Lumps On Dogs: What Should You Do?

April 19, 2017 by Fanna Easter

4 Steps to Take When You Find Lumps on Dogs

Finding a lump or bump on your dog is scary, and most pet owners aren’t sure what to do next. Before assuming the worst case scenario, it’s important to follow a few steps to keep your dog healthy.

For early prevention, check your dog’s body from nose to the tip of his tail weekly.

1. Take a Deep Breath & Investigate

Before freaking out, take a deep breath slowly in and then out. It’s time to take a good look at your dog’s lump. Move into a room with really strong lighting or grab a flashlight for a close inspection. To keep your dog still, smear peanut butter on a plate and then place it on the ground. As your dog happily licks away, part your dog’s coat and take a closer look at the lump.

While investigating the lump, it’s important to answer these questions:

Does the lump under your dog’s skin move? (i.e. moves side to side easily)
What shape is the lump? (i.e. round, shape of chewed bubblegum, ulcer, mushroom, etc.)
Is the lump bleeding or oozing clear sebum?

Now, run your fingers across your dog’s body to check for any other lumps. Take your time and check between your dog’s paw pads, under his tail and around each leg.

2. Take a Picture

To keep track of the lump’s size, it’s best to take photos the moment you notice the lump and every couple of days afterwards. Some lumps on dogs appear quickly and stop growing while others continue to slowly grow larger. Part your dog’s coat, place a flexible tape measure adjacent to the lump and snap a photo. These photos will be extremely beneficial for your veterinarian.

3. Jot Down Notes

Along with photos, you should document details of the lump on paper or in a Word doc. Remembering specific details about a lump and its growth over a span of time can be difficult. By jotting down notes, you can have a written account of the lump, which will be invaluable for your vet.

You should write down the date of when you first noticed the lump along with any photos. Then, every 2-3 days, note the date and any observational findings (e.g. bleeding, dried up, growing, decreased in size, etc.). Don’t forget to include any pictures as well. All of this information is important to your dog’s health, so keep track and write notes on a regular basis even if you didn’t notice any changes.

4. Make a Vet Appointment

Never monitor a lump without consulting your veterinarian first, including tiny lumps. Lumps and bumps have many causes, and one is cancer. Other lumps on dogs may indicate lymphoma or bone cancer, which should never be ignored. When lumps are found and diagnosed early, a dog has a better chance of surviving certain types of cancers.

After finding, investigating, taking photos and jotting down notes, pick up your phone and schedule a vet appointment. Never wait. Schedule a vet appointment within 24 hours of finding a new lump on your dog. During the visit, your dog’s veterinarian will aspirate (remove lump cells with a needle) and view these cells under a microscope. Most scary cancers can be diagnosed and removed quickly with great success.

When in doubt, get a lump checked out. Prevention is worth it.

Dog Conditioners for Short, Medium & Long-Haired Dogs

November 22, 2016 by Fanna Easter

Dog Conditioner for Every Hair Length

Do you need to use conditioner on dogs? Yes, conditioning your dog’s fur is an important step in the grooming process regardless of hair length and type. Different coat types have specific conditioning needs, but all dogs need to moisturize their skin.

While using a dog conditioner isn’t dog training related, this question continues to pop up from my clients. Yes, I’m a dog trainer, but I’m also a licensed master cosmologist too, so I know a thing or two about hair and skin. 🙂 Let’s get started on how to best condition your dog’s fur and skin!

Do Short-Haired Dogs Need Conditioner?

Of course, but choose a light or leave-in dog conditioner. While short hair needs less moisture due to its short length and structure, every dog needs to regularly moisturize his or her skin. Think about it this way: Your skin gets dry during winter months because the weather changes and the climate gets dry, right? As a result, you slather on skin-conditioning lotions to relieve tightness and flakiness. As you can imagine, your dog’s skin needs moisture too.

Instead of choosing heavy conditioners rich with oils, choose lighter versions. However, don’t be fooled; diluting rich conditioners with water doesn’t work very well because as we all know oil and water don’t mix. Lighter conditioners contain silk proteins instead of heavy oils, which moisturizes skin without leaving a greasy feel. Instead of choosing a dog conditioner, try using a rich moisturizing shampoo instead.

