Weekly grooming

[KaleighsMom]

Good morning, I am Kaleigh'sMom and I am a yorkie owner. Woohoo! Kaleigh is our first pet. She was born 12/24/2009 and is such a joy to our fam.

I took her to her first vet visit, last Thursday, for shots and grooming. I was told she had luxating patella (level 1) and she was put on Pancur for worms. The groomer charged me $25 and asked if I wanted to be part of a "grooming program" where I can bring her in for weekly grooming for $10. She said every other month, I will have to pay $25 for the full groom (which includes hair trim). The program includes bath, brush, nail trim, ear cleaning and getting her anal glands cleaned. Tomorrow will be her first day.

I mentioned the weekly grooming to a few people (who are yorkie owners, one being as new as I am, the others older) and they felt that I am "doing too much". And even asked "can't you do that yourself"? Since I am new to this, and her being so young, I think it is best for a groomer to do. Plus $10 isn't too bad (or is it too much)?

So my question is am I doing "too much"?

Also, do you baby wipe your dog (bottom and paws) after going outside?

[maxmom]

Originally Posted by KaleighsMom

Good morning, I am Kaleigh'sMom and I am a yorkie owner. Woohoo! Kaleigh is our first pet. She was born 12/24/2009 and is such a joy to our fam.

I took her to her first vet visit, last Thursday, for shots and grooming. I was told she had luxating patella (level 1) and she was put on Pancur for worms. The groomer charged me $25 and asked if I wanted to be part of a "grooming program" where I can bring her in for weekly grooming for $10. She said every other month, I will have to pay $25 for the full groom (which includes hair trim). The program includes bath, brush, nail trim, ear cleaning and getting her anal glands cleaned. Tomorrow will be her first day.

I mentioned the weekly grooming to a few people (who are yorkie owners, one being as new as I am, the others older) and they felt that I am "doing too much". And even asked "can't you do that yourself"? Since I am new to this, and her being so young, I think it is best for a groomer to do. Plus $10 isn't too bad (or is it too much)?

So my question is am I doing "too much"?

Also, do you baby wipe your dog (bottom and paws) after going outside?

I would not do anal sac unless is necessary. I give Sophie and Max a weekly bath at home. Brush daily, I however have a hard time trimming nails, so I leave that to the professional, the charge 5.00 for each baby. You can find great grooming videos and there is a sticky (i think thats how is called) from Marci where she takes you step by step on how to trim and groom. Daily care,(brush, eye, butt cleaning) in my opinion is the best, unless you dont have the time..this babies can take all of it!

[Maximo]

Congratulations! Enjoy your little one.

Weekly grooming is typical for a Yorkie. I do all of Maximo's grooming myself at home and he gets a bath and full "spa treatment" once a week.

Yes, baby wipes are great for cleaning up bellies, beards, and paws.

[KaleighsMom]

Thanks Maximo and Maxmom for the responses. I really appreciate the advice.
Kaleigh's been scooting on her bottom lately and I figured she might need a good cleaning...

[Zeus08]

Congratulations on getting Kaleigh! She is one month, one day and one year older than my Zeus who was born 11/23/2008. Enjoy her!

Did she get the pancur because she has worms? If so that might explain the scooting. Weekly grooming seems a bit much. $10 a week is not much but that will add up pretty quickly. I use baby wipes to wipe Zeus. He hates for me to wipe his paws but after he poops he waits by the door for me to wipe him before he comes back in the house.

[HarleyHOO]

I bathe Harley once a week along with a facial and ear cleaning I also comb her hair at least twice a day. However, she still goes to the groomer for nails, trim and butt about once every 6-8 weeks. I too think a weekly trip is unnecessary, but its completely up to you and what you're comfortable with. Bathing, blowdrying & brushing mine is no problem. But it is a job. 10$ seems pretty good but maybe just do the routine stuff yourself and take her in every other week?

Then again, I don't think we can "do to much" as far as our babies are concerned. It's fun to spoil and pamper then. If anything, it just shows what a good yorkie mom you will be. Good luck and welcome to YT!!

[Pup-e-Love]

Originally Posted by KaleighsMom

Thanks Maximo and Maxmom for the responses. I really appreciate the advice.
Kaleigh's been scooting on her bottom lately and I figured she might need a good cleaning...

Congrats on your new little one. I think $10 a week is a bit much. You could learn to do all the things that the groomers will be doing, and you can do it for free. When we first got Reesie I was scared to trim his nails. But I had the vet show me how to do it and now I just do it myself. Much cheaper! You just have to clip the very tip, you don't want to go down too far or you will cut the quick. I always clip them after I have given him a bath, that way they are softer to clip. I take him straight from the bath right over and clip his nails, keeping him covered in the towel. I also smear some peanut butter on the corner of the towel and that keeps him busy licking while I'm clipping his nails. Works wonderfully!

Also, you need to call the vet about her scooting on her bottom, that is a sign that she has worms, and maybe the meds she is on are not working.

Good luck with your new baby! You have come to the right place to find help with your questions. You will find that there are many knowledgeable people here on YT. You will learn a lot! Enjoy your baby!

[KaleighsMom]

Thanks so much for the kind words and advice.

Yes, the Pancur was for worms. She took her last dose Monday and has still been scooting. I will definitely ask for her to get checked again tomorrow.

What do you guys use (shampoo, conditioner, brush, etc) for grooming?

[mimimomo]

You should just do the weekly baths at home (bonding time w/mom) & skip the anal glands, unless required. If expressed too often, they lose the muscle movement to release it on their own.
Once every two or three months a visit to the groomers sounds about right to get trims, depending on how fast her hair grows.

[Maximo]

Originally Posted by mimimomo

You should just do the weekly baths at home (bonding time w/mom) & skip the anal glands, unless required. If expressed too often, they lose the muscle movement to release it on their own.
Once every two or three months a visit to the groomers sounds about right to get trims, depending on how fast her hair grows.

Very interesting and very good to know -- I had no idea, but I have always opposed manually expressing the glands unless absolutely necessary.

Kaleigh's Mom: Maximo had gland problems after the vet (with large fingers ) manually retrieved a stool sample for a routine test during his first health exam. He was scooting and obviously in a great deal of discomfort. Our breeder told us to give him peas or green beans to add bulk to the stool to naturally express the glands.

Hence, I advocate proper diet and exercise to make things happen naturally.

Also, sometimes dogs will scoot if they have a dirty bottom, or if the trimmed hair around the area is bothering them.