Splish Splash – Giving Your Pet a Bath

Posted on February 18, 2009 by banfield

You may have heard it rains here in Portland. And when it does our Pets can become a muddy mess. Pets in other parts of the country who also live with the rain, snow and sleet during this time of year may be in desperate need of a good bath. Though they may not go happily, the trick is to get them in and out of the tub without major incident,

We’d love to hear your bathing tales and how you make your Pet’s bath a fun and efficient experience. We all have stories about the first time we bathed our Pet–usually suds and water everywhere with a slippery wiggly Pet escape.

Here are some of our Pet bathing tips…

Pre-Wash

  • Trim your Pet’s toenails (especially a cat’s) before you try to hold a wet slippery Pet in the bathtub, you might also consider doing them on two different days.
  • If you expect a lot of fur to go down the drain, use a mesh sponge by the drain to capture extra fur washed off your Pet. Brushing beforehand also helps reduce the amount of hair the drain will need to handle.
  • Brush out any tangles in your Pet’s fur prior to getting the hair wet it is likely the tangle will only matt further when water and soap are added. It may be easier to take some Pets with difficult tangled fur to the groomer for clipping and bathing. Regular grooming or haircuts make it easier to give baths at home between trips to the salon.
  • Toss the towels in the dryer so they are warm when you start to towel off your Pet. You will be surprised how much of a difference this makes in getting your Pet completely dry.
  • Keep the shedding to a minimum by using warm instead of hot water that can trigger your Pet to shed a lot of fur at once, our Pets tend prefer their water to be much cooler than we do.

The Wash

  • For the super furry Pets, try diluting shampoo with water to make application, lathering and rinsing easier. Try using an empty shampoo bottle and make a solution of one part shampoo to 10 – 15 parts warm water. If needed keep several bottles around if it takes more than one bottle of mixture to cover your Pet. Having them all prepared before you start the bath keeps all your attention on your Pet in the tub.
  • Many Pets are fearful of the water as it comes directly out of the faucet, or showerhead. It will be better for you to use a pitcher or large cup to pour water over them instead. It is still water, but it does not make as much noise coming at them. This is especially true of most cats.
  • Remember to close the door to the bathroom just in case your Pet gets out of the tub and tries to escape into the rest of the house to shake, spray and drip water everywhere.
  • Eyes and ears do not need shampoo in them. Be careful while working around these areas. If your Pet is too jumpy around the face, bathe the body, and then use a wet washcloth to wipe down their head and face.

Post-Wash

  • Check your Pet’s ears, making sure they are dry and odor-free after bathing, which can prevent an undetected ear infection from sneaking up on you and your Pet. Water from the bath can be just the trigger to allow yeast or bacteria grow out of control. Good tip – use your finger and a Kleenex to check that the ear is in good shape after your Pet is dry. Avoid things smaller than your finger being poked in your Pet’s ear so you do not do damage in the ear canal or at the eardrum. Talk with your vet about proper ear cleaning techniques and products. NEVER stick a q-tip down into a cat’s ear as you are likely to rupture an eardrum leading to pain as well as disturbances of balance.
  • Blow dryers can speed up the drying process for those that don’t mind. Work on getting your Pet used to the blow dryer if it seems to bother them. Short sessions can go a long way toward helping your Pet get comfortable with the blow dryer so their future drying-time is reduced. Don’t use the hot setting and never blow the dryer directly toward a Pet’s eyes.
  • After the bath, medium and longhaired Pets need a good brushing to remove any loose hair or fur. If you need a little extra assistance, consider trying a de-shedding tool like the furminator.

When you finish the bath remember to reward your Pet with lots of love and his or her favorite treat.



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