Medium Fur Needs Conditioning Too

Medium-coated dogs, such as Golden Retrievers, Akitas, Australian Shepherds and Papillons, have different coat needs. Dogs with medium-length coats, or short body hair with long furnishings, require a combination conditioning approach. Medium hair has additional moisture needs due to its length and structure shape, and all dogs need regular skin conditioning too.

Using a conditioning shampoo for dogs to moisturize his skin is a great first step, but medium-coated dogs with longer furnishings will need additional conditioning and detangling. Spray-on conditioners are excellent for conditioning small areas and contain rich moisturizers that don’t leave a heavy residue.

During your dog’s regular bath, shampoo with a moisturizing shampoo and rinse. Now, massage a dollop of conditioner, or spray conditioner, onto your dog’s front and back leg furnishings and tail. Allow the conditioner to sit for a few minutes and rinse thoroughly. During weekly brushings, use a spray-on conditioner that detangles, yet adds additional moisture.

Long Coat Conditioning Recommendations

Dogs with long coats need regular conditioning treatments—that’s a given. Longer hair means that strands of hair are older because they’ve been growing for a while. Older hair is porous, which means there are more holes in the hair cuticle. Due to the cuticle gaps, porous hair sucks up moisture quickly and can absorb colors introduced from the environment.

As an example, we know bleached hair will turn a green tinge when repeatedly exposed to swimming pool water containing chlorine. The same thing happens when your dog’s porous hair is repeatedly exposed to urine, salve and even red dirt.

To keep longer and porous hair in check, it needs regular moisturizing. Choose dog conditioners containing oils that not only moisturize, but also don’t overdo it. Sometimes, heavy conditioners can weigh hair down and leave a greasy residue that attracts and collects dirt. Other times, too much moisture will cause porous hair to frizz. Look for conditioners containing oils, such as Aryan oil or humectants, which help hair retain its moisture.

Experiment

With so many dog hair conditioning options, it’s easy to get overwhelmed quickly. As a cosmetologist, I believe professional products that cost a bit more are worth it. My favorite brands are Nature’s Specialty, Espree and Chris Christenson’s products. You can order online or ask your groomer what products she recommends.

When using conditioners for dogs, remember a little goes a long way! Don’t forget to rinse, rinse and rinse again to remove any residue. 🙂

UP NEXT: Heavy Duty Dog Shampoo

Dogs Can Benefit From Mud Baths As Well

September 26, 2016 by Fanna Easter

Mud Baths for Dogs

It’s a rare occasion when I can combine my dog training knowledge with my professional cosmetology license, but here it goes! If your dog has dry, itchy or flaky skin, a mud bath just might help. Dog mud baths have become recently popular, but humans have benefited from mud baths for thousands of years. Check out the benefits of mud baths and tips on giving your dog a mud bath.

Benefits of Dog Mud Baths

Mud baths contain mud, essential oils, minerals and moisturizers. While this seems simple, each ingredient has a special purpose for your dog’s skin. Without mud, other mud bath components, such as essential oils and moisturizers, wouldn’t be as effective.

Why Mud?

Mud contains tiny granules of dirt and clay mixed together with water. When massaging mud onto your dog’s skin, tiny granules of dirt remove dead and dry skin, which leaves soft skin behind. Once your dog’s skin is exfoliated, newer skin can be treated and conditioned with oils and moisturizers.

Moisturizers

When choosing mud baths for dogs, it’s important to understand your dog’s skin and coat needs first. If your dog has dry and flaky skin, choose a mud bath containing moisturizers that will soften your dog’s skin without leaving a greasy residue behind. Exfoliating and moisturizing your dog’s skin regularly (once a month) is an excellent idea, especially if living in a dry climate or during shedding season.

Essential Oils

While mud is the powerhouse of mud baths, essential oils play an equally important role too. Essential oils begin working while you’re massaging mud onto your dog’s skin, and they work afterwards too. These oils are powerful because they are calming, have antiseptic and antibacterial properties, and can certainly remove impurities from your dog’s body. Plus, essential oils leave behind an amazing aroma that lasts for several days.

