Grooming

Regular grooming of your pet is a necessary and very important aspect of pet care. Brushing your dog is not only good for their skin and hair but it is also a great way of bonding with your pet. Grooming also identifies and prevents the infestation of fleas and ticks on your pet.
Most breeds need a regular professional groom some dogs have long hair and need regular trimming others get a build up of undercoat that needs to be removed and sometimes your dog just needs a really good scrub. Dogs of all shapes and sizes are welcome at Uncle Mikes.
At Uncle Mikes we offer a full time grooming service for your dog. This is carried out by Rebecca our highly skilled and experienced groomer. A full groom entails a thorough brush out to remove any knots or dead undercoat. The skin is checked for any external parasites such as fleas and ticks. The skin and coat is assessed to decide which shampoo would best suit your dog. We have shampoo for sensitive skin, shampoo for dry flaky skin, shampoo for greasy coat and of course the very popular baby powder shampoo suitable for all breeds.
The ears and eyes are cleaned and the nails are clipped. The dog is then moved to the bath where they get a thorough scrub and the anal glands are emptied. Once rinsed they are dried off and combed through once more. The coat is then clipped and scissor in the style of the breed or to the owners specifications. Your dog is then ready to go home.
　
Before your dog comes in to be groomed :

He should have a short walk to go to the loo.
You should not feed him/her before he/she comes in.
You should not wash your dog before he comes in.
You should inform the groomer of any medical conditions or injuries the dog may have.
Rebecca completed a veterinary assistant course in Killester college in Dublin in 2001. She then went on to work in Dogsbody dog grooming parlour in Dublin run by Suzanne O’Sullivan. Suzanne is a founder member of the Irish Professional Dog Groomers Association and was Irish groomer of the year in 1997 and 2002 and has represented Ireland in grooming competitions in London, France and the USA.

For an appointment telephone Uncle Mikes at 052-6181840 and ask to speak to Rebecca.

	Fleas The cat flea and the dog flea are the two main species of flea. It used to be that the flea season lasted from April- November but since the arrival of central heating and carpets into our homes fleas can now breed all year round. This makes them a constant problem. Signs of infestation Visual evidence Scratching leading to hair loss Excessive grooming. At Uncle Mikes we stock many products to control fleas on cats and dogs. To name just a few e.g. shampoos, powders, collars and combs. Successful flea control involves killing the hatched fleas and preventing re-infestation from pet bedding and other soft furnishings. It should be noted that fleas can carry the worm eggs. So by keeping your pet free from fleas you are also helping to reduce their likelihood of having worm infestation.

	Ticks Ticks are members of the spider family. A tick is an arachnid that buries its head beneath the skin and sucks blood. It becomes engorged as it feeds. Pets can pick up ticks in gardens, fields, parks kennels and burrows. Ticks are most prevalent in the spring and autumn. However, depending on weather conditions they can remain a problem throughout the summer months too. Signs of infestation Visual evidence Fever Lameness Loss of appetite Arthritis or swelling in joints Fatigue. The treatment of ticks usually involves their physical removal. This can be quite difficult because of the risk of mouth parts being left in the skin and an abscess forming. If you are uncertain about removing such ticks from your pet advice can be got in-store at Uncle Mikes on the best possible methods of tick removal.

	Worms All pets carry worms at some stage and will be infected unless regularly treated. Getting rid of worms is simple and inexpensive so regular treatment is recommended. There are two main types of worms; roundworms and tapeworms. Round worms grow up to 15cm long. Tapeworms grow up to 60cm long. Puppies should be wormed every 2 weeks up to the age of twelve weeks. Older dogs should be treated every 3 months. Roundworms can be passed from mother to puppy in the womb or via lactating milk. Roundworms grow in the intestine of young dogs and lay thousands of eggs which pass out in the faeces. Tapeworms anchor their heads to the intestine wall and grow a continuous ribbon of segments packed with eggs. These segments which look like grains of rice gradually break off and are passed out into the faeces. There are a number of suitable worming tablets available at Uncle Mikes: Drontal and Drontal plus for dogs Drontal Cat for cats Troscan for dogs Zerofen for cats and dogs Bob Martin for cats and dogs. Worm treatments do not usually have a lasting effect so pets may become re-infected soon after treatment. The best possible way of avoiding such re-infestation is to pick up the faeces from your pet and bury it as soon as is possible after it has been made. It is also very important to note that the flea can carry the worm egg. So by keeping your pet free from fleas you are also helping to reduce their likelihood of having worm infestation.