How to groom and care for your Eurasier
- A brief instruction -
by Stefanie Meier and Peter Conzelmann (14 Sept 2003)
(Any copies, or excerpts, only with permission by the author)
Our tips cannot and do not cover all aspects concerning health, care and maintenance of Eurasiers, but with this brief instruction we hope to provide a first information especially for new owners of Eurasiers. Basically, measures of care address two different aspects: the aspect of hygiene - assisting the Eurasier in keeping himself clean - and the aspect of socialisation - contact with his humans and accepting care measures. The natural behaviour of our Eurasiers such as licking fur, rubbing eyes with a paw, shaking the head to clean an ear or rolling in grass or sand, should not be prevented by the owner; it should be supplemented with a regular and welcome care routine for the well-being of the dog.
We think a daily check of our dogs after each walk is of great importance, not a "big washing day", which should be the big exception (see Eberhard Trumler, who wrote in his books:"Brushing and combing are the real bath for a dog").
Check list and measures of care:
| Measures of Care | Check for | Explanations | |
| Coat | Brush and comb your Eurasier with a
"wire" brush (see photo) and a comb with teeth set wide (and
with rounded tips) in whichever order works well for you and your
Eurasier.
While brushing and combing, check for the things mentioned on the right:
|
Have grass or grain "hooks" (see photo on left) fastened themselves into the coat or even poked their way into the skin? |
|
| Parasites (ticks, fleas etc.)? | see Ticks and Fleas | ||
| Milk canal of a female | Regularly check the milk canal of your female Eurasier by feeling it for any inflammation or hard bumps. | ||
| Penis and Prepuce | Male dogs often have a slight discharge, which can be caused by a bacterial inflammation. This is quite common for intact male dogs and seems to bother the owners more than the dog. As a precaution, cleaning this area every now and then with luke-warm water can help. A vet can prescribe suitable measures in case of an acute inflammation containing pus. | ||
| Anal area | If necessary, the anal area can be cleansed
with luke-warm water (even if your dog should give you reproachful looks). In rare cases the anal sacs can overfill, become inflamed and block up (your dog might show this by sliding on his behind). Please visit your vet. He will show you what to do and how these sacs can be emptied manually on a regular basis. |
||
| Paws | Paws are just as important as tires in formula 1 motor racing - with the only difference that you cannot exchange them during a box stop. Examination of the paws and, especially in winter, regular care are therefore a vital part of our daily care routine. | Pads | Basically a check is sufficient, as the pads are quite sturdy. In winter (when people use salt and split) we suggest applying vaseline (or that special product farmers use when milking cows) to the pads and fur inbetween. After each walk through salt or split, rinse the paws in luke-warm water. |
| Inbetween the pads and the toes | Check inbetween the toes and pads for anything that should not be there, also for any injuries. In some regions it may be necessary to check for gras mites that can show up during autumn (tiny, reddish and very itchy spots between the toes). | ||
| Nails | The nails of dogs consist of
hard horn, but, contrary to our human nails, dogs' nails
have blood
vessels. The best way of caring for nails is by exercising, as the horn wears down naturally when walking over stones, hard ground and streets. |
Length of the nails | If your Eurasier walks mostly on softer
grounds, his nails will not wear down naturally and in this case - to
avoid injuries or the wrong positioning of toes - it is advisable to cut
the nails manually. Beware, there is the danger of injuring your Eurasier! Let your vet show you how to use special nail files or scissors correctly. |
| Dew-claw is positioned higher
|
The front legs have a dew claw each. The dew
claws do not wear down because they are situated higher up. Dew claws can
grow considerably with time and may need to be shortened. Beware, there is the danger of injuring your Eurasier! Let your vet show you how to use special nail files or scissors correctly. |
||
| Eyes | The corners of the eyes can be wiped clean with a slightly moist cloth. |
runny eyes eye lashes inflammation |
see also: |
| Ears | Clean the outer ear with a cloth. | Check the outer ear for any dirt, grass seed or anything that should not be there. | If your Eurasier holds his head in a tilted
position, keeps flapping down one ear or keeps shaking his head, this may
be a sign that something is in his ear, his ear is dirty or he injured his
ear during a quick galopp through the bushes. Dogs have a long auditory passage with a right-angled bend in it. Beware, there is the danger of injuring your Eurasier! By no means should Q-tips or similar be poked into the auditory passage. |
| Teeth | A healthy and wholesome nutrition, also chews made of rawhide as well as carrots are good to help maintain healthy teeth. But they cannot help avoid plaque altogether, so that regular tooth brushing is advisable. | Check for plaque on teeth |
see also:
According to Hans Günter Wolff a daily portion of VERMICULITE D6 can help to prevent the build-up of plaque by taking influence on the components of the saliva (see Wolff, H.G.: "Unsere Hunde, gesund durch Homöopathie. Heilfibel eines Tierarztes"). |