How to Give Your Dog a Mud Bath at Home

Massage

Mud baths are different than shampoos in that mud baths are made especially for your dog’s skin. Once your dog is in the tub, wet his coat thoroughly and then apply mud bath onto your dog’s skin. Once your dog is covered with mud bath, slowly massage the product onto your dog’s skin, applying light pressure. Massaging is key to giving your dog a mud bath. The light circular or linear finger movement that occurs during massages pushes and pulls mud particles against your dog’s skin, which causes exfoliation.

Rinse

Now, it’s time to rinse your dog. Using lukewarm water, start rinsing your dog from head to tail. Keep rinsing until the water running off your dog is clear. If you still feel a light residue in your dog’s coat, you can wash your dog with a mild shampoo.

Blow-Dry

After rinsing your dog’s skin and coat completely, it’s best to blow-dry his coat. When blow-drying your dog, use the least amount of heat possible and keep the dryer moving. Never dry one spot of your dog’s coat, as it can burn his skin. As you’re drying your dog, you’ll notice his skin looking clear and flake-free and his coat amazing.

Have you given your dog a mud bath? Please share your experiences below!

How To Clean Your Dog’s Ears At Home

September 21, 2016 by Fanna Easter

Dog Ear Cleaning Made Easy

Debris can build up in your dog’s ears, which can leave a residue, smell or even an infection. Most dogs need their ears wiped out monthly as routine maintenance. Now, if your dog’s ears stink or have dark or red-colored goop inside, it’s best to schedule a veterinarian appointment. For normal routine dog ear cleaning, try these easy steps to clean your dog’s ears at home.

First, Choose a Dog Ear Cleaning Solution

When cleaning your dog’s ears, you need an ear cleaning solution made specifically for dogs. As tempting as it may be to use water, vinegar or peroxide as an ear cleaner, it can cause your dog more harm than good.

Before purchasing an ear cleaner for dogs, ask your veterinarian for his or her recommendation. My favorite routine ear cleaning solution is Espree Ear Care. I’ve used it for years ever since my vet recommended it, and it does a great job. This dog ear cleaning solution contains peppermint, tea tree and eucalyptus. It leaves your dog’s ears clean and it smells fantastic!

Medicated Ear Cleaners

Medicated ear cleaners are a different story. If your dog has a bacteria or yeast infection in his ears, your vet will likely prescribe a specific ear cleaner and topical medication. Make sure to clean out your dog’s ears before adding medication. If you don’t remove ear debris first, then the prescribed medication won’t work.

What You’ll Need

You’ll need a bottle of ear cleaning solution for dogs, several yummy treats and something to wipe debris out of your dog’s ears. Don’t laugh, but I use an old sock. Old socks are soft, which won’t irritate the inside of your dog’s ears, and they’re thin enough to wrap around your finger.

Most dogs dislike having their ears cleaned, especially if they have an ear infection. Before jumping into an ear cleaning regimen, I recommend teaching your dog that ear cleanings are fun and super rewarding. To make ear cleaning fun, touch your dog’s ear and then give him a yummy treat. He learns that ear touches make treats appear. During ear cleaning sessions, I recommend smearing a plate with peanut butter, so your dog can lick away during ear cleanings.

How to Clean Your Dog’s Ears

Ask your friend to sit in front of your dog while holding a plate smeared with peanut butter. While your dog licks away:

Wrap a portion of an old sock (or soft cloth) around your index finger. For small dogs, use your pinky finger.
Lightly saturate the cloth with a dog ear cleaning solution.
Now, slowly insert a finger inside your dog’s ear.
Goop and debris usually sit at the bottom of your dog’s ears and along the sides. Slowly and softly wipe upward to remove them.
Rotate the sock around to insert a clean-clothed finger into your dog’s ear.
Repeat until your dog’s ears are clean.

Some ear cleaning products recommend squirting solution directly into your dog’s ear canal, but most dogs hate that. While it may take an extra minute or two to wipe out ear debris, I find wiping is much easier than trying to keep a dog still after pouring liquid into his ears.

