Keeping Your Pet’s Fur Clean and Fresh in Colder Weather

Caring for your pets in the colder weather

As the winter chill sets in, we cuddle up in sweaters and warm blankets. But, our pets can have a tough time dealing with the cold weather. It is important to take extra care of them to ensure they are comfortable. Avoid letting your pet sleep on the cold floor. You can help them stay warm by providing them with their own pet bed, a small mat or blanket to lie down on. Your pet’s fur is a natural sweater that helps moderate their body temperature. So, during the winter months, don’t shave your pet’s fur.

Routine baths can be a bit of a hassle in the winter, making it difficult to bathe your pet as often as you would like.

Also, if dogs are bathed too frequently this can dry out their skin and hair coat and may cause problems. Only bathing when it is necessary should help to prevent the skin drying out due to excessive bathing, as the natural oils on the skin and coat won’t be stripped away too frequently.

Follow these five simple steps to keep your pet’s fur looking and feeling great even when you skip bath time:

1. The first step in maintaining your pet’s fur health is to keep your pet well hydrated. Always ensure your dog or cat has access to plenty of water.

2. Your pet needs to be healthy on the inside to have shiny fur on the outside. Providing your pet with a well-balanced and healthy diet is essential for overall health. Ensure to include foods rich in Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids to help keep their fur healthy and shiny.

3. Regularly brush your dog's fur. Dogs with short coats generally require less brushing and grooming compared to dogs with medium to long haired coats as these longer coats can get tangles, mats and debris trapped in them more easily. Some very short-haired dogs may not need traditional ‘brushing’ and for these dogs, owners may instead like to try a soft grooming glove to gently remove loose hair, occasionally.

Owners should monitor the condition of their dog’s coat, looking for any tangles/mats or dullness which indicates they might need a brush. Grooming can take anything from a few minutes to several hours a week depending on your type of dog. Not grooming your dog as often as required can have an influence on their health. Mats and knots can worsen and moisture that is trapped underneath a matted coat and lack of airflow can predispose towards skin irritation and infection. Grooming is therefore a preventative activity.

4. Regularly clean your pet's stuff! Their bed, their toys, their blankets. Clean them all! This will keep your pets AND your house fresher and cleaner.

5. Incorporate Himalaya's Furglow oral coat conditioner. This special ayurvedic formula supports the health of your pet’s skin and coat from the inside. The ingredients are derived from nature and blended together to form an optimum solution to nourish the skin and coat of the pet.

Furglow contains plant-derived Omega 6 and Omega 3 fatty acids in an optimal ratio of 10:1 , along with Zinc, Selenium, Vitamins A and E, Vitamin B6, Biotin and vitamin D.