Pet Care

Welcome to our Pet Care page where the work all begins.

Here you find me in my grooming attire as it always seems like the hair never ends
and I am always clipping faces as that is my biggest pet peeve.

Now that you are committed to having one of our wonderful Cocker puppies,
the work is about to begin and in a big way.
Below are some of the supplies that we use that I would like to share with you.

 

• WAHL^® ARCO SE™ Clipper is a lightweight pet clipper that offers continuous cordless operation
• Amazingly quiet with no vibration, plus it is always cool running
• Teal comes with a #45 non-adjustable surgical cut blade. Other colors come with a 5-in-1 detachable blade.
• Includes 2 batteries and each battery offers 80 minutes of run time.
• Easy to clean and maintain

Price $109.99
Found at Revivial Animal Health
I usually only use these if I am on the road, at a dog show or know that I am only going to do a quick trim on the face, I don’t use these
as my, every day clippers as the batteries tend to die quickly and I have purchased multiple batteries to swap them out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Andis^® UltraEdge^® Pro Clip AGC2 Clipper
• Detachable blade system
• Cool and quiet running
• Shatter-proof housing
• Perfect for all coats and breeds
  Price $159.95
  Found at Revival Animal

 

 

 

I prefer All Sytems brands as I have all three of these and they are still going strong

 

You can find these as Pet Smart
They have multiple lengths and I usually get the long ones
I usually use these around the puppies toes.
They sell both versions with and without the ball at the end at Pet Smart.
I own both and recommend these for those learning to trim.

I love this tub.
This one was prebought but I would recommend making your own for much cheaper.

Double K® ChallengAir 2000XL Variable-Speed Dryer- Price $244.99- Found at PetEdge
This is a force drier and it has been a total lifesaver.
Out of all the things I have purchased over the years this one purchase has saved me so much time
I use to sit on the floor or at the grooming table for hours drying hair and it cut my drying time in half.
What I love about it the air does not come out super hot like a handheld blow-drier.

 

I also recommend using Blue Powder Ear treatment which you will find the link below
but you can also find it under the tab labeled Misc.
Blue Powder Ear Treatment

 

We use Ez Groom Products on our puppies and dogs.
Including but not limited to- Puppermint Shampoo
I use Crystal White and Maximum Impact Shampoo and other products.
There are several products and fragrances that will work.
Oatmeal shampoo is highly recommended as well.
Also, we use Ear Magic by Ez Groom it is a wonderful ear cleaner, the best I have bought.
Contact 1-800-777-5899
You can also order online at EZ-Groom

These are my favorite Shampoo’s but I do like Oatmeal Shampoos too.
You find me using Dawn Dish soap for a prewash then using dog shampoo, condition to end the process.
KetoChlor- I use this on my moms, it is an antiseptic great to wash stomachs off.
Tropiclean – Deodorizing Pet Spray- Berry Breeze (Love the smell)
Miracle Coat Leave-In Conditioner- Spray on – Petco
Bio-Groom Coat Polish- take 4 cups water to 1/2 bottle to make another mixture.
We also use Cowboy Magic for conditioner on our dogs because it is in concentrate.
It really does work great especially with those who leave their dogs in a coat.
Boys tend to pee on their coat which makes the hair more acceptable to pee staining and making the coat coarse.

Showsheen which I have found at Tractor Supply.
I love love love this product.  I actually walk around the house spraying my dogs all the time.
This product makes them so soft and keeps the staining down, makes the coats mat less.

When getting a puppy I always recommend a cat collar.
Why a cat collar because the puppies usually leave here pretty small and most
cat and kitten collars have bells on them.
I like this because when you are not used to your new pet being under feet or off exploring in another room
you can easily hear the jingle of the bell.
You can also just purchase bells and place them on collars as well.
You can find the bells at thatpetplace.com or go to your local Walmart and find the single bells in the craft section.

Spray on Glosser – Price $9.19 – Found at Sally’s Beauty Supply
I use this spray as a finishing spray, don’t use too much though as it will make your puppy/dog look oily.
I use this to add shine to a black coat when I am taking photos or I want them just to look a little less dull looking.
Works wonders on a black coat.
I use alot of products found at Sally’s Beauty Supply

Grooming table – Price $121.49- Found at Revival Animal

Grooming Video that has come in handy is by Jodi Murphy the dvd you are looking to purchase is
The American Cocker Spaniel – The Show Trim approx price is 35.00 and is usually to you within a week.  One of the best DVDs I have seen!
I believe she even has a pet one.

This is a Puppy Playpen that I recommend getting from Ryan’s Pets Supply.
I would purchase it at least 2 weeks in advance prior to you getting your puppy so it has plenty of time to arrive.
There are many sizes of them so please make sure you look at what size will work for you.
We get what we call a 3 x 3 or a 4 x 4 size for a litter of puppies but on a single puppy you
may want to get a smaller one.
The flooring that they stand or walk on is called a “Grid” they come in a 1/2 inch or a 1 inch.
The 1/2 inch is usually used when they are baby babies and when they are ready to go home to you
they need the 1-inch grid if the puppy does have an accident the poo can pass through the grid and
land on the tray below so the puppy is not making a mess by stepping through it.
Please make sure to ask or when ordering that you get a 1-inch grid most of them come by 1/2 inch.
I like this crate during the training process of your puppy.
You can put puppy pee pads on the bottom
The floor grid is adjustable and you don’t have to have it at the top like this picture is showing you can have it at the bottom too.
Another option which you will find these at our house as we put our adult dogs in them when we leave to go to places.
This is a double door dog crate which you can easily pick up at Walmart, this one is a Medium size
The cost is about $50.00 after paying tax, we however use much larger ones.

