. Now, about the doubt about bathing and grooming, we can help you. We list the main points about the indications for bathing and grooming animals, check it out:
The importance of bathing and grooming pets
More than an aesthetic issue, proper pet hygiene care is essential to avoid bad smells, as well as controlling the oiliness in the hair, preventing fleas, ticks, fungi and other parasites that can compromise the health of animals.
For this reason, it is very important for pet owners to know how many times a week (or month) they can bathe their pets. Since excess can be just as harmful to their health as the lack .
But how can I identify how often my pet needs to bathe?
The first thing that needs to be clear is: there are no general rules for determining whether pets need a weekly bath and grooming. No animal is the same as the other, both in physical characteristics and in habits in their daily lives. For example: a pet that spends more time indoors tends to accumulate a smaller amount of dirt than animals that live in backyards or go out very often for walks.
For cats, there is no rule or prohibition that determines the need for periodic baths. It is important to emphasize that felines already have – by instinct – their own cleaning habits and, therefore, may be more resistant to bathing. However, frequent brushing of kittens helps in the process of hygiene and care for the health and skin of animals.
For dogs, a bath is usually indicated every 15 days. But the factor that is the main determinant to understand if pets need bathing and grooming every week is the coat of each animal:
– Short-haired dogs: interval of 10 to 15 days, at most, between baths.
– Long-haired dogs: interval of 7 to 10 days, at most, between baths.
Shorthair vs. long hair
The bathing procedure itself is quite similar between short-haired and long-haired animals. The main difference appears even when drying. After all, the amount and length of hair directly influences this process.
In short-haired pets, the help of dry and soft towels is usually enough: just start the drying movements in the opposite direction of the fur and then change to the normal direction, repeating the action a few times until it dries completely.
In animals with long hair, attention begins when untangling the coat before drying it. It is necessary to comb the entire pet and perform drying movements from top to bottom, also using dry and soft towels.
In both cases, you can bet on the help of a dryer at a warm temperature to finish the procedure and ensure that the furry is completely dry.
Does the time of year influence the frequency of baths?
Yes! There are different precautions to consider when taking care of animal hygiene, according to each time of the year. In the summer, many tutors believe that recurring baths are beneficial to pets, to alleviate the heat, but the truth is that this logic does not make much sense.
Understand: pets don’t have sweat glands like humans, so they don’t produce sweat and don’t need to take more baths on hot days. Therefore, just pay attention if the animal has fresh water and environments in the shade to cool off. The bathing routine remains the same indicated according to the coat of each pet.
In winter, however, the concern is different: tutors tend to be afraid of bathing their furry ones and causing reactions like the flu. And again, this idea is not real. The animal hygiene routine should also remain the same. The point of attention is to take care of the water temperature and conditions of the pet after the bath (to dry it and keep it warm).
And the tosa: when is she needed?
As in the case of baths, grooming is also associated with the characteristics of each animal, hygiene conditions and habits. There are two types of clipping:
Hygienic clipping
Recommended once a month, this type of grooming helps the animals not to relieve themselves in their own hair, or even acquire health problems (fungi and allergies, for example) due to excessive coat in regions such as the ears and paws.
Common haircut
This procedure can be both aesthetic and to relieve the feeling of heat in animals. The time for its realization depends exclusively on the pet and the conditions in which it lives. That’s where the tutor’s common sense comes in to assess your pet’s well-being.
Oh, it’s important to reinforce that common grooming is not indicated for animals that have a very short coat or close to the skin. And also that animals with long hair should be brushed frequently to avoid knots.
Scissors or machine clipping
Both options are safe and offer good results. What you need to consider when choosing are your goals for the pet, starting from grooming. For example: clipping with scissors reduces the length of the hair without changing its original shape. With the machine, you can choose different types of cuts, according to the number of each blade, to customize the hairs, or keep them uniform.
The important thing here is that the procedure is performed by a competent professional to perform it.
Now that you know the answer about whether pets need a bath and grooming every week, proper care for your furry friend is guaranteed!
Not all pets need bathing and grooming every week. And understanding the necessary care and frequency is a gesture of love and affection that tutors can dedicate to their furry ones. But remember: in case of doubts, skin anomalies or situations of stress among animals, immediately seek your veterinarian to ensure proper treatment!