Grooming

Grooming is an important part of pet care. Depending on the breed, age and health of your pet, grooming may even need to be a part of your pet’s daily routine. Many breeds require less grooming than this, but regular grooming always helps to keep your pet healthy and comfortable. Some breeds like Poodles don't shed their hair effectively and require grooming by a professional groomer every 6-8 weeks. Long haired cats can particularly benefit from regular grooming as it will help to prevent the formation of knots in the coat and hairballs in the stomach.

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Grooming at Home

We encourage you to engage in regular grooming with your pet at home. There are numerous benefits of regular grooming, for example:

Decreased chance of skin problems
Optimal skin cleanliness and comfort for you and your pet
Improved monitoring of health issues like the presence of lumps or skin lesions, pain, or changes in temperament
Enhanced behavioural routines with obedient submission during grooming periods
Closer bonding with your pet through regular contact

Nail Clipping

Regular nail inspection, with clipping or trimming when required, should be part of the routine care of your pet. Whilst many outdoor pets will wear their nails down naturally, elderly and indoor pets will probably need some extra help. The requirement for nail trimming can vary depending on breed, age, level of exercise and the environment in which your pet lives. Working and herding breeds of dogs are active and generally have compact feet with well arched digits that angle the toenails downwards towards the ground. If these dogs are active on hard surfaces such as gravel, rock and concrete, their nails may not need trimming until they slow down with age and exercise less, however you may still need to trim their dew claws (the little claws on the inside of their front legs that don’t touch the ground) regularly.

Other breeds may have nails that grow more forward than downward, and therefore no matter how much exercise they get on rough ground, it is unlikely they will wear down naturally. Some dogs may benefit from having the tips of their nails taken off once every few weeks, however for most it will be longer than this, and you will have to decide what is right for your dog by inspecting their nails on a regular basis. Certainly, if you notice a change in the sound of your dog's nails on hard floors this is a pretty good indication that it is time for a trim.

Cats also require nail clipping, with the frequency depending on their lifestyle. Indoor-only cats will need more regular nail trims whereas outdoor cats may naturally wear their nails and require less frequent trimming.

What happens if my pet’s nails get too long?

If your pet's nails are allowed to grow too long, they can split, break or bleed, causing soreness or infection for your pet. Long nails can get caught and tear or grow so long that they can curl backwards in a spiral shape, that can make walking very painful for dogs. Cats are able to retract their claws, so this is less common for them, however cats do still need to have their nails regularly clipped (especially if they don't get much natural wear and tear).

Uncut nails may curl so far that they go all the way round and pierce the paw pad, leading to infection and debilitating pain. Nails should be inspected and/or trimmed on at least a monthly basis. If not, the quick can grow out with the nail, making it nearly impossible to cut properly. It is very important not to cut the quick of a nail as it contains a nerve and blood vessel and will bleed and be very painful for your pet. If you do accidentally cut the quick, pressing the nail into a bar of soap will effectively stop the bleeding. For pets with long quicks, in puppies and kittens with such short nails, or those with black nails which hide the quick, using a nail file can be a safer way to remove the sharp nail tips.

We have a variety of nail clippers that suit different pets - from the very small to the very tall. Make an appointment today to have your pet’s nails checked. We can also teach you how to do a nail clip if you would prefer to cut them yourself.

Professional Grooming Services

Professional grooming services are available which utilise many specialised grooming tools like brushes, clippers, stripping combs, slicker brushes, rakes and dryers. These tools enable a grooming service to be tailored to the particular needs of your pet, for an overall optimum result.

Bathing of your pet if appropriate is an option, however is it important to always use suitable shampoo and conditioners. This makes all the difference in the grooming stage and really brings out the shine in your pet's coat.

At this stage we are only offering cat grooming which often needs to be done under sedation.