Hygiene and Your Diabetic Dog
I recently read an article about the 5 grooming “chores” that every dog owner should be doing. It made very good points. And a few of them are really important now that we have “sugar babies”. We know that our pups are immuno-compromised so anything that we can do to help them stay healthy and strong is a very good idea. What are the 5 things? Read on.
Brushing your pup’s coat daily - I know that some don’t like to be brushed, but doing this once a day will cut down on shedding and possible matting. Staying on top of this will keep everyone happy. I will say that my boys weren’t big fans of the brushing until I found a brush that they liked. The normal dog grooming brushes didn’t work for us so I kept searching. What I found worked best for my boys was a “military” style human brush. It was just a brush with no handle and had soft bristles. Once I found this brush, both boys fought over who would go first and would lay there until I stopped. It was a game changer for us. So, as with all things, be persistent and keep looking until you find the brush that your pup likes. I groomed my boys myself, so daily brushing made the every two week trim (face, feet and tail) much easier and also the once a month grooming so much easier.
Brushing your pup’s teeth – This one is SO important especially now that they are Diabetic. Anything that we can do to cut down on vet costs is mandatory for most of us. Given that our pups have more glucose in their systems than a non-diabetic; their mouth becomes a breeding ground for bacteria and plaque buildup. If you haven’t been an everyday tooth brusher, you will need to start slowly with your pup and work up to a full mouth brushing, especially if they are not a fan of having something put in their mouth like your finger or a toothbrush.
Perhaps use this time as part of a routine of petting, massage, play and tooth brushing? I had a three sided dog toothbrush for each of my boys. I dipped the brush in a bit of coconut oil for every section of their mouth. They loved the coconut oil so weren’t opposed to having it put in their mouths. I would dip the brush in the coconut oil and do the upper left side of the mouth, dip again and do the upper right side of the mouth, etc. It’s important to also get the gums as that is where the problems begin. I have been told and read a few times that the dog’s teeth begin to decay at the gum line so brushing there is very important. You can also get some Plaque off and mix it into your pup’s meals. This shouldn’t replace brushing, but is an added tool to keep your pup’s mouth healthy.
Trimming your pup’s nails - I never had to do this as my boys walked twice a day on sidewalks or pavement. Doing that kept their nails the proper length at all times. It’s a good thing because trying to clip my boys’ nails would have totally freaked me out. I was afraid that I would cut them too short and well, you know the rest. Anyway, the point here is that if your pup’s nails are too long, it can lead to injury and we don’t want that!!
Bathing your pup – It used to be said that you didn’t need to bathe your dog often because it would dry out their coat and skin. It’s true that bathing too often with a harsh shampoo can do that, but if you use a gentle, all natural shampoo that is formulated for dogs, it isn’t a problem. I would suggest that you find an organic shampoo with no sulfates or harsh chemicals. Also stay away from a shampoo that has oatmeal in it. If there is any yeast present on your pup’s skin, oatmeal will feed the yeast and we don’t want that. I bathed both my boys once a week mostly because they slept in my bed and also because they loved their “tubbies”! If your pup is itchy or suffers from seasonal allergies, you can bathe them even more often than once a week to give them some relief and to help the skin irritation.
That brings us to the last of the 5…
Cleaning your pup’s ears – This is something that I never had to do as I had Westies and they never had any ear issues at all. Granted, they were bathed once a week and spent some time in a salt water pool several times a week much of the year, so that may have been a factor. I know that is not always the case so staying on top of keeping their ears clean is one less possible infection that could be brewing.
Always check your pup’s ears for dirt, debris, odor, etc. Rather than instruct you how to clean your pup’s ears, I will direct you to any one of the gazillion videos/articles that can be found online. I will say that before you squirt or pour anything directly in your pup’s ears, please be sure that their eardrum is intact.
Well, there you have it for keeping your pup clean and hopefully heading off some of those little things that when left too long, can turn into problems. Now, go find that perfect brush! LOL
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Until next time…