Lee High School

A Clean Pet is a Happy Pet

Brooke Devries

Capstone

Brian Cahoon

April 13, 2017

Brooke Devries
Brian Cahoon

Capstone

17 April 2017

A Clean Pet is a Happy Pet

Some people talk to animals. Not many listen though. Thats the problem, -A.A Milne.

In the profession of Pet Grooming it isnt always all about having your pet look like a million

dollars. It isnt all about showing off your newly groomed and pampered pup at the end of the

day. The main thought is just having their animal look pretty, which in turn makes them look

good as well. Having your dog or cat brought in to get cleaned and presentable is essential to a

dog's well being in a ton of ways, if you want your animal to exceed twelve years they are going

to need regular appointments. When hearing the words animal grooming the first thing that

pops into people's heads are dogs, but the truth is that any animal with fur and claws need it.

Cats, rats, bunnies, guinea pigs and ferrets are only some animals that people dont realize also

need this. It can be especially important for rodent animals because of the fact that they only live

on average one to four years. Since they live so shortly, grooming can help lengthen their life

cycle. A pet groomer is critical to the cleanliness, health, and quality of life of an animal.

Having an animal groomed is a big part of their cleanliness. What is cleanliness? It is

pretty obvious but the definition the state or quality of being clean or being kept clean. Point

blank, people can not have a clean animal without getting them groomed regularly. Yes, they

have the ability to clean themselves, but that can only do so much. If people do not get it done,

their animal turns out to be a mess in one way or another. Knots, long and out of place hair, long

nails, and the list goes on. But, that is not the only problem. They can and will walk around

smelling horrible without it. For the majority of people, cleanliness is an important issue; poor

hygiene is unhealthy and unacceptable. Good hygiene includes regularly and thorough washing
of the person's body, hair, hands, as well as brushing and flossing teeth, caring for gums and

keeping the feet clean (Disabled World, 2015). Animals need to be washed at least every

month. For short haired dog breeds, it is actually quite easy to groom them with a minimal effort

of brushing the fingers over their coat. Thats all it takes. As for animals that have quite long hair

it requires a much different process such as trimming and brushing as so not to have any clumps

that will inevitably form over time without it. The same things that apply to human beings, apply

just as well to animals. With animals its actually applied much more forcefully due to their fur

covered bodies. The rules just apply a lot more forcefully for pets.

Animal health is greatly affected by whether or not someone gets their pet groomed.

Throughout their lives, so many things can happen whether it be fleas, ticks, worms, etc that

come into contact with them. In order to be removed, that calls for a cleaning, which then calls

for grooming. Having your pet groomed allows for people to be able to detect things like injuries

and so on that you would not alone be able to see. People can go on in their lives with their dog

or animal and not even know that they have a disease like cancer, because they never got it

detected. Each section of this practice can have different negative effects on the animal if not

done. Brush your cat or dog several times a week,, even if it has short hair. This will cut down

on hairballs, which cats almost always vomit or eliminate in the litter box. Sometimes, though, a

severe hairball can cause stomach or intestinal blockages (Cruz). It is easy to detect whether a

dog is in good health based on if the coat is shiny or not. Dull or brittle hair can be signs of quite

a few problems such as dietary imbalance or thyroid issues. Other problems can occur with

things like ear infections that can happen if the ears are not regularly cleaned and nail trimming

that can cause infection as well if grown too long that it pierces the pad. With their teeth, there is

risk for gum disease and other diseases of the mouth if they are not brushed. There are actually
toothbrushes and toothpaste specially designed for pets. If the hair around the eyes is not kept

trimmed, there can also be infection. Infection everywhere, that is what happens if people do not

get their pets groomed. There are quite a lot of things that can go wrong without getting

groomed, in every aspect of someone's animal. Dental disease can result in bad breath, painful

chewing, and tooth loss. Bacteria under the gum can travel to the heart, kidneys, and liver

(Vetstreet, 2014).

Everyone wants their pet to have the best life, and the quality of it to be the best. In order

for an animal to live their life to the fullest, that requires them to not have anything that is

weighing them down, such as complications with their health and things of the sort. Have you

ever had your hair in a ponytail that was just a little too tight? Maybe your hair was just bunched

up or stuck together? A mat can feel the same way to your dog a constant pull on the skin. Try

to imagine those all over your body, and you have an idea how uncomfortable an ungroomed

coat can be (Becker, 2011). Something that seems so simple as clumps in the fur can affect a

person's animal in a huge way. They have to walk around in pain and discomfort as long as they

have those matts. As long as someone gets grooming done regularly, this can actually become a

bonding time between pet and owner. Over time the animal will get used to it, therefore actually

liking it, and allowing for the owner to connect with their animal. This affects their quality of life

because there is that special relationship that people have with their animals, especially dogs. A

better the relationship with the pet, the better their life. On an emotional level, grooming

reduces stress in both parties, helping dog and owner to relax and build up a close bond

(YourDog). Some other things that might obstruct how good their life is is the flea and tick

problem. Fleas are actually very common in the world and it can be quite hard to get rid of them,

but imagine having tons of little insects crawling all over the body, living in the fur. In result,
there is constant itching and scratching and injuring the skin. It doesnt seem like that would be

all that enjoyable. Regular appointments at the grooming shop will allow for them to do

treatments and help get rid of them faster, washing and killing them off as best as they can.

Grooming is not only there to make pets look pretty or put together. This practice is

extremely important to the animal in health, quality of life, and their overall cleanliness. So many

things can go wrong without grooming them. Regular grooming is extremely important for your

canine friend. Not only does it keep dogs coats clean and manageable, it also enables you to do a

quick health check to ensure your pet stays in tip-top condition (YourDog).

Works Cited

Becker, Dr. Marty. "Why Grooming Your Dog is Great For His Health." VetSTREET.

N.p., 5 July 2011. Web.

Kam, Katherine. "Pet Care: Why Grooming is Important." Web MD. N.p., n.d. Web.
Kidd, Randy. "Hair of the dog: your dog's coat reflects his general health, so help

maintain it!" Whole Dog Journal 10.2 (2007): n. pag. Web.

"The Importance of Grooming Your Puppy." Pet MD. N.p., n.d. Web.

"The Importance of Pet Grooming." Lomita Pet Hospital. N.p., n.d. Web.

"Why do I need to groom my dog?" Your Dog. N.p., n.d. Web.