How Often Should You Bathe Your Dog

There have been a lot of different debates as to how often one should bathe their dog.  I've taken the time to do some research on this topic and thought I would share some information that I found.

Older research has shown that bathing your dog once a month is more than enough.  However, this notion is now a thing of the past.  The reason why older research says to limit your dogs baths is because the quality of dog shampoos back then contained harsher chemicals causing the dog's skin to dry out and stripped the dogs coat of its natural oils.  These days, dog hygiene includes shampoos with aloe, conditioners, and organic ingredients that are almost comparable to human hair products, which are much more gentle and designed for more frequent use.

Other factors to consider include: the breed of dog, the dog's hair type (long/short coat), the dog's lifestyle, shedding cycle, and allergies.

Breeds with softer and longer coats tend to pick up dirt more easily while breeds with textured and shorter coats have the ability to repel dirt. 

Dogs that spend most of their days outdoors should be bathed more often than a dog that spends most of his days on the couch.

According to the American Lung Association, humans with dog allergies should bath their dog as much as possible which will help remove the dander that accummulates on a pet's fur coat. 

Dogs that suffer from allergies (or itchy skin) should also receive baths more frequently in order to wash away allergens before they get a chance to penetrate the skin.

In conclusion, the best answer to the question, "How often should I bathe my dog?" is "When he looks dirty or begins to smell, it's time for a bath."

FouFou Dog @ Zoomark 2011 International Trade Show (Bologna, Italy)

Cheryl & Ann have just returned from their one week trip to Italy for the Bi-Annual International Pet Trade Show, known as "Zoomark".  This prestigious show welcomes visitors across Europe and takes place once every two years in the Bologna Exhibition Center.

This was their first time visiting Italy where they got to dine, drink, and party like true Italians.

In addition, this dynamic duo had the chance to meet FouFou Dog's Italian distributors for the first time.  Below is an image of Roberto holding up our Piggy PJ (available Fall 2011)

However, the events leading up to this show were not as seamless as they may seem.  Taking a red-eye flight to Frankfurt, Germany, the girls had a scheduled one hour stop-over.  However, they encountered a delay in their arrival which caused them to miss their connecting flight to Italy.  This resulted in their late arrival to the Exhibition Center.  Upon landing, Cheryl and Ann had to rush to their booth to take advantage of the time they had left to set up the day before the show started.

Luckily the trade show items that were shipped one month in advance by boat were ready and waiting for their arrival, however, the administration box which contains tools and other equipment required to get the booth set up was missing! Cheryl and Ann were forced to scramble at the last minute asking fellow exhibitors if they could borrow scissors, tape, hammers, and whatever else they could find to get the booth set up.

Five hours later, jet lagged, hungry, and exhausted, the FouFou Dog booth looked flawless.

The trade show lasted 4 long days and the FouFou Dog booth was one of the busiest booths in the Exhibition.  With the help of our Italian distributors, FouFou Dog was able to gather many new contacts and sell most of the goods that they had shipped over.

All in all, the show was a huge success and FouFou Dog can't wait to visit Italy again for Zoomark 2013!!!

Cheryl and Ann returned home with huge smiles on their faces, new friends, business contacts, memories to last a lifetime and a bag full of Italian cookies for the FouFou Dog Team!!! YUMMY!!!

Protect Your Pet From Heartworm

It's that time of year again - Heartworm Season - the time of year when mosquito's come out to play. 

Unfortunately, these mosquito's can be harmful to your pet's health.  All it takes is just one mosquito bite to infect your pet through the injection of immature worms into the tissues of its host with mosquito saliva. The immature worms then develop and migrate their way to the lungs and potentially the heart of the animal where they will mature into adults and begin reproducing.

These immature worms can grow to 15-20 cm in length and in severe cases, your pet can be infested with hundreds of worms which may obstruct blood flow to and from the heart causing damage to internal organs.

Don't worry, this fatal process can easily be prevented.

FouFou Dog uses a veterinarian prescribed topical parasticide for dogs called Revolution® (selamectin). 

Each package comes with 6 syringes that look like this.

You simply pop open the top of the syringe using the cap that comes with it and squeeze the contents of the syringe onto the nape of your pet's neck.  The syrum smells a little like rubbing alcohol and will leave a small wet patch on their neck, but dries quickly.  And don't worry, you only need to do this once a month.  I usually apply it on the first of each month from June through November (when Mosquito season is at its peak).

How does Revolution® (selamectin) work?

A: Revolution enters the bloodstream through the skin. Concentrations of Revolution in the blood and tissues prevent heartworm disease. Revolution selectively redistributes from the blood to the skin, where it provides protection against fleas, flea eggs, American dog tick, and mites.

This simple application could save your pet's life; ask your veterinarian about Revolution today.