You spoil your pooch as close to rotten as you can get, don’t you? Hey, who doesn’t? It’s almost impossible not to, with those adorable, big, beautiful eyes, little lashes, soft fur just behind ears… they almost beg to be spoiled. But what can you really do? There are all of those new doggie day spas, doggie day cares, and other doggie luxury services, but how often can you really afford things like that? I mean, most people rarely have enough cash in bank to get themselves a surprise manicure and pedicure, much less spring for their pups to get a quadripedicure. You give her a few scratches behind ears, rub her belly, and maybe give her a massage and splurge on some gourmet treats, but you have to pay rent and eat each month. Your budget just doesn’t allow for constant spoiling of your dog…

1. Or does it?

You can make shampoos, fragrances, and skin conditioners doggie day spas use whenever you want for a lot less money than you think. Wouldn’t your pup love to have an at-home spa treatment? Give these recipes a shot next time you want to pamper that pup:

2. Aromatic Dry Shampoo

250 ml (1 cup) cornmeal 250 ml (1 cup) baby/talcum powder 5 ml (1 tsp) rosemary 5 ml (1 tsp) lavender

Combine all of ingredients in a large, airtight container and let them sit overnight. This will allow rosemary and lavender to scent other two ingredients lightly. When ready, sprinkle generously over your dog and brush it into her fur by working your fingers against lay of her coat. Once it’s worked in thoroughly, use your fingers or a hard rubber brush to massage her coat in direction of fur but working in circles. Brush until mixture is completely out of coat. Your baby will smell great, powder and cornmeal help absorb excess oil and dirt to clean her, and she won’t have had to go through trauma of having a full bath! How great is that?

3. Herbal Shampoo

470 ml (2 cups) purified water 10 ml (1 tbsp) rosemary 10 ml (1 tbsp) orange zest 30 ml (2 tbsp) chamomile 10 ml (1 tbsp) lavender oil 120 ml (1/2 cup) baby shampoo

Have you ever thought about what you need to do should your dog – or another dog – ever suffer a serious, life-threatening injury? What if they have a severe allergy to an insect bite or a bee sting? It’s great to know your vet’s phone number, but what if something happens during off hours? What if you don’t know where closest emergency animal clinic is located?

Augh! Enough with questions already, right? Any emergency is stressful and scary, and one involving that furry little four-legged member of your family is no exception. The toughest of owners can be instantly reduced to helpless balls of mush if something’s wrong with their dogs and they can’t figure out what to do.

1. Preparation is key.

The key to getting through a veterinary emergency is preparation. You may think you have that covered with a first aid kit and having phone number to your vet handy, but what if there isn’t enough time to move your dog? You need to be well-versed in some of more common animal emergencies just in case a situation ever arises. And hey, if a situation never arises, you’ll still feel more confident knowing that you have ability to deal with one.

2. Know how to care for wounds.

Did you know that you shouldn’t use hydrogen peroxide on a bleeding wound? Nope. It slows clotting to area, which means your dog could actually lose more blood than he would if you didn’t use peroxide at all. In fact, best way to treat a deep, severely bleeding wound is to apply a clean cloth and hold it in place for five minutes, then tape cloth to wound. That original cloth should never be removed – that also slows clotting – and should instead be layered with more clean cloths if blood soaks through.