You bathe or shower every day or every other day, so it’s only natural to wonder how often your pet should need a bath. Bay Road Animal Hospital in Sarasota, FL, describes when it’s time to give your pet a bath.

When Your Pet Is Dirty

If your pet really smells or has gotten into something like paint or rotting garbage, then a bath is needed right away. You do not want to bathe your pet too often, because this can irritate your pet’s skin.

When You Have to Clip Your Pet

Longhaired pets need bathing before they get clipped. It’s much easier on the clippers for clean fur to be cut than for dirty fur. It also cuts down on any pulling of the skin that could make your pet understandably upset.

When You Need to Use a Medicated Shampoo

Your pet may come down with parasites or a skin infection that requires treatment with a medicated shampoo from your veterinarian. You may need to bathe your pet every day until the condition resolves. Follow the directions closely, because with some medicated shampoos, you’ll need to keep the shampoo on for a while before rinsing so the medication has a chance to work.

A Note about Hairless Pets

There are always exceptions to the rule, and in this case, the exceptions are hairless pets. Hairless pets of many species have become popular. There are hairless dogs, hairless cats, hairless guinea pigs, hairless rabbits, hairless hamsters, hairless rats, and hairless mice. They need to be bathed a lot more often than pets with hair or they may get skin problems. This is because hair usually soaks up skin oil. Hairless pets produce a lot of skin oil. Talk to your veterinarian about how often you should bathe your hairless pet.

Still Have Questions about How Often You Should Bathe Your Pets?

If you have further questions about bathing or grooming your pet and live in the Sarasota, FL, area, contact Bay Road Animal Hospital by emailing [email protected] or by calling our Bay Road West location at (941) 366-2275 or our Honore and 17th location at (941) 378-1236 or (941) 378-9542.