Moe is a kissable Pit Bull that comes to see us once a month for a bath. He's a very good boy but suffers from skin allergy problems. During his last visit, his owner came in and told us he was having some allergy-related hair loss on his tail. We popped him into the tub and got about the business of washing him, and sure enough, there was a bald patch about two inches long on the top of Moe's waggy, waggy tail. His owner was right about the hair loss, but her understanding of the cause was slightly off.
An internet search about dog breeds considered to be hypoallergenic will dish up a big old bowl of confusion. Many articles clearly state in their opening paragraphs that there is no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog breed. Then, they will go on to list hypoallergenic breeds. It's a real head-scratcher.
You glance out the window and see that the new customer you scheduled is approaching your door. You suppress a groan because you can tell, even at a distance, that their dog is severely matted. You begin to prepare yourself mentally for the upcoming conversation.
There you are, happily clipping along on a dog that is getting a smoothie-style groom, and whoops! A bald spot suddenly appears. You stare in confusion at your clipper. Did it suddenly manifest into having a shorter-than-you-were-using blade? No. The problem is that you ran into a cowlick.
Macy is a small poodle cross well into her senior years. Whenever her owner brings her in for grooming, she says, “Try not to clip her moles and make them bleed!” As dogs age, many develop a myriad of lumps, bumps, and growths on their skin. Some breeds seem to be more prone to this than others. As groomers, we get an excellent view of these growths as we wash and dry the pets. The problem arises when some of them become irritated or bleed during grooming.
There you are, grooming away when something cool and damp drops on your hand. You look and are repulsed to find a small, squirmy white thing about the size of a grain of rice wriggling on your skin. It’s a tapeworm segment and has dropped from the dog's anus. After you fling it off, do a little dance of horror, and scrub your hands, you might wonder what to do next. I have seen many groomers ask in online forums if they should send the pet home. Here is some information to help you decide how to proceed.
Although not a common diagnosis, post-grooming furunculosis is a severe skin infection that has been widely publicized recently and frequently discussed in online grooming forums. Many groomers have never heard about it before or don't understand what it is.
What if something horrible happened to your grooming space? A fire, smoke damage, a flood, heavy storm damage, or a robbery. Imagine trying to explain to your insurance agent every lost or damaged item. It would be overwhelming. How many clipper blades did you actually have? How many sets of expensive shears?
Last week, a regular customer with an adorable Pomeranian arrived for her appointment. "Let me tell you what has been going on with my dog," she said. "She was limping, and it turned out she had Lyme disease. She's been treated and is better now, but I want to be able to find ticks on her. I want her to have a nice short haircut. I don't want her shaved, but much shorter all over." This dog is well-bred, with lovely conformation and a thick, correct coat. In the past, her grooming with us consisted of what I call a "tidy-up."
Some people buy shoes. Some people buy jewelry. Me? I buy grooming tools. I am a total sucker for any new whiz-bang gadget that might make my job better, easier, or even more fun. But here is the truth: day in and day out, there are specific core tools that I reach for over and over on almost every pet. No matter your workspace, I bet you have limited space to keep your hand tools. From where you sit or stand to work, there is most likely a relatively small radius of available surfaces for you to keep your combs, brushes, clippers, trimmers, and scissors.
