Editor’s Note: This post is from DDY’s archives.
Dr. Marty Becker makes a great case for regular grooming, with the help of gorgeous Lucy (look at that coat!), in this vetstreet.com short video, “5 Reasons to Keep Your Pet Well Groomed.”
I’d like to add a sixth reason, courtesy of veterinarian Jennifer Scarlett’s September 2011 SFgate.com blog post, “The Life of an Older Dog: Caring and Preparing.” Scarlett points out that with advanced age may come signs of Cognitive Dysfunction—the reduced responsiveness, disorientation and/or restlessness that’s sometimes called doggie Alzheimer’s—and that the sensory stimulation associated with grooming can be a go-to in a caregiver’s quality-of-life tool kit.
“One study by the University of Iowa suggests sensory stimulation lifts up the emotions of Alzheimer’s patients even if they can’t remember the pleasant contact itself,” writes Scarlett. “Pets with CD might benefit in the same way. Massaging, hugging, brushing an animal—she might forget this happened soon afterward, but the warm emotions will linger.”
Caring for Daley in his elderly years inspired me to start Daley's Dog Years. Here you'll find more than 700 posts related to health, wellness, and senior dog lifestyle. 
Contact Daley's Dog Years 