How Often You Should Clean Your Dog’s Ears

If your dog’s ears are healthy, then I recommend cleaning your dog’s ears monthly. When your dog has an ear infection, you’ll probably need to clean his ears daily until the infection goes away.

Happy Ear Cleaning!

How to Remove and Prevent Dog Paw Pad Calluses

July 7, 2016 by Fanna Easter

Dog Paw Pad Callus: Removal & Prevention Tips

Not only is a dog paw pad callus unattractive, but it can cause pain too. Several years ago, Stella (our Bull Terrier) developed a large callus on her left front paw pad, which was attached to her middle toe pad. The rest of her paws were smooth and soft, so I was stumped. I had no idea how this happened.

I took a real close look at her nails and it appeared the middle nail was curving inward ever so slightly, causing a good-sized callus to form on the opposite side of her nail. By gosh, now that I had found the cause, it was time to remove the callus from her paw pad and prevent it from happening again.

What Causes Dog Paw Pad Calluses

Calluses form on the skin as a result of constant friction and use on hard surfaces. Calluses are different than cracked or cut paw pads. They look like a dry chunk of skin attached to your dog’s paw pad. When touching a paw callus, it feels rough, hard and firm. Some dogs develop calluses in certain areas from either walking differently or frequently walking on hard surfaces. Finding the cause of your dog’s paw pad callus is vital for prevention.

Of course, always start with a veterinary exam to rule out illnesses and other paw pad problems. Believe it or not, there are many illnesses and vitamin deficiencies that can cause dog paw pad calluses to develop, so put a plan together with your vet before moving forward. My vet agreed that Stella’s callus was due to abnormal wear of her middle toe, and explained how to remove it painlessly along with prevention tips.

How to Remove a Callus From Dog Paw Pads

You’ll need lots of super yummy treats and a handheld pumice stone made to remove calluses. Pumice stones can be found at any supermarket in the cosmetic section. Similar to how you remove calluses during a pedicure, you’ll do the same for your dog.

Soak your dog’s affected paw pad in a flat-bottom bowl of warm water for 5 minutes. If your dog won’t stand still, hold a peanut butter stuffed Kong in front of your dog’s mouth, so she can happily lick away.

After 5 minutes of soaking, take your dog’s paw out of the water and pat dry with a clean and dry towel.

Holding your dog’s paw in one hand, rub the pumice stone on top of the paw pad callus with your other hand. If your dog tries to pull or move away, have a friend hold a peanut butter stuffed toy for her to lick.

At first, apply light-medium pressure on the callus with the pumice stone for a few seconds. Check the area; if the callus is wearing down, then continue for several more seconds. Removing a dog paw pad callus isn’t painful, but over-grinding the area can be, so move slowly and check often.

Move the pumice stone around the callus until the area looks like a normal paw pad. For Stella’s paw pad callus, I had to move it all over the place because it was sitting on the outside of the paw pad.

If your dog gets antsy, end the session and try again the following day.

Keep an eye on your dog’s paw pads and remove calluses if needed. Once the dog paw pad callus is gone, it’s time to prevent it from coming back.

Dog Paw Pad Callus Prevention Tips

Well, we all know Stella’s turned nail caused a callus to develop. That’s my fault, and I learned my lesson. Keep your dog’s nails trimmed short; nails shouldn’t touch the ground. You shouldn’t hear a sound when your dog walks on hard surfaces. Interestingly, I noticed another tiny callus forming where the bottom part of a nail touched her paw pad. Stella has small feet, but huge nails. We have to file the bottom of her nails to form a cylinder nail shape and prevent running and pinching of her pads.

It took several weeks to remove Stella’s callus from her paw pad and trim her nails to the right shape and length. We keep her callus soft by moisturizing her paws with either Paw Butter or good old Vaseline every day. If your dog continues to develop calluses, and they’re hard to remove, it’s time for another visit to your veterinarian. He can guide you to the next steps.

Keep your dog’s paw pads moisturized and nails short. Good luck!