If you watch animal-related videos on social media (often referred to as “Petfluencer content”), you may have noticed a recent craze of videos documenting involved canine beauty routines. As well as bathing, these pampered pooches often receive ear cleaning, massages, topical nose and paw pad balm treatments, nail trims, and teeth cleaning.
So, does your pet need all these treatments? Here’s what’s necessary for maintaining your pet’s health, and what’s not.
Bathing
Unless your dog has a skin issue that necessitates medicated washes at a certain frequency, the average dog should only be bathed if they are smelly or dirty. If you bathe your pet too frequently, it will dry out their skin, thereby encouraging more oil production in the long-term.
For dogs with normal skin, choose a gentle, hypoallergenic pet shampoo (as human shampoo can irritate canine skin). If your dog has long fur that gets tangled easily, you may wish to follow up with a pet conditioner afterwards for easy combing.
Massages
If your dog seems relaxed and comfortable with massages, and you enjoy administering them, go ahead! However, your pet doesn’t need regular massages as an essential part of their general health maintenance.
If your pet shows any discomfort when they’re touched in certain spots, it’s a good idea to have one of our vets assess them for underlying issues such as arthritis.
Ear cleaning
As with bathing, the average dog without ear issues does not require routine ear cleaning. If your pet’s ears appear waxy, you can clean them with a gentle oil-based ear cleaner. However, if their ears are frequently producing a lot of discharge, or are red, smelly or sore, it’s best to book a vet check in case your pet is developing an infection.
Topical nose and paw pad balm
Although it looks sweet, most pets do not require the application of a moisturising balm to their nose or paws! Healthy dog nose skin is usually “self-maintaining”, and canine paw pads are meant to be tough to withstand normal activities. If your dog’s nose or paws ever look unusually dry, red or crusty, it could indicate an underlying health issue (such as allergies, autoimmune disease, or skin cancer) and necessitates a vet check.
Nail trims
Many pets need routine nail trims every 6-8 weeks to prevent overgrowth, particularly older or less active pets. Very active dogs may only require their dew claws (the “thumb nails” that don’t contact the ground during walking) to be maintained.
If you’re unsure how to safely cut your pet’s nails, consult our helpful team.
Teeth cleaning
Do dogs benefit from regular teeth cleaning? Yes! Daily teeth cleaning is a very effective way to minimise natural plaque build-up on your pet’s teeth, thereby slowing the development of painful periodontal disease.
Most friendly dogs can be gradually trained to have their teeth cleaned, provided that they don’t already have dental disease, making their mouth sore to the touch. For a tutorial on how to safely clean your pet’s teeth, please don’t hesitate to ask our knowledgeable team.
When it comes to proactive canine health maintenance, we’re happy to give a “Like” and a “Follow”!
