Natural Pet Health

Brush your dog often.

Brushing will stimulate oils in your pets skin & keep it moist & healthy. Brushing will prevent matting of your dogs coat. Brushing is a great way to show your dog attention. Brushing eliminates dead hair in the coat that contributes to shedding.

Maintain the length of your dogs nails.

You can walk your dog often to wear down nails. Clip your dogs nails on a regular basis. If they are cut too short they can bleed & sting. Groomers usually charge a little less than veterinarians to cut nails. If you believe your dog will be aggressive about getting their nails cut it is best to take them to the veterinarian.

Bathe your dog regularly.

Buy dog shampoos & conditioners from pet stores. Do not use flea & tick shampoos unless your pet needs them, they can dry out your pets skin. Be sure to rinse your dog thoroughly, leaving soap on skin can cause problems.

Bathing a dog with knots & mats will worsen them, be sure to eliminate these before or immediately after the bath. When drying your dog use low heat. Dogs are sensitive to burning, keep this in mind while adjusting water temperature.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Ingredients:

* 7 oz water
* 3.3 oz full fat buttermilk
* 4.2 oz lye
* 5 oz coconut oil
* 8 oz palm oil
* 8 oz olive oil
* 8 oz soybean oil
* 2 oz neem oil
* 1 oz emu
* 2 Tbsp neem powder
* 2 Tbsp powdered rosemary
* .5 oz rosemary essential oil

Directions

Makes 2 pounds.

My dogs inspired this, and not because they can dance. It removes ‘eau de doggy’ and is great for doggy dermatitis. I imagine it would be a decent flea repellant as well. Fine for humans too. Combine water and lye, cool a bit, then add buttermilk.

Set aside 1 oz of neem and emu oils. Melt solid oils in microwave, add to crock pot along with liquid oils. Add lye water/milk and proceed as usual.

Just before pour, combine neem and rosemary powders, neem and emu oils and rosemary oil, then add to soap. Mix and pour.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Ingredients:

* 8 oz coconut oil
* 6 oz olive oil
* 1.5 oz castor oil
* 3.54 oz lye
* .25 oz jojoba oil
* .5 oz aloe vera gel
* .25 oz eucalyptus eo
* .125 oz peppermint eo
* .125 oz citronella eo
* .25 oz T-50 Tocopherol
* 6.5 oz palm oil
* 3 oz canola oil
* 8.5 oz water
* .25 oz neem oil
* .25 oz lavender 40/42 eo
* .125 oz lemongrass eo
* .125 oz tea tree oil
* .125 oz cedarwood eo

Directions

I make this in my 6 qt crockpot. Add lye to water & set safely aside. Heat coconut, palm, olive, canola & castor oils till completely melted. Add lye water & stir till light trace. Put the lid on the crockpot.

I stir every ten minutes till vaseline stage, keeping an eye out for volcanos in between. After the cook, dump the soap in a ss bowl. Stir every 5 minutes to assist in a quick cool down.

Make sure to keep the sides of the bowl scraped clean. When my soap has cooled down to approximately 160 degrees (I never check!), add the remaining ingredients, stirring very well. Glop the soap into your log mold & press the air bubbles out for a uniform soap.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

After trying various methods over the years, the best one I have found is to simply rub your dog vigorously with hay. You can even convince the dog to roll himself in it! I have no idea why this works but it does!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Dog shedding is part of dog ownership. While you can’t exactly cure dog shedding, there are some steps you can take to minimize excessive dog shedding.

How to Control Shedding

Grooming is the key to controlling dog hair shedding. You know the hair is going to fall out. It is better to brush your dog’s coat daily and remove the hair yourself than to have dog hair all over the floor, furniture and your clothes.

Some dogs shed seasonally, such as in the spring when they are shedding their winter coats, and may require twice daily brushings during those periods. In general, dogs with smooth coats will need brushing approximately once or twice a week, while dogs with silky coats will need brushing three to four times a week. Long haired dogs require daily brushing to keep their coats looking their best.

Feeding your dog a high quality food with Omega 3 fatty acids will help keep him healthy and keep his coat shiny. Also, vacuum frequently to keep your house dog hair free. Some dogs don’t mind being vacuumed themselves!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

On the farm here we have some pets who are not fond of getting a bath. However we still need to get all the seeds and dirt from their coats.

Dry shampoo helps in more ways than one it saves your back from trying to get them in the bathtub and saves stressing your pet as well.

Perhaps this would come in handy when the next time your pet decides to camauflogue itself as another animal.

Sprinkle coarse cornmeal, bran or orris-root over the entire coat. Brush it in and the dirt out!

For scented shampoo try adding a split vanilla bean to your dry mix a few days before using.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Giving your dog a bath - no problem. Probably cleaning your dog’s teeth wouldn’t be an issue. But trimming doggie’s nails, no way! Ok, listen up. You can do this. It’s not nearly as difficult or frightening as it seems.

Nail trimming in dogs can be done very easily if you know how. It is a good idea to watch someone else (vet, groomer or friend) who is experienced in nail trimming show you first. Some dogs don’t need to have their nails trimmed.

Many will naturally wear the nails down or the dried ends of the nails will simply flake away without you even knowing. But some breeds, especially Basset Hounds and Dachshunds will likely need your help in keeping the toe nails reasonably short.

As much as you’ll never want to, you might as well just count on cutting a nail too short on occasion. It just happens sometimes, even with experienced groomers. The nail will bleed if you cut it too short, so just be prepared for that.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Giving your dog a bath is important, but not as critical as most people seem to believe. If your dog is healthy, he really doesn’t need to be bathed more that once every few months, but most of us put them in the tub or under the hose more often to get rid of that doggie smell and look shinier.

Although most dogs do not enjoy getting a bath, it is a good bonding experience. They will appreciate the contact and attention they get from their owner.

This is also an excellent time to do some other required ‘maintenance’ tasks that we often forget about, such as ear cleaning, brushing their teeth, and checking for fleas and Ticks. It is much easier to do all these things at once since most dogs don’t enjoy sitting through these activities for very long.

Let’s go into further detail about these maintenance tasks to make sure your dog stays healthy and happy for a long time.

To clean your dog’s ears, check your local pet store for special solutions designed specifically for this purpose. It is common for dogs to attract ear mites, which are small insects that live in the waxy secretions.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!