Pampering pooches at Adobe Animal Hospital

Spa days are not just for people. They can be for pooches, too.

At Adobe Animal Hospital, dogs can have a day of pampering and play and feel refreshed with a luxury bath. Included in Adobe’s HydroSurge® luxury bath is a free blueberry facial, toenail trim and light ear check.

“We try to make it convenient for our clients to do it year-round,” said Jenna Wood, who co-owns the animal hospital with her husband, Dr. Don Wood, DVM, the medical director.

With a walled-in play area in back and indoor kennel runs, Adobe allows busy pet owners to drop their pooch off for the day of scheduled pampering.

Before the bath, the furry clients will get a good brushing, said Mike Berry, exam room technician and Ramona resident.

The HydroSurge bath that evenly sprays shampoo on a dog’s coat offers many benefits over hand washing, he said.

“It enables us to get right down to the skin,” Berry explained as he began to bathe Diva, a shepherd mix. “The key to it is deep cleaning and quickly, too.”

The bath can be therapeutic as well as refreshing and can help with skin conditions such as hot spots that a dog may be experiencing. Three different shampoos, including a medicated one, are available, along with a conditioner.

Berry said he works the shampoo into the coat and lets it sit for five to 10 minutes.

“The longer it sits on the skin, the better it is,” he said.

He applies and massages a blueberry facial to the dog’s head and leaves that on for approximately five minutes.

“It’s thick, luxurious, aroma therapeutic,” he said.

Thoroughly rinsing the soap out is important, noted Berry.

“A good complete rinse is necessary to get all the soap away from the body. Soap staying on the body can cause problems,” he said. A bacterial infection is one such problem, he added.

After conditioning the coat, the four-legged client is towel dried and then a blow dryer is used to completely dry the fur.

“It also blows that undercoat off, too,” said Berry.

The cost of a HydroSurge bath varies by canine size, breed and special needs.

For more information, call Adobe Animal Hospital, 281 Etcheverry St., at 760-789-7090 or visit its website at adobeah.com.