As puppies in training we place a pee pad in the tray below.
A towel is on top of the wire so they have something soft to lay on.
The towel can easily washed if dirty and if soiled cheap enough just to throw away.

Please watch the video below as I talk about how to turn wire shelving into a grid for your puppy/dog.

This is a closet shelf that you find at most hardware or big box lumber stores.
You can get them usually in 4 foot to X amount long and they come from 8 inches wide up to 20 + inches.
They can be cut down

Below is a crate that this type of flooring was added too.
The wire crate came from WalMart and the shelving that I speak of is in the video above.
Besides the crate, you will need flooring, zip ties, wire cutters or scissors to cut zip ties.
Time Frame 30-45 minutes.
I show you this video and this crate for demonstration purposes only use of this is at your own risk.
I would recommend using a newspaper or pee pad in the bottom tray and purchasing KOE for cleaning.
This should work great for those times when you are away from your puppy and if accidents happen your
puppy will not be standing in it.
This is cheaper than purchasing a Midwest puppy playpen and you are only using for the puppy training process
once they figure out potty traiing the wire can easily be removed.

 

What I use these for is to block entries of doors like the kitchen entry when a baby gate will not fit.
They have clips that you can purchase to mount these to the walls.
You can also get the 4-foot length ones and make a square so they have a play area using zip ties on the corners.
You could also put four of them together and use zip ties on the corners to make an area for them to play in as well.
The cost for this solution is not horrible.

Below is a video of making it.

 

Below is something I found at Menards and I thought it would be a neat idea for not only breeders but pet owners.
I am always looking for neat and new ideas.   I really like this because you can make it pretty much all out of PVC/Plastic and it would be easy for clean up.  I can imagine pee pads on the floor and a puppy or a couple of puppies in there depending on what you are planning on using it for.  Might even think about making a center support and hang some toys to play with.  It would be great for those when you just need a rest or they can be placed in there and not get hurt.

 

Here is some cleaning products that we use, some are very good for keeping the odor down
and some are just used for cleaning.
Those that know me know that I am OCD when it comes to cleaning and disinfecting.

Our Veternarian uses Rescue and it was recommended by our Vet and use this daily.
Find this at Revival Animal Health cost $49.99

This is another great product that we used before Rescue
Find this at Revival Animal Health

 

Pet health insurance:

According to Google, these are the top pet health insurance companies out there.
I highly recommend getting pet health insurance for your pet just like you would get health insurance for yourself and your family.
As a breeder of Cocker Spaniels, I hate to see a pet be in need and not have health insurance on them and the owners then get put in a financial situation where they can’t afford services and the animal suffers, possible surrendered or even worse put to sleep.
When looking for insurance I have noticed some actually cover lost, stolen and death of a beloved pet.
Some also cover preventative care and others don’t.
Some cover dental and others don’t.
Since adult teeth do not come in until 6-10 months of age I would recommend for the 1st years
to get some type of dental coverage.
I also recommend dental coverage for yearly checkups and teeth cleanings.
Some cover getting your pet altered and some don’t.
Some offer vaccinations including rabies, heartworm preventatives, flea preventatives and year check-up.

• Embrace. 90% Reimbursement – $300.00 deductible- cost is roughly $42.81 as of 10-11-18
• Figo.  90% Reimbursement- $250 deductible – cost is roughly $53.88 as of 10-11-18
• Healthy Paws. 90% Reimbursement-
• Trupanion.
• PetFirst.
• Petplan.
• PetPremium.
• Pets Best.
• AKC Pet Insurance

Your first year of health care is critical as many things come about in the 1st years including vaccinations and rabies, worming, ear issues, possible cherry eyes, getting fixed, as well as the year check-up.  Some included Heartworm preventative, teeth cleaning, flea/tick preventative. American Cocker Spaniels have several health problems common to the breed listed below are some of the most common.
I would make sure the common health issues in Cockers are being covered.

• Cataracts
• Glaucoma
• Luxated patella (knee)
• Hip dysplasia
• Elbow dysplasia
• Ectropion (drooping of the lower eyelid)
• Entropion (inward eyelid)
• Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA)
• Allergies
• Cherry eye
• Seborrhea (skin disease)
• Lip fold pyoderma (additional skin fold)
• Otitis externa (ear canal inflammation)
• Liver disease
• Urolithiasis (stones in the urinary tract)
• Congestive heart failure
• Phosphofructokinase deficiency (inherited disorder causing a breakdown of red blood cells)
• Cardiomyopathy
• Gastric torsion
• IMHA (immune-mediated hemolytic anemia)

Liability:
I’ll tell you what I use and do, you can use your own judgment whether you want to follow in my footsteps.
Any products I recommend are “Use At Your Own Risk”.
This article is presented only as documentation of how do things for our Cockers at our house.
Should you have a concern regarding the health of your Cocker(s), you should contact your veterinarian.
All information on this site is presented solely for educational and informational purposes and should not, at any time, be considered a substitute for seeking or receiving veterinary care for your Cocker(s). None of the products listed above do I get a kick back from it’s just what I use or have used.