Groomers Story: "Oh By the Way..."

In order to understand this story, you have to know a little bit about being a groomer. People bring us their dogs and leave them in our care for a few hours or a day. They trust us to take the very best of care of them and it's a responsibility that most of us take very seriously.

I groom in a very small town and I know most of my client's dogs almost as well as I know my own. I know their personalities and their health problems. Unlike many grooming shops, I do a fair number of elderly dogs. My oldest client is 20. Grooming seniors is special. They often have severe life threatening health conditions that the stress of even the most careful grooming can make worse so I am always a little concerned that something might happen at the shop.

I have one client in particular who is elderly and has a congestive heart condition. She requires special care while she is here and she is here frequently. I always, always worry about her until she is safe in her owner's arms.

A month or so ago, I was checking her out and heaving a sigh of relief that we had made it through another day without any crisis when her owner looked at me and said,

"Oh by the way, she died last week."

The first thing that hit me was confusion, you know the pet semetary kind of confusion because I am looking at a very much alive dog or her twin sister. I believe my jaw must have hit the floor.

He said, "Yup, I went in the kitchen and she was laying on the floor, not breathing and her heart wasn't beating."

I think I managed to stutter an "Oh My God!"

"I thumped her on the chest a couple of times and shook her and she came back to life."

Ok, so now I am having a heart attack. This dog is the constant companion of a retired couple and their sun rises and sets with her. I can't tell you the things that were going through my mind but I did manage,

"Could you let me know if she dies again BEFORE I groom her?"

So the moral of this story is that if your dog has been born again, please let your groomer know of that or any other health conditions when you drop them off. This pup gets the royal treatment when she is with me and I still worry that something might happen and I might not be as quick to do CPR as her owner was.

What is Self Service Grooming

Self Service Dog Grooming salons and Dog Washes are popping up all over the country. So what's it all about? A Self Service Dog Wash is just that. Think of it as a Car Wash for your pet. It's a place where you can take your dog and bathe it in a professional tub with professional dog dryers. This keeps the hair out of your drain and off your walls.

What can you expect if you use a Self Service Dog Wash? At Happy Tails, if you come in for Self Service, you can choose from several options. You can pay the minimum charge, provide your own shampoo and conditioner and have the use of the tub and dryers. For a bit more, you can use our professional shampoo and conditioner. We might differ a bit from some Self Service dog washes as there is always a professional groomer available to answer your questions or give you a hand.

Most of the Self Service Dog Washes are not staffed by groomers but by franchise owners and their employees. While these may be very knowledgeable, they also may not be. If you are asking advice or help, it pays to ask a little about their experience and training.

If you are taking your pet to give it a bath, there are a few things you can do in advance to make your job a little easier and give your pet a more pleasant bath experience.

Be sure to brush your pet out completely before bathing. Tangles in the coat tend to tighten up into mats when they get wet and then dried. This may make it impossible to brush them out after their bath. It is always best to be sure that your pet is tangle free before his bath. You can do this at home to save time.

Put Cotton Balls in their ears. Getting water in a dog's ears is uncomfortable and will cause them to shake repeatedly. Your dog will be more comfortable and you will stay dryer if you put a cotton ball in each ear. Make sure that you do not put it too far in, you will want to retrieve it after the bath.

If you have ear cleaner to clean or flush their ears, be sure to do it prior to their bath. They will shake their heads and the wax, oil and dirt will come out onto their coats. You will want to wash this away during their bath.

Trim nails before bathing. Long toenails have a way of getting caught in the grates. Trimming them prior to bathing will keep you from having to try to disengage a toenail while your wet and paniced dog is struggling against you. This can cause injury to your pet.

Bring Your Own Shampoo. If you use a special shampoo or conditioner, bring it with you. While the Self Service shop may supply shampoo and conditioner, dont depend on them to have the same kind that you have been using.

Ask how to use equipment before your dog is in the tub. The time to ask questions is before you get your dog in the tub. You will also want to ask about the proper way to use the high velocity dryers as these can actually harm your dog if used incorrectly.

The Self Service shop should offer the essentials such as towels, basic shampoo and conditioner, a high velocity dryer, toe nail trimmers and a table to use to dry and brush. Expect to bring your own combs, brushes and any special sprays or conditioners you might use.

Home Ear Care

Importance of Regular Home Dog Ear Care

Routine home dog ear care is very important to the health of your dog. Performed between your regular checkups with the veterinarian, it will help keep your dog’s ears healthy and pain free. If you see signs of trouble you may be able to head them off before they require an extra visit to the vet. Excessive wax, foul odor, redness, constant scratching, excessive matting of hair in the external ear, rubbing the ears against other objects, head shaking, and disorientation can all be signs of ear problems.

Inspect Your Dog’s Ears Regularly By Using Your Eyes & Your Nose!

By performing a home dog ear care inspection you will be able to detect problems early. Use both your eyes and your nose. If you need help seeing inside your dog’s ears you may want to invest in a pet scope. A tool very similar to the kind your doctor uses to check your ears. Check for redness, excessive wax build up or any other foreign matter.

Sniffing your ears is another way to detect problems early. Normally a dog’s ears shouldn’t smell foul in any way. If you see a dark waxy discharge this may be a sign of ear mites. On the other hand, if you see a pus-like discharge along with a foul smell this may be a sign of a bacterial infection. Allergies are also known to cause some dogs to have smelly ears. If you’re new to this and are unsure have the vet check your dog’s ears. Right after the vet gives your dog a clean bill of health make sure you inspect your dog’s ears. This way you will learn how your pet’s ears should normally look and smell.

Your Groomer
Your groomer should be cleaning and plucking (if needed) your dogs ears as part of a normal groom or bath. They should notify you of any abnormal smells or discharge and this is one of the benefits of having your dog groomed with the same person on a regular basis. She will be familiar with your pet and will be able to give you a heads up about any changes that she notices. The groomer is not a vet, however, and should not diagnose what the issue is or prescribe any treatment.

Double Coated Breeds or Should I clip my Dog?

One of the most frustrating things that I come across as a groomer is an unnaturally thick undercoat on double coated dogs. Double coat means that the dogs have outer guard hairs and a soft undercoat that is generally shed in the summer months. Dogs such as Chows, Siberian Huskies, Collies, Australian Shepherds have a LOT of undercoat and when the weather starts warming up, it starts coming out. It's perfectly natural and it's perfectly natural to want to help your pet by removing it so they will be cooler. But wait....

While on the surface it makes sense that shorter hair would mean cooler dog, it is not necessarily true. While humans perspire to cool their bodies, dogs pant and while that undercoat can certainly keep the heat in, shaving it makes it shorter but does not remove it. The air can still not get to the skin and the shorter hair doesn't come out as easily as the un cut coat. When the new coat starts coming in, it weaves into the sheared undercoat and you get a much thicker undercoat that is unhealthy, dense and does not come out naturally. In nature, dogs lose their undercoat in stages as the weather warms up. The long soft undercoat loosens and gets rubbed off in clumps. The long guard hairs remain to keep the heat, bugs and sun out.

Now I know you are thinking to yourself.... but all that HAIR!! It gets everywhere, in everything and it takes over my house and I agree with you! What I recommend to my clients is monthly bath and brush outs in the spring with a good quality conditioner. A warm bath loosens the undercoat, the conditioner helps make it easy to remove and if done on a regular basis, should control shedding. If done regularly, it should not be anymore expensive than an annual clipping for a large dog.

Your dog will be happier with the long silky guard hairs to protect him from the summer sun and evening mosquitos.