Save Time and Money with These at Home Pet Care Tips

With the economy the way it is now, we can all use ways to save money. Trips to the vet are expensive but there are many simple things pet owners can do for their pets at home without any trips to the vet.

Have you ever wanted to give your cat or dog baths but were afraid that you will be scratched to pieces? Well you can, and this does not have to be a traumatic experience for you or your pet.

To give your cat or dog a bath, here is what you do.

Get everything ready what you will need, a towel, and shampoo. Place some NBX eye ointment, which you can purchase through your local vet in their eyes to keep the shampoo from irritating them.

Before you go get your cat/dog, start the water gently running, and make sure it is lukewarm and then go get your dog/cat and take him/her to the sink and gently place him down in the sink. Talk to your pet to keep him less afraid and start wetting down the entire body. Don't turn the water on full force because this will scare the cat. Just a slow trickle is good. Once the fur is wet, get about a quarter size dallop of shampoo and lather in good. Don't forget to wash their face. To do this you can wet a washcloth and clean the face and eyes so you will not need to pour water over the cat's head. Make sure all the shampoo is completely rinsed out and wrap him in the towel and towel dry him the best you can. To wash a cat's face so you will not have to pour water over their heads, just wet a washcloth and clean the face and eyes.

When the weather turns cold, it is best not to bath your animals at home, unless

you have a hair dryer that you can use and get the animal completely dry.

Trimming Toenails:

To trim dogs or cat's toenails, place the clippers right at the point where the nails begin to curve. You do not want to go past that pink part. The pink part that you see is the quick. On cats, the quick of the nail is easily seen as well as on dogs with white nails.

Keep a box of styptic pencils to keep on hand at your home just in case you do ever trim your dog's toenails too short and they bleed. Using styptic pencil is the fastest & easiest way to stop a dog's toenail from bleeding.

If you do not have a supply of styptic pencils at home and you do cut your pet's toenail too short, and the nail starts to bleed here is what you can do. This is a very quick and easy way to stop a dog's toenail from bleeding if the quick is cut and to prevent a mess in your house and on your carpeting from bloody toenails.

Rinse the entire paw off under warm running water and then take a couple of paper towels and dry the paw off some. Then take a soft wash cloth and dip it in warm water and rinse it out and then take the wash cloth and take the paw of the toenail that is bleeding and wrap the warm cloth around the entire paw and sit down with your dog in your lap and hold gentle pressure on the paw and toenail for at least 20 minutes. This will stop the toenail from bleeding. I use this method if I trim a little too close on my dog's toenails and it works every time.

If you do cut the toenail to short there is no need to get into a state of sheer panic. Your cat or dog will be fine & will not bleed to death as many may think. The toenails will eventually stop bleeding on their own.

Cleaning your dog's & cat's ears

All you need are Q-tips and baby oil if wanted. Dip one end of the Q-Tip in the baby oil and clean around the ear on the parts that exposed first and clean out all of the crooks and nannies of their ears. To clean down inside the ear, gently place the Q-tip down inside the ear that you have dipped in baby oil and just go far enough down like you would when you clean your own ears. Every time you bathe your pet, clean their ears.

Sources:

I worked as a veterinary technician for 10 years & learned a lot of valuable information.

DISCLAIMER:

I am not a licensed vet but I did learn many useful tips and information during my years working for one. The above information is intended for educational purposes only and shall not take the place of seeking professional medical advice from a licensed veterinarian.