Pet Care Tips

Our Blog

Expert tips and advice for keeping your furry friends happy, healthy, and looking their best.

A thick-coated dog being lathered and rinsed in a grooming salon bathing tub
Grooming Tips

Skunked Dog: Why the Smell Keeps Coming Back

Skunk oil hides in the undercoat, so the smell returns whenever the coat gets damp. What to do in the first ten minutes, and when a home bath will not finish it.

Lillian Ruff Pet Spa
The Lillian Ruff Pet Spa storefront at 835 Portion Road in Ronkonkoma, where boarding and daycare run seven days a week
Long Island

Sunday Boarding Pickup in Ronkonkoma: Open Seven Days

Coming home on a Sunday shouldn't cost your dog an extra night. Boarding check-out at our Ronkonkoma location runs 7 to 11am, every day of the week.

Lillian Ruff Pet Spa
The Lillian Ruff Pet Spa storefront at 835 Portion Road in Ronkonkoma, the salon that grooms seven days a week including Sundays
Long Island

Sunday Dog Grooming in Ronkonkoma: Yes, We're Open

We groom seven days a week in Ronkonkoma, Sundays included — what a Sunday appointment costs by weight and how to book one online.

Lillian Ruff Pet Spa
An adult dog being combed through on a grooming table before a first appointment at a new salon
Grooming Tips

Switching Groomers: Prepping an Adult Dog for a New Salon

The first groom at a new salon is a baseline, not a showcase. What to gather before you book, what to say about the last groom, and what to expect from visits one and two.

Lillian Ruff Pet Spa
A groomer parting a wet dog's coat behind the ear to check the skin during a bath
Seasonal Care

Tick Season on Long Island: What We Check at Bath Time

Suffolk County leads New York in reported Lyme cases, though not in tick density. Here is what a groomer actually finds at bath time, and where we hand off to your vet.

Lillian Ruff Pet Spa
A groomer working plain oil into a small patch of sticky fur on a dog's shoulder before combing it out with a fine steel comb
Grooming Tips

Tree Sap, Gum and Tar Stuck in Dog Fur: Safe Removal

Sticky contamination needs a different sequence from a mat: soften or harden first, comb second. Plus a hard list of what should never go on a dog.

Lillian Ruff Pet Spa
A dog owner and a groomer talking over a freshly groomed dog at the salon counter.
Grooming Tips

Unhappy With a Groom? How to Say So and What Helps

Say it at pickup, be specific, bring photos. What can realistically be adjusted then and there, what has to grow back, and how to prevent the mismatch next time.

Lillian Ruff Pet Spa
A West Highland White Terrier standing on a grooming table with a freshly clipped, tidy outline
Breed Specific

Westie Grooming in East Northport: Clipped vs Hand-Stripped

What actually changes when a pet Westie is clipped instead of hand-stripped: coat texture, color, the finished outline, and where a Westie sits in our published pricing.

Lillian Ruff Pet Spa
Dogs at play in a supervised daycare group at Lillian Ruff Pet Spa in Ronkonkoma, NY
Behavior

What a First Day of Doggy Daycare Actually Looks Like

Arrival, the evaluation, play groups, rest periods and pickup — an honest walk-through of a first day at our Ronkonkoma daycare.

Lillian Ruff Pet Spa

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