Your pet needs to be groomed in order to keep their coat, skin, nails, ears and eyes healthy. If you aren't grooming your dog, or you aren't doing the grooming properly, you are missing out on some of the proper care your dog needs and requires. There are a few things you should know about grooming your dog if you are going to try and do these tasks at home yourself. If you don't think you can do the grooming yourself, take your dog to the veterinarian for help. Read on for everything you should know about grooming your pet at home.

Ears

Your dog's ears help them to hear and it's an important sense, so it's imperative that you clean their ears. If you haven't looked in your dog's ears lately, then you should take a peek. If they look pink and clean, then good for you, but if you see black or brown buildup, it's time to clean your dog's ears. Use a q-tip with vinegar and start cleaning them out. Clean just what you see, don't attempt to dig in each of the folds, as you can damage your dog's ear canal or hearing. If your dog has been shaking their head a lot, or is always pawing at their ears, they may have an infection and should be seen by the veterinarian. 

Eyes

Be sure you are cleaning your dog's eyes to remove buildup of discharge. This discharge can mat your dog's fur around the eye over time causing issues with vision or just a general discomfort for your dog. Wipe your dog's eyes with a warm washcloth to remove the buildup and to clean your dog's fur around their eyes. If their eyes have a lot of discharge and it appears yellow or green in color, take them to the veterinarian for a checkup to be sure they don't have an infection.

Nails

Your dog's nails can grow too long that it may cause a problem with how they walk. If your dog appears to be walking with some difficulty, or if their nails are sticking in your carpeting often, it's past the time to clip his nails. Don't wait this long to clip your dog's nails. Clip their nails at least once per month, or every other month if they don't grow that quickly. You can find nail clippers for dogs at your local pet supply store. When clipping your dog's nails, clip them at an angle so the front of the nail is the longer angle. You should only clip just the tip of the nail, and not any shorter, or you could cause them to bleed if you clip them below the quick. Allow your dog to walk on concrete or asphalt to help file them down a bit after you have clipped them.

Fur/Skin

You should be bathing your dog every other month or more often depending on how much dander they have in their skin. Bathing your dog can help reduce shed and will keep their skin clean, but bathing your dog too often may result in drying your dog's skin out. When bathing your dog, use canine-only shampoo - don't share your shampoo with your dog. If your dog isn't a big fan of taking a bath, you may want to leave this task to a professional groomer instead to prevent injury to yourself or to your dog.

If you aren't grooming your dog, you aren't giving him the best care possible. Take your dog to a veterinary clinic, like Elizabethton Veterinary Clinic, to be groomed to ensure these tasks are all done properly.

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