How to take care of your dog’s skin

Maintaining a healthy skin and coat

Keeping your pet’s coat and skin in tip top condition is an important part in maintaining their overall health but, just as in humans, every pet’s skin is different.

Along with a regular skin care regime and choosing the right shampoo for your dog’s skin type you can easily keep them looking and feeling happy and healthy.

The first step to maintaining is healthy coat is regular brushing. It give you the opportunity to check the skin regularly and remove any dead hair and impurities, promoting the regrowth of healthy hair.

What to consider when bathing your dog

To get the best results from bathing your dog think about how often you should bath them and what shampoo you choose; decide whether your dog has dry or greasy skin, perhaps they are itchy or have irritated skin? Virbac offer a comprehensive range of specially formulated shampoos that cater for lots of different skin types.

Top tips when bathing your dog

1. Make sure you have a non-slip surface in the bath, perhaps use a towel or bath mat, which will help to relax the pet during the process.
2. Ideally there should be two applications of shampoo, with a thorough rinse in between. The first application should cleanse the coat and skin of surface dirt and old skin cells, whereas the second application of shampoo should be left in contact with the skin for 5-15 minutes (according to individual shampoo recommendations) to allow the shampoo to be absorbed and penetrate the deeper into the the skin.
3. It is important to thoroughly rinse off the shampoo after this second application.
4. How often you shampoo your dog will depend on the skin condition; every 2 weeks is adequate if your dog doesn’t have a skin condition, please speak to your vet if you think your dog has a skin problem.
5. Dry your dog with a towel, not a hairdryer and given them a comb or a brush once they are dry.