Maltese Mommy Store

Helpful hints on grooming your fur baby;
Ear care, can you hear me now?
Once a week check your fur babies ears because of his or her floppy ears and gorgeous long hair can lead to bacteria build up, infection or wax build up. Ears should be allowed to air and excess hair removed by you or your vet during routine visits or by your groomer to avoid future problems, You can pluck the hair yourself using your fingers apply some ear powder or baking soda (I prefer ear powder) prior to plucking, remember you are not digging for gold leave the ear canal alone. your fur baby will not hate you it is no different from plucking your eye brow, This is important because just as we love our fur babies so does bacterial infection and fungus. If you bathe your dog often your fur baby can get water in their ear. Indications that your fur baby has a problem; If your Malt scratches their ears or rubs its ears on the floor, any sign of sensitivity to the touch, bad odor, more wax than a candle, shaking there head in disagreement of you touching it, loss of balance or holding head to one side (cute look but not good), inflammation/swelling, redness, seek a veterinarians help immediately because ear infections can lead to the brain. I lost my uncle (Richard Minter) due to an ear infection that spread to his brain, ear infections can kill. Another thing to be very careful of is children. Children love to put things in their noses ears, light sockets (even if you don't have skin babies you have encountered them) A neighbor of mine had a dog who went crazy and was biting people, it turned out one of their toddler had stuck a pencil in the dogs ear.

Just as we love our fur babies so does bacteria and fungus (Yuk) clean the ears only when needed and check them often.


If your dog develops a rich potting soil look inside their ears this could be a mite infestation. Mites are transmittable to other animals. The remedy is very easy. Take an eye dropper and fill it with mineral oil drop in 3-4 drops and rub your dogs ears. This will starve the mites of oxygen and kill them. Be sure to coat the outside of the ear with a cotton ball. I would hold and pet your Malt get her or him relaxed, then lift the ear and drop in drops. rub the ear and clean the mites from the ear with a cotton ball. This may require a couple of balls, but if you check the ears on a regular basis one ball will suffice. I believe if you handle your Malt with love all things are possible and your dog will enjoy the ear rub!
The most common remedy for yucky/ dirty ears; dated BV (before vets) to AV (yes, after vets)

4 oz. zinc oxide powder
4 oz. boric acid powder
1/2 oz. Iodoform powder
simply mix it up and store it in a jar.

This remedy is good for ear plucking. For ear infection I use a few drops of peroxide and seek a veterinarians help. Bad infections will require antibiotics.
Maltese Toenail Care

Maltese toenails grow just like your finger and toe nails grow. At the end of each toenail is the quick, if you cut the quick the dog will bleed. You must clip away as much of the nail without clipping to much and hurting the quick of the nail. If the nails are white this is fairly simple do not cut where the nail is pink.

If a dog exercises on concrete he may file his or her own nails. Most dogs receive a pedicure every other week. Long nails can scratch you or canine siblings and change his or her way of walking.

If you trim your pup or dogs nails from the beginning, your dog will not object to toe nail trimmings. If your dog knows how to sit tell him or her to sit , this will make your job easier, if your Maltese gives paw ask for their paw. The trick is teaching your Malt the other paw, ok back paws. I sit my dog on my lap facing away from me, hold its paw and clip. I use a good quality stainless steel clipper, available online and at any pet store. Mine has replaceable blades so it is always sharp, quick and painless they also come with powder in case of accidents. Trim excess hair from between the little tootsies, and give the nails a little buff with a file. If you are squeamish your vet can do this during check ups and your groomer too. What would we do with out them =) Trim their little tootsies as needed.

Removing Mats

When puppies begin to get their adult hair their hair will tangle and develop mats, when hair is cut uneven your fur baby will develop a matt there, do not cut the mat, don't do it. This will develop into a new matt. Just as some of us have better hair then others (how many times have you said, I wish I had her hair). To avoid craters don't cut the matt! Don not ignore the matt because it does pull your fur babies hair and therefore it does hurt them when they move, and you know how much they move! There are many detangles and conditioning sprays in your local pet store ask friends or discussion groups which work best. Use the detangle alone do not add water this will make matters worse. Once you have broken the matt down with your hands then try the comb or brush. A Malt has hair just like we do it is harder to comb after bath than before bath. Bathing your Maltese

Before you bath your Fur bay make sure you have a towel, shampoo, conditioner, just as you would do for yourself. You should put some soft cotton in each ear to avoid swimmers ear. For extra safety you can place a bath matt in the was basin, sink or puppy tub to avoid slipping. I prefer the sink with a sprayer which makes the whole bath so much easier and shampoo rinses very well and you need to rinse well or the result will be dry skin. Rinse with warm comfortable water, apply shampoo, lather, rinse, repeat. Male sure you was the entire dog. Many people like to use no tears baby shampoo, try to avoid getting soap in the eyes. Keep in mind that you really should not bath your dog more than once a week, this allows for the natural oils to condition the coat, natures conditioner is best for the coat and skin, for dry skin use omega 3 oil taken orally in food. you can use a washcloth on the face area and to eliminate tear stains apply tear stain remedy after dry.
using something else, take great care to avoid the eyes. Tip the head up to rinse. RINSE every part of your puppy's body until all traces of soap are gone and the water runs perfectly clear. This step is very important because any remaining residue will irritate your Maltese skin and make the coat dull. After bathing wrap your dog in a large towel and dry dry, dry, you may need more than one towel. Place your Malt in a warm comfortable room to avoid a chill. If you prefer to blow dry, on low setting, your dog you must keep the dryer away from the dogs skin, do it from a foot away or more to avoid burning their delicate skin or drying out your Malts hair causing breakage. You can buy a canine dryer too they are free standing and allow your hands to be free to brush your dog as he is drying. This will eliminate knots and speed up drying. To finish the look use a comb to make a part down the back.

Teeth Cleaning

Just as we brush our teeth everyday your pup or dog should have theirs brushed. The pet shops have a variety of brushes from finger brushes to toothbrushes, select the smallest size. You will need to purchase a dog toothpaste too. Human toothpaste will hurt your Malts tummy and make your fur baby ill. Dog toothpaste is flavored so pick the desirable flavor for your pup. Brush their teeth as you would your own especially older dogs, this will keep gums and teeth healthy for life. It prevents infection, tartar, decay and all kinds of problems down the road. It improves breath greatly too, imagine not brushing your teeth for a day or a year!!

If you have any grooming tips you would like to share please share them in or discussion forum.

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Last modified: 01/26/06

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