Cairns Vet Clinic offer a wide range of dog grooming, clipping & bathing services
Cairns Dogs often get hot, smelly, dirty and even develop skin problems due to our hot and humid climate. Much of this can be prevented by keeping your dog correctly groomed.
Long coated dogs need regular grooming or clipping
Dog Clipping, Grooming & Bathing services
Cairns Vet Clinic dog grooming services include:
- Clipping
- Bathing
- Hydrobath
- Tick/Flea Rinse
- Brushing
- Nail Clip
- Express Anal Glands
- We also have comprehensive canine dental services: have you checked your dog’s teeth recently?
Dog Clipping & Grooming FAQ
Does my dog need Grooming at all?
All pets require regular inspection and maintainence of their coat, skin, nails, ears, eyes and teeth. Regularly checking these and cleaning or trimming them as appropriate will help keep your pet healthy and well.
If you are regularly checking and cleaning your dog you will often pick up small problems before they become big problems, as well as keeping your dog clean and smelling good.
In areas with Paralysis ticks you should combine grooming your dog with a daily tick search.
Grooming is also a great way to bond with your dog.
Some breeds require much more grooming than others: eg. long coated breeds require regular clipping or their coat will become knotted.
In the Cairns tropical climate dogs with long floppy ears are very prone to ear infections and should have their ears cleaned regularly.
Should I clip my dog? (A dog breeder/trainer/my cousin told me not to!)
There is a common misconception that triming dog’s coats will cause problems with thermoregulation or skin or coat health. Providing dogs are not exposed to extreme temperatures and a little common sense is used, clipping long coated dogs several times a year generally improves their coat, skin and general health and activity levels.
How should I brush/groom my dog at home?
You should regularly brush your dog to remove dirty, dead skin, and loose hair and check them for fleas, skin problms and injury The required frequency varies greatly according to breed (see below)
How often should I groom my dog.
Dog’s grooming needs vary enormously with breed, lifestyle and coat type.
Dogs with short coats that rarely get dirty may rarely need to be brushed.
Dog groomers & vets usually reccommend daily brushing, but realistically once or twice a week is a great goal unless your pet has a long coat.
What are the benefits of brushing/grooming my pet at home?
Brushing your dog’s coat helps to remove dirt, dead skin and loose hair. This helps their skin and coat stay healthy and means a lot less dander, dust and dirt around your home. Its also a great way to bond with your pet and check them for problems.
How often should I have my dog clipped?
Most groomers and Cairns Vet Clinic recommend clipping long coated dogs 2-6 times per year, before their coat becomes matted. If you don’t want to have them clipped as often, you will usually need to groom them daily to remove matts, knots, loose hair and skin and dirty.
Clipping a dog 4-6 times per year keeps their coat more like a short coated dog: this means they only need occasional grooming and bathing.
How often should I bathe my dog?
It is best to bathe your dog as little as required to keep them clean, smelling nice and free of skin problems and parasites. For most dogs this is once every 1-4 weeks. Many dogs do well only being bathed every 1-3 months. To prevent skin problems, use a mild shampoo made for dogs (not human shampoo, wool wash, other laundry products (you’d be amazed at what some people wash their dogs in then wonder why they get skin problems!). If you wash your dog more than once a week the choice of shampoo is critical and it is important to use a conditioner as well as you are removing the natural oils from the coat.
Overwashing dogs is a common cause of skin problems, so don’t overdo it. Having said that, in Cairns, dogs often suffer from the heat and humidity and get more skin problems, so dogs here normally require more washing than their Southern or Tablelands counterparts.
Is it OK to wash my dog in wool wash? (My breeder/trainer/cousin recommended it)
Wool Wash and other laundry products (like sunlight soap) is extremely alkaline and very harsh on your dog’s skin. Its not suitable as a shampoo and will strip the natural oils from the dog’s coat making them more susceptable to skin problems. Wool wash was popular as a dog shampoo because it was cheap and available. There are much better options, especially if your dog has specific skin problems (which wool wash is often recommended for).
Is it OK to wash my dog in human shampoo
Human skin is 100 times more acidic than canine skin, and you’ve probably heard of shampoo being “pH balanced”. That basically means the acidity of the shampoo is suitable for human skin. It is much to acid for canine skin. Talk to Cairns Vet Clinic about a suitable shampoo for your dog.
My dog smells even though I just washed it yesterday/last week
If you find your dog gets very smelly (yeasty, or “doggy) quickly after washing it may indicate a skin problem. Check them carefully for a rash, pimples, scabs, dandruff, thickened skin, itchy skin, pigmented skin (especially in armpits, groin or ears) or other signs of skin problems. If you find these its best to get them checked by your vet.
If their skin otherwise seems OK, come and have a chat to us and we can recommend a shampoo and conditioner to keep their skin smelling nice.
How do I trim my dog’s nails?
Trimming your dog’s nails can be a bit tricky: ask your vet to show you how to do it.
Most active, larger dogs won’t need all of their nails trimmed regularly if they walk on concrete or bitumen regularly. The nails should still be checked, though and often the dew claws need trimming.
Your vet or dog groomer can advise you of the frequency.
How much does Dog Grooming and clipping cost?
Cairns Vet Clinic charges for dog grooming, clipping & bathing by time.
As a guide for clipping, small dogs which don’t require sedation and have no knots, dirt or matts may cost around $50, while a larger dog may cost $60-100
Clipping a matted or dirty coat can take 2-3 times as long and thus might cost up to twice as much.
Many dogs require sedation and this is essential where the coat is very matted to prevent stress and accidental injury. Sedation cost from $15-$70, but can reduce the total clipping time so the cost often balances out.
We can give only you an estimate of cost by seeing your dog: we cannot give an estimate over the phone as we need to assess the coat and any matts etc.
Please contact Cairns Vet Clinic on 0740329999 for more details on costs of our dog grooming services.
