At Ballarat Family Petcare we know that regular grooming of your pet has several benefits:

Cleanliness                                         

We groom to keep an animal clean by the removal of dirt (by bathing & brushing) and assisting with the shedding of hair. At home regular grooming reduces the amount of hair deposited on furniture etc.

Health                            

Animals with long thick coats need regular grooming to stop matting & soiling.

By keeping the animals coat clean, grooming assists the condition of the skin and hair, thus contributing to the animals health. A close inspection of the animal during grooming assists in early recognition of a problem.                       

Appearance

Of more importance to the owners is appearance, which is often the first reason owners give for grooming. Most owners do take pride in how their animal looks.

Inspection                   

Grooming regularly, gives an owner or groomer an opportunity to recognise any early problems, such as skin allergies, parasites (fleas, mange), and abscesses in cats or metabolic conditions.

Relationship

Grooming is also an important part of an animals pack socialisation and in the wild helps animals bond. When we groom our pets we are building this bond, and also enforcing our position of hierarchy in the pack i.e. we are the dominant one. If started when a dog or kitten is young, grooming should be a pleasant experience, that will help build our relationship with our pet.

The process of Grooming (clipping & bathing)

1. Coat is brushed out & and knots removed before bathing. Any skin problems may be noticed during the initial brush.

2. If the animal is to be clipped then the first “rough clip” is done, this removes all the long hair, before bathing.

3. The animal is bathed: choice of shampoo is determined by the animal’s coat & skin condition.

4. Drying: the animal is towel dried, and then dried with the dryer, either hand held or in the cage.

5. Once the animal is dry, the final clip is done. A lot more coat will come off, as the drier fluffs up the coat. This second clip gives a much more even, finished result.

Once the animal has been re -clipped, then feet, ears and face are trimmed, nails are cut, and ears checked and cleaned if necessary. A light spray with herbal spray gives a nice finish, as does a bow on some dogs. 

Shampoos

In our clinic the main shampoos we retail are:

Malaseb                                          

Phyohex                                                                        

Sebolyse                                             

Epi-sooth,

All these shampoos have slightly different roles.

Malaseb and  Sebolyse contain the broad spectrum anti-bacterial chlorhexidine (plus fungicide miconazole. Sebolyse also has selenium which has a drying effect on the skin.                            

Epi-sooth, is an oatmeal based shampoo, that is very soothing, and great for pets with itchy skin, where there is no evidence of bacterial infection.                                   

Phyohex, is antibacterial, and used in cases where a strong anti bacterial  action is needed.                                

We also sell a Natural (Dermcare) which is for pets with normal or sensitive skin. When grooming I use a natural based herbal shampoo by Fido’s. This mild shampoo seems to suit most dogs. Then I use the Fido’s herbal rinse which leaves the coat soft with a nice fresh clean smell. Fido’s herbal spray is useful to spray on any animal that needs freshening up!