Groomers can play a vital role in keeping your pet clean and healthy as well as detecting diseases.
Dr. Jeanne Haggerty-Arcay
Dr. Jeanne Haggerty-Arcay
Pet grooming is big business. Although most of a groomer’s business will be dogs, many will also groom cats. They are able to perform the typical services to include bathing, drying, haircuts, nail trim, anal gland expression and ear cleaning. Recently, pet groomers have been overwhelmed with the sheer number of people desiring appointments. It used to be relatively easy to obtain an appointment, but now many people report limited availability or long waits. Here’s a few tips to navigate the system.
Vaccines: If your pet is going to be groomed, he/she should be current on vaccines. This also applies to dogs who are using a mobile groomer as it is difficult to sanitize everything in the rig between pets and some organisms can be contagious. Your pet should be covered against rabies, distemper-parvo, kennel cough and ideally influenza. In an ideal world, vaccine status should be checked, however, we know from experience this does not always happen. If your groomer is not asking for proof of vaccination, it is likely your pet will be exposed to other pets who are not up to date on vaccines. There can also be a lack of protection in dogs who are vaccinated shortly before grooming. For example, a dog vaccinated two days prior to grooming will be technically current but the immune system has not had sufficient time to respond.
Behavior: With the increased demand for appointments, some groomers have become more selective. If a pet is poorly behaved, bites or always shows up matted, they may be denied an appointment as there are enough other good pets to take the slot. If you have a breed you know will need grooming, start that process early. Start brushing, playing with the feet/nails, touching the mouth and ears. The groomer can be a scary place. There are a lot of new sounds, noisy blow dryers and a stranger trying to handle them.
Consistency: Groomers are more likely to take on new pets if their owners are willing to commit to a regular schedule. Pets who are groomed consistently have few mats, will often behave better and are more likely to provide a consistent flow of business.
Anal Glands: If your pet has anal gland issues, expression of the glands during grooming may be insufficient to clear the glands of all material. Anal glands are expressed differently by grooming and veterinary staff. Check with your vet to see where your dog’s glands should be expressed.
Ears: Groomers will typically clean the pets ears. If your pet is prone to infections and you have a cleaner to use at home, bring it in with you so the groomer can use it. Dogs with fuzzy coats will accumulate large amounts of hair within the canals that need to be removed. If your groomer or you suspect an ear infection, do not clean the ears — it impacts our ability to determine the cause once they have been cleaned.
Nails: Keeping your pets nails short will keep them comfortable and prevent the blood vessel within the nail from growing too long. Depending on the interval and the surface on which your pet walks, you may need to trim nails between groomings in order to keep them the proper length. Get puppies used to having nails trimmed so that it is no big deal when they are older.
Groomers can play a vital role in keeping your pet clean and healthy as well as detecting diseases. Do your part to make the process as easy as possible by starting early and remaining consistent. If you are grooming your own pet at home, you need to keep up on more than the bath.
