Grooming and your pets

 I've been workng at a groom ing shop for a few years now and have learned a lot about the reasoning behind pet grooming. I have a few furry friends myself and am totaly behind grooming. I will describe the grooming process and why it takes so long to groom your furry family member.

When you chose a grooming shop the first thing you need to do is actually, phisically visit the shop. Is it clean? Are the kennels visible to the customers? Are the kennels clean and in good condition, meaning no missing or broken bars or pieces of metal or plastic that can hurt your pet. How is the attitude of the groomers? Are they kind, or do they seem rushed? Do they ask questions about your pet or are they more concerned about how your going to pay? One other thing some ppl find offensive but affects the quality of the grooming is if the groomers are smokers and if they smoke inside the shop. If the shop smells like smoke, your pet will smell like smoke when you take them home.

The grooming process

After you drop off your pet it goes through a process for grooming. First, the groomer will brush out the fur. This is done before the bath to remove lose hair, shedding undercoat and to check for things like fleas, ticks, sores, skin allergies, leisons, moles, any lumps or bumps and patches of red skin called hot spots. Next, the groomer clips the nails, removes hair from the inside of the ears, and does an initial shave down of the hair to prepare it for the whole haircut later. They also trim the area around the muzzle and bottom. The groomer then hands the dog to the bather.

The bather washes the dog according to the instructions from the owner and groomer. Some animals may require a hypo-allergenic, medicated or oatmeal shampoo. The dog may need to soak in a kennel for a bit because of a skin condition. The bather sleans inside the ears with a special ear cleaner made for pets, brushes the teeth and expresses the anal glands on the dog. The dog may have to be moisturized and then conditioner is applied to soften the fur. If the dog has fleas, a flea dip is applied. The dog is thoroughly rinsed, towel dried then taken to a smaller room to be blow dried. The dog is blow dried until it is completely dry to the touch. Then it is taken to another room where it is placed in a kennel with another dryer where it can relax, calm down and take a nap before the groomer finishes the dog.

After an hour or so, the groomer retrieves the dog. The groomer brushes it out again to remove any last bits of lose hair and tangles. The groomer proceeds to finish the haircut which can take up to an hour depending on the difficulty of the haircut. The dog is finished off with a spray cologne and a bow. The dog is then put in a kennel in the front of the shop where the owners can see it when they walk in.

Here are some things to know, things I"ve learned about our pets and things you may not know.

Moles- small or medium flesh colored bumps on the skin of the animal that spontaneously grow as the pet ages. Older animals almost always have a mole somewhere. They sometimes bleed and in some cases may need to be removed by a vet if bleeding becomes a problem.

Hot spots- These are patches or bright red skin found anywhere on the animal caused by irritation from biting, scratching, fleas or allergies. The skin may be irritated and painful in areas where hot spots are found. The groomer will always search for fleas when a hot spot is found. When none are found u may want to see your vet for possible allergies to anything from food to the shampoo the dog has been in contact with.

Fleas and ticks- Fleas can be found anywhere and everywhere. They aren't always easy to see but may be living on your pet. On a dog with black fur the fleas actually look reddish in color, on a lighter colored fur the fleas appear to be black. There are products you can use to prevent them. Frontline and Advantix are a couple of them. They are applied to the skin of the dog between the shoulder blades once a month and kill fleas. Ticks are also killed and controlled by these products. Ticks are pests to an animal. They bury their head in the skin of the dog and suck its blood. They are removed with a twist of the bug and a quick pull. They are either grey or a dark red color and easy to spot becuase they dont move once they are feeding on your pet. You can also see the legs of the bug moving while its head is buried in the skin.

Leisons- Some pets come in with sores, cuts, scrapes and areas of oozing and infected skin caused by scratching and biting. If it is serious the groomer will recommend the dog be seen by a vet. In most cases the wound is cleaned with medicated shampoo and shown to the owner so they can decide to take the pet to the vet.

Ear infections- Dogs can get an ear infection. It is easily spotted by looking in the ears. The ear may be red and irritated and will always be filled with a dark brown or black sludge. The ears will also have a sour smell and the dog may scratch at his ears or shake its head a lot. This is always pointed out to the owner and recommended the pet see a vet. It can be caused from an allergy or water that may be sitting in the dogs ears.

Peeling skin and hair loss- almost always caused by an allergy and sometimes old age. Pets can be allergis to a treat, food, shampoo or even human products like clothes soap, perfume, himan food etc. Animls are sensative just like we are.

Cysts- soft lumps under the skin that form out of nowhere. Sometimes they are a sign of cancer. Usually just happens with old age. Its always good to have a vet check any lumps found on the body.

Hematoma- Mostly found on the ears of a dog. It is a swollen lump or pouch found on the ears that is filled with blood. Its caused by rapid and strong shaking of the head. The blood collects in a pocket on the ear and doesn't drain. A vet will need to drain the area.

Loose teeth- Some animals have very bad teeth caused by a bad diet of soft foods and age. The teeth rot and fall out just like a persons teeth. There are dental bones and chew toys that can prevent the teeth from decay if given often over the lifetime of a dog.

These are the things I've learned from grooming and I hope this information will help anyone who decides to groom your pet!