GROOMING
Maltese have a silky pure white coat that hangs along the side and may
be kept almost to the ground. The coat should be combed at least twice
a week to keep it in pristine condition and to promote healthy skin and
a smooth silky coat.
During grooming, mats of entangled hair should be separated and trimmed.
Some owners prefer to tie the head hair into a single or double top knot
if the hair is long. Others prefer to keep the coat short or semi-short.
Fluffy prefers it semi-short as the weather in Singapore is hot but she
still retains her beautiful crowning glory this way. Occasionally, Fluffy
will be sent to a professional groomer and have a thorough and professional
grooming. The groomer gives her what they call a "page-boy" look.
BATHING
Although some authorities recommend bathing the Maltese once a month
if they are well groomed, Fluffy takes a bath once a week on Saturdays.
For some reason, Fluffy does not like to bathe and on every Saturday morning
she will know that it is time for a bath and will run away to hide.
You should used a good quality shampoo with conditioner that are meant
for white coats. Fluffy uses Bio-Groom Super White Coat Brightener Shampoo.
It is tearless and it not only whitens and brightens the coat but conditions
it as well.
After bathing, you should use a hair dryer to blow dry the hair. After
drying, it is a good time to comb the coat and to groom her.
FOOD
After 1 year old, a Maltese can be fed once a day although you may want
to feed it twice a day for fussy eaters like Fluffy. You may give it dry
dog food such as Pedigree or wet canned food such as Pedigree,
Friskies or Alpo or you can have a combination of both.
Fluffy gets dry food in the morning and wet ones in the evening. She
prefers the wet ones with chunks of meat in them. Of course, her favourite
food is those that the family eat. We will only give her meat such as pork
or chicken that is boiled in soup. That is her treat of the day. Boiled
pork-ribs in soup will make her go over the moon! In fact she will often
refuse her own food until we have finished eating and she knows that she
is not getting anymore from us.
During the day, she will sometimes be given snacks such as biscuits
and her favourite snack which is beef jerky strips.
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