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Pet peeves during lockdown: Troubles in grooming animals at home
From hygiene cut and wash to nail clipping, pet parents have taken the task of grooming their pets at home during lockdown. Pet groomers and vets advice how one can groom their pets at home.
Lockdown has posed a serious problem for pet owners who had been used to sending their pets to salons for bathing, grooming and hair cuts. A common problem that pet parents are facing is with regard to their pets going for a walk, and being exposed to the dirt including spit on the ground, at a time where the coronavirus pandemic is prevalent. So, pet parents have had to take upon themselves, the task of keeping their pets safe.
Vishesh Kumar, a Gurugram resident, who works in a logistics company, says, “Since pet parlours aren’t open amid the lockdown, I’ve been washing my pet, cleaning his paws and face regularly at home with utmost care. We are giving him a bath once a week, and also trimming a little bit of his hair after the bath.”
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Bathing, hair cuts and nail filing can pose problems for pet parents who don’t have a prior experience of grooming. “Make the bath time fun. Take toys to the bath tub and play with your pet. Ease them by talking to them and secure their ears with cotton, which is long enough to cover their entire ear canal. And one must only use pet shampoos,” says veterinarian Dr Bhavna Kalra. As far as hair cuts — for pets with heavy hair coats — and nail clipping is concerned, Dr Kalra warns, “Refrain from cutting your pets hair. Hygiene cuts near the eye, anal area can be given by exercising precaution. Nail filing is preferred than clipping as that doesn’t lead to nail injuries.”
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“I recommend whenever your pets come back from walks, clean their paws with pet wipes thoroughly and move a wipe across their body as well. Wash their leashes and collars after the walk and dry them out in the sun,” advises Preeti Sood, a Delhi-based certified pet groomer.
