uFEATURED ARTICLE
brushing
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my pet magazine
All pets benefit from
regular brushing.
Brushing your pet is beneficial to not only their
looks and keeping their coat in good condition
but it is also important to their overall general
health and well being.
By brushing your dog or cat you are removing
dirt, dead and loose hair, all while distributing
the natural oils from the skin around the coat to
keep them looking shiny. Brushing will remove
tangles and prevent matting of the coat which
can potentially lead to further skin conditions
and be uncomfortable for the pet.
One of the greatest benefits to brushing your
pet regularly is that it reduces shedding, or the
amount of hair your pet will loose on the floor,
couch and on your clothes. By removing this
excess of loose hair it also reduces the amount
that the pet is ingesting themselves. This is
particularly important for cats who when self-
grooming can ingest a lot of hair often leading
to the development of hairballs.
Brushing is also a great bonding opportunity
for you and your pet. Being able to spend that
time calmly and lovingly grooming them will
only strengthen your bond, plus it is relaxing
for both of you. It also gives you a good
opportunity to give them a thorough body health
check, identifying and monitoring any lumps,
bumps, cuts, bites or even seeing parasites like
fleas or dangerous ticks.
Cats are meticulous self-groomers, using their
tongue to clean their coat and remove loose
dead hair, but they can still use some help. Dogs
on the other hand are not good self-groomers
and really rely on us to keep their coats looking
their best. Short hair cats and dogs do not
require a lot of brushing, however a weekly brush
will keep them looking their best. Longer haired,
thick or double coated pets benefit from daily
brushing to prevent tangles and matting.
There are a wide range of brushes available for
pets and choosing the right one can sometimes
be confusing. Selecting the correct brush will
be determined by the coat length and texture,
the job that needs to be done (ie clearing matts,
tangles, shedding or just daily brushing) but also
by taking into account how receptive the pet is
to being brushed. Some of the different types of
brushes available include;
Rubber brushes like Kong Zoom Grooms are
ideal for gentle brushing, cleaning the coat and
(it's more important
than you might think!)
