Pets: Avoiding bathtime troubles

WE ALL want to keep our pets clean, tidy and smelling fresh, but this can be a difficult task at this time of year if your dog is fond of deep puddles and rolling in mud.

When it comes to bathing pets, it can be quite a stressful experience both for us and our four-legged friends. How often should you bathe your pet? Should you bathe it at all? If so, what's the best technique? And is it possible for you to stay dry? PDSA Senior Vet, Sean Wensley, offers some handy hints.

Dogs

A small-medium sized dog can be bathed in your bath at home. Alternatively, if your dog struggles or is too big to be washed indoors, you could use an old bath outside. It is not advisable to use a garden hose because of their high water pressure.

Before starting you should brush your dog's fur to remove any mud or debris. Dogs with long coats may need trimming before bathing.

Never use human shampoo on your dog as many contain chemicals that are too harsh for their fur. Instead, buy a pet shampoo from a pet shop or supermarket. If your pet has sensitive skin or a medical condition, your vet may recommend a special shampoo.

Run the water for your dog's bath to room temperature, making sure it isn't too deep. You should then wet your dog's coat and massage the shampoo in for a few minutes.

Use a sponge or flannel on delicate areas, such as the face and feet, and wash your dog's head last. You should avoid sensitive areas, such as eyes and ears. All shampoo should be rinsed thoroughly and any excess water carefully squeezed from the coat before you gently dry your pet with towels.

Take care not to bathe your dog too frequently; a dog's coat contains oils which can be reduced by excessive bathing. As a general guideline, dogs should just be bathed once a month or when they become particularly dirty.

Joanne Shillington, 37, who runs Joanne's Dog Grooming Salon in Portobello, has bathed dogs for 20 years. According to her, the trick is to begin bathing your dog at a young age.

She says: "Most clients bring their dogs in at about five or six weeks old and then they bring them in every 12 weeks thereafter, so they accept it into adulthood. If you wait till your dog is a year old or more, that's when the dogs have a problem settling down to it and they really don't know what is happening."

Joanne dons a waterproof apron for bathing the dogs in her salon. She says: "There's not really much way of avoiding getting soaked. Dogs shake from the head so if you gently hold their head or the back of the neck then that will stop them shaking altogether."

Cats

Unlike dogs, most cats hate water, so it's a good job they groom themselves so well! You should only bathe your cat if your vet recommends it, which will usually involve using a prescribed shampoo for medical reasons.

The best place to bathe cats is in an ordinary bath. This will prevent them jumping out or falling and injuring themselves.

Once in the tub, follow the previous method as you would for bathing a dog.

Afterwards, you must make sure that your cat is thoroughly dry. It is not a good idea to bathe cats in the winter, as their body temperature may become too low.

For more information and advice about pet health, log on to www.pdsa.org.uk.