grooming – My Cocker Spaniel

Another quick bath

I have to say these quick baths aren’t 100% successfull. I had to give Hoshi a complete bath last week because they were on various parts of his body. Tonight I noticed flea dirt around his scrotum. I placed him in his tub and throughly cleaned the area with a warm soapy washcloth. I removed at least 2 fleas in the process because they were on the washcloth. It took 22 minutes to wash and dry the area. Hoshi can get another application of Frontline Plus in 4 days.

Difficulty sleeping is a clue there might be fleas. Hoshi kept scratching his bed last night trying to get comfortable. The flea dirt is a dead giveaway.

Fleas on washcloth after bath — Fleas after quick bath

Quick flea baths

Be sure to dispose of them. They might be alive.

I’ve been having good luck getting rid of fleas I find on Hoshi. I put Hoshi in his tub and wash his groin with a warm soapy cloth. It takes 10-20 minutes to wash and towel dry him.

I discovered fleas favor Hoshi’s genitals. That’s where I find them or flea dirt. Their speed makes them difficult to catch with a flea comb. I find baths work well on fleas but it’s time consuming bathing and drying off a long-haired breed.

The quick baths have been effective days and weeks later.

Gave Hoshi a bath

His bath was long overdue and I found a flea on him yesterday. I did the bare minimum trim to keep him cool and clean. One nail was especially long. They wear uneven. The others didn’t need trimming. I had to give him three treats just to trim that nail.

Pieces of Hoshi’s toenail demonstrating how long it was — So much trouble for one nail

Hoshi doing well with dry food

Hoshi’s been taking Canidae’s Pure Ancestral for two weeks now. He gobbles it up right away and has nice firm stools. The only difference I notice is the increased amount of stool. I would say it’s about 3 times as much compared to his raw chicken diet.

Hoshi has gained too much weight. He normally has 3 to 4 chicken thighs a day but I’ve been substituting one with dry food . Lately, it’s been 4 servings so I’m cutting it down to 3.

Gave Hoshi a bath

This was another bad summer for fleas. I’ve been using Frontline and a homemade flea repellent but Hoshi’s belly was still peppered with flea dirt. I gave him a thorough bath, trimmed his essentials. I even coaxed him with cheese into having a few nails trimmed.

Hoshi after bath and groom — All clean and trimmed

Time	Activity
2:15	Bath & blow dry
1:30	Trim
3:45	Total Time

Hoshi’s Haircut

Cold Sunday morning

It was a long night for both of us

I needed to cut Hoshi’s hair because it was too long making him uncomfortably hot. I turned the furnace down to 64 °F and had fans on for him. It took about 5 hours to bath and trim him. He was fussy making it difficult to remove the heavy mats under armpits. I’ve haven’t trimmed him because he hates it. I would have liked to leave his coat longer but it’s beyond my skill