Parkway Animal Hospital's

PET OWNER'S GUIDE TO

Bathing Your Pet

Steps For Proper Shampooing Of Your Pet:

Your pet's skin is quite different from human skin. It's thinner, has no sweat glands, and has a different PH. Therefore most human shampoos are not satisfactory. Neither are many over-the-counter pet shampoo products, especially if your pet has any type of skin abnormality or disease.
Bathe the pet whenever it is dirty or smells bad. We recommend you routinely bathe the pet every 10-14 days to prevent excessively drying the hair coat BUT with our recommended products, it is SAFE to bathe whenever necessary.
BRUSH and COMB out mats BEFORE the bath.
Pack cotton in the ears.
Lubricate the eyes with mineral oil, castor oil, Vaseline, or eye ointment to prevent burning or irritating the eyes with the soap or dipping solution.
WET THOROUGHLY before applying soap. Use luke warm water for pet’s comfort. Use COOL water if the pet is “itchy.”
THOROUGHLY LATHER. Add more water (instead of soap) to increase the lather. Allow the soap lather to stand on the pet’s body for 3-5 minutes. (Medicated soaps: 5-10 minutes.) This step is very important!!
Use a sponge to wash the face. Using the fingers is better than any brush for lathering and scrubbing the skin!
RINSE THOROUGHLY to prevent skin irritation.
Repeat the soap procedure if the pet is extremely dirty.
Squeeze hair to remove excess water before applying dip solution.

OUR MISSION:

"We embrace the art of healing and the science of medicine to enrich the lives of our animal companions.
We support you in making informed decisions that allow your pet to enjoy wellness as long as possible.
Our hospital team inspires an atmosphere of compassion and respect for our patients, our clients, and for one another."