Grooming your pet can be
enjoyable for you both.

Grooming Basics

Whether you use a professional groomer or do it yourself, regular grooming is important to your dog's coat and skin, and to his overall health.

While you are grooming your dog, you can look for any changes or abnormalities in your dog's physique. Mention your observations to your vet. Prompt diagnosis and treatment can prevent minor problems from becoming serious health issues.

If your dog becomes accustomed to a grooming routine when he is a puppy, he will be more likely to enjoy being groomed as an adult. Ask your vet, breeder, or groomer which grooming tools, like brushes, combs, and stripping implements, are best for your dog's fur and skin.

One of the benefits of grooming your dog yourself is that you become well-acquainted with your dog's body, making it easier to notice changes in appearance. Here are some things to check:

• Eyes. Your dog's eyes should be bright and clear without tearing or discharge. Watch out for red, inflamed, or cloudy eyes, which can indicate infection or injury. Take your dog to the vet immediately if she has injured her eyes.

• Teeth and gums. A healthy dog should have clean teeth and gums. Unpleasant breath odor, swollen gums, and tartar build-up (indicated by brown or yellow teeth) are signs of dental problems. Your vet can show you how to brush your dog's teeth and may recommend yearly cleaning to prevent tartar build-up.

• Ears. Dogs with thick, long ears or ears that stay close to the head are more susceptible to ear problems. Inflamed ears, strong odor, and head-shaking and scratching are signs of an ear infection. Ask your vet to show you how to clean your pet's ears and take your dog in for an exam if you think her ears are infected.

• Lumps. Examine your dog's body as you remove dead hair, dirt, and skin flakes. Check for lumps under the skin, rashes, bald spots, sores and flaky skin; if you find any, go to your vet. Lumps could be harmless fatty deposits, but they also could be ticks or tumors. "Tumors are quite commonly found by groomers because as they clip the hair off, they can find [the tumor] where the owner may not have been able to feel it," notes Robert Culver, DVM, of the Heartland Animal Hospital in Des Moines, Iowa. He asks his clients to help him by marking the area immediately: "If you have a light-colored dog and find some growths, take a black permanent marker and mark those spots. If you have a dark-colored dog, use 'white-out.' "

• Fleas. While you are observing your dog's body, part his hair to the skin and look carefully from head to tail for fleas. You may see fleas moving about or you may see black dots, about the size of a poppy seed, which are flea droppings. If your dog has fleas, your vet can suggest a strategy to control them.

• Paws. Examine your dog's footpads for cuts, punctures or foreign objects (like small twigs or stones). In the winter, use mild soap and a moist, warm cloth to remove salt, snow, ice, and mud. In summer, look for thorns; remove them with tweezers.