Dirty smelly breath, made all minty fresh! ( Dental care for your pooch! )

Sniff your dogs breath, does it not smell like a garden of fresh roses? Do you often wonder what you could do to make your dogs breath smell better so you get those endless licks on your face!

We were also quite clueless about oral hygiene when we had our first dog Red and were quite unaware on how we could prevent her teeth and gums from getting unhealthy. These days there are quite a lot good products that are available through which you can care for your dogs oral wellbeing. Its a good idea to start sooner than later so you can ensure as your dog gets older their teeth and gums are well looked after. 

So the questions remains, how can we start? 

- Get your dog chewing toys and bones

It is a good idea to invest in good quality nylon, rope and rubber toys along with safe to consume raw hide bones. What does this do? 

• Exercises the Jaw
• Makes teeth stronger
• Massages gums
• Different texture on the toy can help scrape away soft and easy to remove tartar 

If you have punjabi grandparents like we do , I am certain you would have heard them say in one of their stories that they used to chew ganna or sugarcane when they were young & when times were simpler!  Why did they do this exactly? This used to help strengthen teeth and help keep gums and mouth clean! The fibre in the sugarcane served as a natural brush while being chewed. In villages today you can still see people chewing on sugarcane stalks. So get some sugarcane and start chewing!  The same principle is applied to your dog when it comes to chewing. 

- What products can I use for my dogs dental care?

There are now an increased number of products available in India which can help you maintain oral hygiene for your pet. Below are reviews of a few products that we have tried and tested. 

Petkin Dental Chew Toy Spray INR 699 

[Available in store now]

Buy it online on RedPawsShop.com - http://www.redpawsshop.com/chewtoyspray

This spray is really good as you just have to spray it on your dogs toy that they love to chew and voila! The chew toy spray will help keep the plaque and tartar at bay and the solution is odourless and as they say "works invisibily"

Petkin Liquid Oral care INR 599 

[Available in store now]
Buy it online on RedPawsShop.com - http://www.redpawsshop.com/oralcare

This product is great and very easy to use. All you have to do is simply add the solution to your dogs clean drinking water. It lasts very long as well and we noticed with our dogs it really did help keeping the bad breath away. You only have to put a capful into 250ml so we generally added about 2 capfuls to their drinking water bowl and this product also lasted quite long and proved effective. 

Petkin Plaque Spray INR 699 

[Available in store now] 
Buy it online on RedPawsShop.com - http://www.redpawsshop.com/plaquespray

Now this spray has to be sprayed about 5 -6 times all over the teeth and gums. If your dog is a patient one like the lab we have then its easy to apply but if they jump at the sight of a spray bottle like most dogs then its better to get the liquid oral care. This seemed to work quite well on Phoebex and lasted quite long, its been 2 weeks since we started using this and we would have used up only 1/4th of the bottle.

Pet Head Teeth Wipes 

INR 710 [Available in store now]

These wipes are fairly simple just rub them over the teeth to wipe them clean. Again we would think this would be a bit tedious and most dogs are not happy and not so patient with keeping their mouth open and getting their teeth wiped! Nevertheless a client had used these wipes and she said they worked fairly well on her Yorkie. 

Other than the products above there are also dog tooth brush and brushing kits available. Again this proves to be quite tedious but if your dog is patient and loves to get some teeth cleaning time then again it is advisable to do so. Please do not use HUMAN TOOTHPASTE as this is not good for your dogs tummy. Use the brush and slowly in circular motion brush your dogs teeth like you would do so to your own teeth. These kits are available from INR 250 - INR 400 and obviously they are available in store!!

Alternatively you made need to take your dog for teeth scaling if the tarter and plaque deposits are really bad. (The yellow deposits your dogs teeth). There are vets who provide teeth scaling to keep your dogs teeth clean. We had Phoebex get her teeth scaled as her tarter just needed to be cleaned out as it had gotten quite bad. The procedure was very simple and her teeth were shiny as new after she was done and the bad breath was GONEE! We recommend going to Dr Chaudhary's Pet Clinic in Anand Niketan as they are simply the best and most experienced vets in town from our opinion and always do an amazing job with dogs (both pet and stray). The procedure cost about INR 4000 and was worth every penny we spent! Visit them at:  http://www.choudharypetclinic.com

Our pick from the products above would be the Liquid oral care! Just because it is easy to use , cost effective and works quite well.

Flash that sexy smile! Like zoey does! 

*Please keep in mind what we are writing about in this blog is though our own experiences with our dogs. We do not know the fancy medical names for the different gum and teeth issues, this information is just for the general wellbeing of your pet. In few cases when the problem is severe it would be better to advise with your vet as more extreme measures may have to be taken to fix the problem.

Buy Dental, Ear & Eye products online on RedPawsShop.com - http://www.redpawsshop.com/dentaleareye

The groomer said my dog is matted! What does this mean?

