Groomer Woes
I have only taken Finn to the groomer twice in his life and I love everyone at the groomer's and the atmosphere is great. It's privately run, not some big company like Petsmart. A week or so after the first visit (about 7 months ago) I noticed a couple little scabs on Finn while petting him but unable to be sure what caused them, I let it go.
His second trip to the groomer was this last weekend and a couple days ago we again found some small scabs on his body. Now I feel confident that he is getting the scabs from the groomer. I want to know how he got them and how common this is. I don't know if we should stop going to the groomer or just tell them next time about the scabs to ensure that they don't do whatever might be causing it.
The possible causes I came up with were the brushes (the first time was a shedding blade and the second was a Furminator) or the shampoo or conditioner. I know they used a deshedding conditioner the first time to loosen up the hair so I assume they use it the second time as well. Any ideas?
His second trip to the groomer was this last weekend and a couple days ago we again found some small scabs on his body. Now I feel confident that he is getting the scabs from the groomer. I want to know how he got them and how common this is. I don't know if we should stop going to the groomer or just tell them next time about the scabs to ensure that they don't do whatever might be causing it.
The possible causes I came up with were the brushes (the first time was a shedding blade and the second was a Furminator) or the shampoo or conditioner. I know they used a deshedding conditioner the first time to loosen up the hair so I assume they use it the second time as well. Any ideas?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Alice on
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Hmm, maybe we just need to warn them to be more gentle then. My husband just wants to find a new groomer but I don't know how we'd know from talking to them that the same thing won't happen there.
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Permalink Reply by Stephanie on
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We have a locally owned pet store that has a "dog wash station" - all of the professional grooming materials for rent by the hour. It's 12 dollars for an hour - they have like 20 different shampoos and soaps to pick from, they provide the towels and a smock to put over your clothes. It's fantastic! Whenever I would drop one of mine off at the local Pet Smart - before I found the dog wash - I was a nervous wreck. Wondering how long they spent in the unfamiliar cage, how upset they were by the barking/noise/chaos was too much for me.
Maybe you could look around and see if there's a dog wash station in your area? Then you don't have to worry.
Here's a link to mine...
http://www.incredipet.com/dogwash.html
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I would absolutely go to a wash station if I found one here. I think that's a great idea. I don't mind washing him but at home in the tub my back starts hurting from leaning over to wash him and he won't sit still for me to blow dry or clip his nails. He takes forever to dry and sheds, sheds, sheds. He so well behaved for the groomer so they can get the job done. I bet he'd still behave at a wash station because it's unfamiliar to him.
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Permalink Reply by Julia on
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How to know you have a responsible, professional groomer?
I have been using the same groomer for fourteen years for my Springer, a complicated dog. When he became stressed and began licking his legs excessively, he made some invisible (?) irritations bleed. I asked the groomer to leave his front legs alone for a while, which she did. As he got older and "lumpy", she was happy to go along with any requests I had to avoid sensitive spots or use scissors. When our new Corgi puppy was pulling out the spaniels hair, the groomer cut his ears short and trimmed down his feathering for a few months. My concerns are always listened to and followed up, even though they may seem ridiculous ("What do you mean, don't cut the front of his legs?)
Needless to say, Old Dog loves going to the groomer. Any good groomer will listen to your concerns and make adjustments for you. If you don't want the Furminator, say so. Ask the groomer what may have caused the scabs. If you're not comfortable with asking questions or making requests, this may not be the best groomer for you.
Julia
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Permalink Reply by Steve on
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Steve had scabs around his neck and hip area after his first groomer visit last year. I first thought they were tiny lumps (yikes!) and got really worried but as I picked at one of them I noticed a clump of fur came out with the scab. I searched like crazy online and found he probably wasn't rinsed well after the shampoo.
Check out this discussion
http://www.mycorgi.com/forum/topics/tiny-black-scabsdandruff-along
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I read the discussion you linked me to and Joanna mentioned how she one burned Clue with color intensifying shampoo and I'm pretty sure they used this type of shampoo on Finn both times. maybe this was the cause. It's hard to say whether it was that or the brushing or a combination of both but at least now I have some good information so when I talk to them I know what points to touch on.
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Permalink Reply by Cindi on
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I really like the Fuminator, but one has to be smart about using it. I've seen some groomers who are too harsh with it and that can leave scabby areas. I think talking to your groomer, even showing the spots to her, would be the way to go. She may not even realize she's grooming too harshly.
(As a PetSmart employee and my partner Patti is a PetSmart groomer, I can tell you there are a few of us out there who know what we're doing.)
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I agree that the Furminator is a good tool but I would not use it alone. Once over with the Furminator then follow with a slicker brush and finally a bristle brush is my routine at home. To spend an hour brushing a dog with a Furminator seems excessive to me.
I know there are some good groomers at PetSmart. I actually used to have a friend who was one and I've heard many stories from her. The problem is that there are bad ones in the mix and you don't really know what you're going to get and they train new groomers (at least they did at the time) so you end up with inexperienced people using your dog as the guinea pig. I don't like getting my hair cut by someone right our of hair school because they do make mistakes and pull out my hair so you can imagine that it would be the same with student groomers.
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Agreed. But I can say some of the "inexperienced" groomers are actually better than some veterans. I take time to watch the groomers through the window at PetSmart. I watch for how they treat the animals. Are they rough with the dogs and puppies? Do they seem uncaring of the nervousness of the pups or do they take their time? After I've watched a while, I can usually make a smart decision on who to use. (That's one of the good things about having the grooming very public!)
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Permalink Reply by Kari & Quin on
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I have a fluff so no furminator for her ( the furminator damages the hair as it is a blade) I was using a bristle brush but have since purchased a pin brush (with out the little balls on the end of the pins as these can pull the hair) I got mine on line. A person who shows dogs told me about it.
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Permalink Reply by RILEY, MAGGIE and Christine Kemp on
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The breeder we adopted Riley from recommended (when I asked about grooming tools) the pin brush and a greyhound comb. This breeder shows dogs. These tools work nicely for Riley...he is a smooth coat pem. Our first corgi, Tucker, was also a smooth coat pem. I tried the furminator on Tucker, I didn't like it, won't use it on Riley! Perhaps, I didn't use it properly, but I found that it broke/cut hairs.
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