Grooming is an important part of any dog’s routine. But as your dog ages, your role as primary care giver and often time chief groomer becomes even more important than it was when Fido was a pup. Not only does your grooming help to maintain his general hair and coat health, but it gives you a great chance to keep an eye on any skin changes that might need veterinary attention.
5 Things To Think About When Grooming Older Dogs
- Arthritis
As arthritis sets in, your dog may find it difficult to twist and turn to groom certain places – I know my little old dog had real trouble reaching his hip region as he got older. Some dogs aren’t as keen to stand for long periods of time to be groomed or for nail trimming. Joint stiffness really reduces their natural grooming efficiency, and affects their general wellbeing too. If this sounds like your dog, try using Joint Resolution Its natural ingredients have been shown to be very effective in reducing soreness and stiffness.
- Lumps and bumps
Skin tumors pop up more frequently as dogs get older, just like in people. Even though many are quite harmless and may not need removing, they can easily be nicked during grooming. My old dog was quite a skin tumor machine in his later years! Occasionally I’d accidentally nick his tumors as I groomed him, causing irritation to the skin and minor bleeding. So a little extra, careful attention might be needed, especially if new tumors tend to pop up occasionally.
- Long claws
Older dogs tend to need to have their nails trimmed more frequently – as they age, they may not be as active anymore, so their nails likely do not naturally wear down as quickly as before.
- Dry Skin
As we get older, our skin can change considerably, and the same can happen to our dog too. Some dogs may develop increasingly dry, flaky skin. Try Comfy Dog oatmeal shampoo to combat these changes, leaving your dog’s skin clean and soothed. Follow this up with “Fur Butter”, an ultra-rich deep conditioning treatment that will bring back the sparkle and shine to his coat. And bowWoW Butter Balm is just wonderful for those dry, cracked regions of skin on the nose and footpads.
- Thin skin
Older skin tends to more fragile in general too, so using a softer brush can certainly help to reduce unnecessary skin irritation.
So don’t forget to pay a little extra grooming attention to your dog as he gets older and finds it tough to get to some of those hard-to-reach places. And let’s not forget that grooming isn’t only essential for its health benefits – just like their owners, many dogs love to be pampered too. So go ahead and spoil your dog!