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Dog beds main page
How to clean your dog
bed?
The right dog bed for your dog should also be easy to clean.
Even if you bathe your dog regularly,
dog beds pick up all sort of dust, pollen and dander that reside on
your floor and your dogs paws. Dogs shed, have dander fallout, and
often carry parasites such as fleas and worms. Once the fleas and
their eggs are established in a dog's bed it's only a matter of time
before they spread to the rest of the house. All of these things can
lead to odors, but can also cause health problems for your dog and
others in the house, especially if anyone in the family suffers from
allergies.
Dogs can also suffer from allergies and other skin diseases, many of
which are caused or exacerbated by dirty living conditions or
parasite infestation. For example, Demodicosis (Red Mange) is caused
by tiny mites that are invisible to the naked eye. These mites can
infest your dog's bed and cause reoccurring infestation. These mites
(also called dust mites) eat your dog's skin scales and dander. They
particularly love to live in bedding. This is why it is of
particular importance to set up a sanitation routine for your dogs
bedding.
Sanitation Routine
Once a day:
Remove any bedding, blankets, or other loose fabric items from the
dog bed, take them outdoors, and give them a good shaking. Be sure
to visually inspect the fabric for signs of insect activity or
obvious dirt or other foreign matter. Also be on the lookout for
blood stains. Many of the biting insects that may infest your dog
and her dog bed may leave blood evidence of their presence. This is
why it may be helpful to use light colored bedding and fabrics. If
the weather is nice consider leaving the bedding material outside to
air. If the dog bed includes a bed frame, box, basket, or some other
container, check that as well.
Once a week:
You should launder the bedding materials and dry them either on a
clothes line or in a dryer on low heat. Be sure to use a low-suds
mild detergent, such as Woolite or Fells Naptha, and add it to the
water sparingly. Dogs are not used to heavy detergents and perfumes
the way we are and you might inadvertently cause an allergic skin
reaction if too much or too strong a soap is used. Wash the bedding
in water that is as hot as the particular fabric will stand. Again,
to prevent an allergic reaction, do not add fabric softener to the
wash, or a fabric softener sheet in the dryer. It may be helpful to
add a tablespoon or two of a commercial disinfectant, such as Lysol,
to the water after the washer is full and the agitator is working.
Wash any non-fabric parts of the dog bed with a mild soap and
disinfectant solution and use a clean rag. Be sure when you are
finished to use another rag, and plain water, to wipe any detergent
residue off of the dog bed.
Once per year:
You should consider discarding all of the bedding material and
replace it with new. If your dog has grown attached to her special
blanket, or some other bedding material, then you may want to
consider keeping it if it does not pose a health risk for any
reason.
If an infestation occurs:
If a dog bed does become infested, you will need to take immediate
action. First, separate your dog and any other pets in your home,
from the infested area and treat them with whatever procedure your
vet recommends for the particular type of infestation. Since your
dog acts as the insects "host", the parasites will continue to breed
and feed on your dog, until you break the cycle. Once you have her
treated, you can turn your attention to treating the dog bed.
Treating the bed and not the dog will only lead to a re-infestation.
In extreme cases it may be necessary to replace the bed.
Depending upon how much the bedding cost, you might just want to put
all of it into a large trash bag, spray it with some household
insect killer, seal the bag shut and toss it all in the trash.
If you decide that you do want to keep the bedding then you need to
ask your vet the best way to eliminate the infestation. Thoroughly
treat the fabric, and the area around the dog bed, according to the
vet's directions. Once you have determined that the infestation is
under control you can let your dog start using the dog bed again.
Remember -- whatever infests your dog will infest the dog bed. What
ever infest the dog bed will infest your home, and whatever infests
your home will eventually infest you! Treat dog bed sanitation as a
serious chore that needs to be done regularly.
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