How Often Should You Bathe Your Dog?

Do you give your dog a bath regularly? How often is often? This question has been nagging me for some time now. Reading through recommendations of veterinarians as well as asking friends who also have dogs, I learned that there really is no rule as to how frequent you should give your dog a bath. It all depends on your dog's activity and whether it sleeps with you in bed. 

But when and why should you bathe your dog? Most dog owners think that it is high time to bathe them when they get stinky. But this should not only be the time to bathe them. Dogs should get a bath because most of them love to get dirty. When they are outside, they love to run around, get covered in mud, roll around on the ground and in something stinky, or worse, dead (!). Giving your dog a bath on a regular basis actually helps promote healthy skin and coat. By removing excess dander, dirt and oils, the hair follicles are stimulated, resulting to a healthy dog hair and skin. Dogs that have chronic skin problems would require more frequent baths than usual using medicated shampoo.

For indoor dogs, a good bath once a month is the rule of thumb. For stinky dogs, at least once in two weeks is a good frequency or as needed. Caution should be taken though. Because over-bathing your dog is also not good because it could result to dry skin, flaking and can negatively impact the natural oils on their coat. When bathing your dogs, use a dog shampoo that is perfume-free, hypoallergenic and has aloe and oatmeal in it. These ingredients have a soothing effect and help condition your dog's skin.

So there you have it! For a good-smelling pooch, a healthy skin and shiny coat, give your dog that much deserved bath it needs. Your dog will thank you for it!

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How to Select the Perfect Pet Bed For Your Dog

Did you get a dog not that long ago? You may have made the decision with the family to get a pet for everyone to love and spend time with. Now that you are the owner of an adorable and loving animal, you should make sure that you have the perfect bed for your pet to sleep in when it is going to sleep for the night and when it is taking naps during the day, especially if you are not too fond of having the animal sleeping directly on the floor. There are a few different steps you can take to make sure that you are choosing the perfect bed for your pup.

Make Sure It Is the Right Size

Even if you are planning to let your dog sleep in your bed with you because it has been deemed safe, you may still want to make sure that your pet is sleeping in its own small bed on top of your mattress or sheets to avoid getting too much hair from the animal all over your clean sheets and blankets. The first thing you need to look for when selecting the right bed for the animal is something that is spacious enough. The exact size of the product you are going to need will depend on the breed of the animal and how big you are expecting it to grow.

If you have adopted or purchased a dog that is known for staying small throughout its lifetime, such as a chihuahua, you are not going to need the largest option available. However, if your dog weighs nearly a hundred pounds and is expected to grow even larger, you are going to need to make sure you are finding something that is going to accommodate its size. You can start to shop for dog beds online with VPD to check out the many options that are offered, including options for both smaller animals and larger animals.

Check Out the Materials That Are Used

Always pay attention to the types of materials and fabrics that are used to make the different beds that are available for your pet. The reason it is important to do this research is because you want your dog to like sleeping on the bed and the only way to make sure the animal enjoys sleeping on it is to make sure it is as comfortable as possible. Fake fur is often used on top of additional padding to make a pet bed feel more comfortable for the animal. The fur provides extra warmth during those times when it may feel chilly inside the house because it is so cold outdoors.

While getting something with fake fur may be ideal if your pet gets cold quite easily, you may not necessarily need something with fur if it is often warm in your home. Instead, you may prefer something that is made from materials that are more lightweight and known for their ability to keep animals cool on hotter days.

Know What You Will Need to Do to Keep It Clean

Aside from making sure the product is spacious and comfortable enough for your dog, you should find out how to keep it clean. Most of the options are easy to keep clean because they can get thrown into the washing machine with some detergent. However, other options may not be as easy to clean and may require more work, so you need to know how much effort you are going to need to put into keeping the mattress clean for your dog.

If you want to get a nice pet bed for your new dog, you need to make sure it is large enough for the animal, made with comfortable materials, and easy to keep clean. There are tons of large and spacious options available in plenty of colors and designs.

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Suki's Visit at the Vet

Yesterday we had to skip my daughter's ballett class to bring our Suki to the vet for a follow up check up. She was always scratching her ears and shaking her head some 3 weeks ago that she can't sleep very well (and of course, the human mommy too). And because our Suki is such a sweet dog, she has no qualms going to the clinic.

Suki with my daughter at the examination room while waiting for the vet.

She would patiently wait in the waiting room, sniffing and greeting the other patients, and would not hesitate to get inside the examination room when it was our turn (no pushing and begging her to come) and would always greet the vet with joy and delight, happy face and all (no wagging tails though as she almost doesn't have one 😊).

What she dislikes though is having her ears checked. It was difficult the last time we went there, with frenchies having herculean strength when needed. But we didn't want to force her or endanger the vet nurse by being accidentally bitten. So we tried another trick this time, getting her calmed down first and giving her carrot treats while the vet examines her ears. Thank goodness it worked. And thankfully, the ear infection is gone.

That was such a relief, for all of us, for Suki most especially. And that is why it is always important to regularly dog's ears to keep the earwax in check, because as the adage says, "too much of something is not good."

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