After Care
DE-MATTING AFTER CARE
Before clipping the dogs coat it is heavy & tight to their skin, once the coat is clipped off, they feel naked and exposed. The dog’s behaviour at home can change, they may hide or not talk to you, so please try to keep everything as normal and positive as possible for them to feel ok again. Adding a jumper or taking them a walk or play a game with them can also help distract and or settle them.
Don’t let them rub themselves on furniture or carpet, lick or scratch as this may cause irritation to their skin which is now more exposed with less hair to protect it. Their skin was restricted or pulled tight with matting and is now released which can cause a pins and needles or sunburn like sensation on their skin. This feeling can make the dog want to scratch themselves, which can lead them to self-harm, bruise and rip their skin open very quickly. Close supervision is needed in the first 48 hours.
If redness or skin irritation does occur put a safe, dog friendly 1st Aid cream, lotion such as leucillin on the dog’s skin. Consult with your vet if appropriate.
Removing matts from dogs’ ears comes with the risk of a hematoma forming. The dog’s ears are initially heavy & weighted down with long thick matted clumps of hair. In some cases, blood flow is restricted and or the ear has become gangrenous (especially cocker spaniels). When these are removed their ears suddenly feel light and airy. They then shake their head, which causes the soft ear leather to knock against the dog’s head. Blood flow also increases to the ends of the ears and can make the ear feel thick, sometimes the skin on the ear starts to bleed. We use happy hoodies in the salon & let the ears dry naturally to help prevent hematomas from happening. We may send your dog home with a hoodie or you can make one at home yourself with a pair of stockings or sock. Sometimes we can remove light matting on the ears leaving enough top hair to cover to reduce how different it feels to the dog & it looks better sometimes too. Sometimes a dog will shake their head and knock their freshly clipped soft ear leathers and they will bruise or make the skin produce sebum and it will look like the dog’s ear has been cut or a scab will form.
Veterinary advice at the owner’s expense should be sought if complications arise from having a matted and/or neglected coat removed.
FLEA AFTERCARE
TREAT THE DOG
The first stage of prevention is to treat the animal itself with a preventative medication. There are a number of flea treatments on the market, contact your vet if you are unsure which will give the dog protection from fleas living on its body.
Not all treatments are the same, some are more effective than others. In general terms, a veterinary prescribed treatment will be more effective than an over-the-counter treatment and will often cover a much wider range of both external and internal parasites. Read the instructions carefully before use
TREAT THE DOG’S ENVIRONMENT
Indoor flea control involves removing all of the life-cycle stages of the fleas, killing any remaining adults and preventing the immature forms from developing.
Start by vacuuming thoroughly, especially below drapes, under furniture, edges and where your pet sleeps. It is estimated that that vacuuming can remove up to 50% of flea eggs. Each time, seal your vacuum bag into a plastic bag and discard it immediately.
Wash your pet’s bedding on as hot a wash as possible and treat the bed and surrounding area with a household insecticide, such as Indorex.
Use an insecticide to treat all of the other areas where the dog frequents, to kill any remaining eggs, larvae, pupae and adults. Our product of choice (which we use in our own salon) is Indorex, which has proved to be a very effective environmental insecticide against most parasites. Indorex can be quite expensive when purchased from a vet, but can be obtained from most good pet stores or via the internet (Google ‘Indorex’).
Don’t forget to clean and treat inside your car, if the dog travels in the car, then there will be at least flea eggs in the car, if not further developed stages and even adult fleas. Any other places that your pet frequents should also be treated to fully eradicate the infestation. This second stage of prevention is the one which is often overlooked by owners and results in a further flea infestation problem just a few weeks later. One of the advantages of Indorex is that it has a residual prevention for up to 12 months after each treatment.