We decided the write this blog entry on matted dogs as it seems dog owners have very little information as to what a MAT is! We get dogs that are completely matted looking like ragmuffins  and once we tell the owners that there is nothing we can do other than shave off the close and tight matts they flip out! Everyone wants their Shih Tzu's, Apso , Poodles, Bichons, Maltesers and other long haired dogs to have long hair but what they do not realise is that it takes allot of effort to maintain long hair on these breeds. They need to be brushed atleast 2 times a day to keep their hair and coat tangle free!

So what is a Mat?

It simply means that your dogs hair have gotten tangled! Look below to see what a matted dog looks like! The hair have become severely tangled and the knots have become very tight. This almost must feel like bricks on the poor dog. Imagine not brushing your hair for a week! (Unless your into dredlocks) 

Matted poodle mix  - May not seem so bad but look below   

   

We had no choice but to shave it all off as the mats were so tight and close to the skin. A carpet of hair came off her!

Why are mats bad for the dogs?

Mats that are very severe can be painful for your dogs. Imagine your hair becoming so tangled that it starts pulling on your scalp, thats exactly how the dog will feel. It can also irritate the skin causing infections, ulcers etc . One time we had got a dog with a mat going around his paw like a bangle, in cases like this if the matt is not tended to on time then it can cause the circulation to be cut off! Other than  that it can also lead to more ticks and fleas. Basically mats are excruciatingly painful and seriously need to be tended to on time! So much so that in some countries if the dog is severely matted then it is considered a serious animal abuse offence. 

But I brush my dog, then why does he/she have mats?

The reason for this is incorrect method and tools of brushing your dogs particular coat. Most people either tell their staff to brush the dog or the caretaker (from what we have encountered in the spa) and what mistake is made here is that the coat is only brushed from the top . What really needs to be done is the the hair need to be parted near the skin and the hair need to be brushed from the skin outwards. Brushing only the top coat is not going to help keep your dog mat free! 

It may just seem that we could simply brush the Shih Tzu above, give him a bath and a nice blow dry but what you can't see is all the matted hair underneat his coat! Look what he got shaved down to below. We really should have taken a picture while his matts were being meticulously removed! The owners here again had no idea what a mat was or how they had to brush or how harmful these are for their dog. They seemed to really love the dog but again they did not have the proper information on how to care for their shih tzu, hopefully after they had a discussion with the groomer they will be more thorough with his appointments. 

Why can't the groomer just cut off the mats that exist and leave the rest of the coat length? 

Only small and loose mats can be cut off easily, the ones that are tighter and closer the the skin need to be shaved off. And the amount that can be shaved off depends on how close the mat is to the skin. 

How to avoid mats?

Its fairly simple all you have to do is brush your dog regularly and use the correct tools. If you are unsure then please ask your groomer. Take your dog regularly for their appointments and if you are giving your dog a bath at home PLEASE BE SURE to brush your dog before you give them a bath and if there are too many matts that cannot be brushed out it is better to take them to a professional to get the matts removed first. This is because bathing a dogs with tight matts will only make the matts more tight! 

Have attached a little chart to help understand better. 

  

Courtesy :   http://petgroomingthegoodthebadthefurry.blogspot.in/2013/09/mat-chart.html

Best brush for your short haired dog - The Rubber Curry Comb

Dog owners are always confused on what brush to use for their dogs! Often we come across pug owners using a wide tooth comb on their dog or a Furminator being used on a Great Dane! (A Furminator is a brush with a blade which cuts the undercoat) Yes that actually happened as one of our customers told us about it, I suppose they are not to be blamed as they actually care about their dog and spent about INR 2500 - 4000 to buy a Furmintor. But there is really no one to guide them on what to use and what not to use at pet stores. We ourselves have also learned over time through various dogs coming in with different hair textures, composition and more!

So what is a rubber curry comb!?? [We know the name sounds really strange] 

Its a rubber brush that can be slipped onto the palm of your hand, it is oval in shape and has small rubber teeth on it. Thats the picture of the ones we have in store. We could not find a rubber curry in Delhi once we started the store as no one knew what it was, then one day we came across it while this supplier was showing us the catalogue for brushes. He simply had no idea what it was and called it a Massager! Which is fact is one of the thing it does do for the dog! If you know about horses you will also know that a curry comb is of the grooming tools that they use on horses as it helps keep their skin and coat lustrous.

What Does it really do for the dog?

A rubber curry is great to remove loose dead hair, dirt and debris in short haired dogs. It massages and stimulated the hair follicles and distributes natural oils and gives the coat a nice sheen. Whats not to like! 

What Does it do for you?

Well it gives you a very good workout for your arms and shoulders so when your grooming your dog really get in there and brush like you've never brushed before to attain those perfectly toned arms! Suitable for Men & Women... 

How do we use it?

