Companion animals - With all the petting

Hygiene and health

Your pet's hygiene is essential, both when you are at home and when you go out.

Bathing and brushing are important, but there are other precautions to consider:

At home: 

In the street: 

• Train your dog to urinate in appropriate places and collect its faeces. 
  
  

Small but important care gestures

Ears, eyes, nails, and teeth need special care. As a rule, this care is identical for dogs and cats. However, the frequency of ear cleaning depends on the anatomy of the animal's ears.

Ears 

• Clean your pet's ears whenever they are dirty. In dogs, this cleaning should be done at least once a week, with an ear cleaning solution suitable for this purpose and with the aid of a dry cotton swab or sterile gauze.  
• In dogs with pendulous ears (downward), this procedure should take place more often (three times a week).
  

Eyes 

• The eyes are a particularly sensitive area. To clean them, use a cotton ball soaked in water, cleaning the corners thoroughly.
  

Nails 

• Trim them regularly, but not too close and always with a suitable tool. Cats' nails require additional care as they retract.
  

Teeth

Just like us, dogs and cats develop tartar and cavities, hence the importance of monitoring oral health:  

• Brush your pet's teeth regularly;  
• Use a specific toothpaste for your pet;  
• Watch your pet’s food. The use of moist food requires extra care.  
• Start your pet's oral hygiene in the first months of life.  Make your pet get used to it from an early age, rubbing teeth and gums with a suitable accessory (gauze, finger stall, brush). If cooperation is difficult, attach a reward to this procedure, such as a stroke or a treat.