How to Clean Pets

Know your pet. You may think you know your pet, but when it comes to bathtime, you really need to understand what your pet needs, what your pet likes and what your pet doesn’t like. It’s just as important to know that your dog is terrified of the hose as it is to know that your Sphinx cat can’t stay warm as easily as your Persian cat does. The more you know about how your pet should be groomed, the easier, safer and more effective grooming your pet at home will be. Spend plenty of time with your pet, be it mouse, ferret, cat, chinchilla or whatever, and always keep an open line with your veterinarian.

Choose the right pet grooming supplies. Your local pet supply store or your local veterinarian should be able to help you pick out the best pet grooming supplies for your pet. Whether you have a ferret, a bearded dragon, a guinea pig, or a parakeet, there are experts who you can consult with to choose the best supplies. As every animal has its own grooming needs, the supplies for each animal will be different. But like with any job, the right tools make grooming both easier and safer on your pet. It’s pretty obvious that you can’t use a dog dandruff shampoo on your bearded dragon, or a vacuum cleaner on your Maltese. A professional groomer or veterinarian can help you figure out what pet supplies you do need.

Choose the right place to groom your pet. Besides using the correct pet grooming supplies, the next most important part of grooming your pet is choosing the best place. Shoving a Saint Bernard into your bathtub can be just about as safe and effective a cleaning method as letting your ferret loose into the backyard to spray him off with a hose. Make sure that your pet is in a secure, temperature controlled environment for grooming. Frightened, confused, or just excited animals tend to panic and run blindly. If your Saint Bernard isn’t secured, he could rocket around the house, spraying soap and dirt and hair, or your ferret could disappear into the long grass outside and never be seen again.

Take safety precautions. This is two-fold. You must make sure that you are protected from a pet that may become panicked, or perhaps just overly excited, during bathtime. Anybody owning a Labrador retriever knows how excited they become whenever water is near. And has probably even been knocked down at the kiddie pool once or twice, too. The opposite is true of bathing cats. Protecting yourself from possible bumps, bites and scratches is important. But protecting your pet is just as important. When pets get agitated, they are more susceptible to injury. Make sure your pet is properly leashed, your grooming surface isn’t too slippery, and that the pet is never unattended while being groomed.

Dry thoroughly. This step is often glossed over with little to no concern, but it ranks high on the importance scale. Whether you towel-dry, air-dry, or dry by any other means, it’s important that your pet is properly dried after grooming. Many animals are susceptible to the elements and can suffer from hypothermia or other conditions more easily than you may think. And sometimes your pet may just not like the feel of a damp undercoat and may run right outside to roll in the garden, undoing all of your hard work. Either way, a happy, comfortable pet is one not left sodden and miserable, but dry and snug.

Give your pet affection. All pets deserve some affection after a possibly traumatizing bath. Not that all pets hate bath-time, but those that don't mind it should get some affection, too. Spend some quality time with your dog after brushing and bathing her. Give your kitty some catnip. Let your guinea pig have some fresh veggies to chew on. They can’t really treat themselves, after all. And in the end, I’m sure you’d rather have them remember you as the benevolent bringer of treats, and not as that sumbitch who dumped them in a tub of water and vigorously scrubbed down their hairballs.