Slip it on to your palm and simply brush in the direction of the hair growth. The spots where heaps of hair come out are generally on either sides of the tail, under the neck and on the back. Strangely enough you can use this to actually remove allot of dead hair from ears too! 

What dog breeds would this work on?

This would be suitable for short haired dogs. The name a few:

• Labradors
• Pugs
• Short Haired Chihuahua
• Beagles
• Short Haired Desi/Indian dogs
• Dalmatians
• Daschunds
• Jack Russells
• Basset Hounds
• Boxers
• Great Danes
• Mastiffs
• Rottweiler & many more

Often you also may use a combination of the curry comb along with another brush to get the desired results! 

Where can you find this magical piece of equipment?

Where else other than RED PAWS PET SPA AND SHOP , conveniently located in HKV. They come in two sizes and just the single colour pictured above. They are very very cheap and by far the best investment one can make for their short haired dogs! 

Small: INR 200

Large: INR 225

Buy it online on RedPawsShop.com - http://www.redpawsshop.com/rubbercurry

Need some more proof? 

Here is the beautiful Zoey with all the hair that the curry comb removed from her body. 

[Zoey has a very short coat, somewhat like great danes]

Phoebex tends to shed heaps from hair from the strangest places, like her ears!

Curry comb works perfectly for Nikki as well removing much of the loose hair 

If you have any questions please do ask us and we will try our best to help you out! 

{ We will keep adding more information through our blog on different brushes and what to use on what dog over the course of time to the best of our knowledge}

Review on the Hol-ee Roller - The must toy for all dogs!

Having 3 dogs ourselves - a lab who only loves things that roll, a rescued beagle who only likes toys that dispense treats and a very enthusiastic desi who loves to destroy everything! We decided to try the Hol-ee Roller by JW for our dogs!

Buy it online on RedPawsShop.com - http://www.redpawsshop.com/hol-ee

This toy comes in attractive colours and in 3 sizes so even the bigger dogs like great danes, st bernards can enjoy this toy to the fullest. Whats not to like - it rolls, it can be used in water , can dispense treats if you stuff the correct biscuits and the dogs can hold it in their mouths and swing it around (their hunting instincts kick in here) like they just don't care.

For Phoebex- the lab the toy was amazing simply because it rolls! she loves playing fetch with it all the time, up until the time her saliva is just all over the ball and we refuse to throw it anymore!

Nikki - the beagle doesn't play with any toy but we decided to put some dog biscuits into the hol-ee roller and see how she would respond. She starting rolling the ball with her nose and picked it up , took it to her bed and tried to gnaw her way into the toy to get the biscuits out! This lasted all of 20 minutes till she managed to get all the biscuits out!

Zoey - the desi dog, loved the toy because she loves her play time and also loves anything phoebex may have in her mouth. She is a power chewer and destroys almost any toy in minutes but with this toy she was unable to destroy it and she simply enjoyed playing with it! She likes to fling it, chase it and paw it!

We have since then recommended this toy to allot of dog owners , it encourages healthy play time, gets their animal instincts into play as they shake it, paw it etc, it exercises their jaws as they try to gnaw at it and if you are the lucky few who have a pool in Delhi NCR  then its a perfect toy to chuck into the pool and play with your dogs also (we should be friends if you have a pool!)

They are available in 3 colours - Green, Red and Blue
Sizes -  Sml - INR 320, Med - INR 460 & Lrg - INR 550

Buy it online on RedPawsShop.com - http://www.redpawsshop.com/hol-ee

Here is Zoey with her Holl-ee Roller! Available in our store at 29A HKV, visit our website at: www.redpawsonline.com & visit our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/RedPawsPetSpa?ref=hl

Here's a great shot of this cute dog chasing the hol-ee roller in the water! Great click by the famous Seth Casteel

Shaving Labradors - A big NO NO!

MUST READ FOR ALL LABRADOR OWNERS: Summers are coming and the most common request we get is to shave off their Labradors. Our answer is always a big fat NO!

We feel as groomers we have a responsibility to educate pet owners. Few clients understand, few get furious and refuse to understand and take their business elsewhere. YES we would make more money if we shave off a lab but ethically we always try and put the dog first!

Common Myth No 1: Cutting off my labs hair will lead to less hairfall!

Myth busted: Shedding is GENETIC. Which means that you are doing NOTHING constructive by cutting hair; all you are doing is ensuring that they shedsthe same amount of hair, but the hair itself will be shorter

Common Myth No 2: Delhi summers are so hot , shaving will help cool down my baby!

Myth busted: Dogs cool themselves by sweating through their feet and by panting - cutting their hair, believe it or not, will not help them. God has given them hair for a reason, their hair protects them from dirt, debris, the sun and acts as an insulator and helps them keep cool in the summers and warm in winters. Shaving them off just leaves them exposed to the harsh sun, rain, snow & more prone to skin infections.

Look at the difference below in the shaved and unshaved hair of the labrador below!