Aging and Bumps

We all love our pets dearly. During trying times, they make us laugh, snuggle away our tears and fears, and just generally keep our spirits up. They give us something to look forward to every day.

Almost in a blink of an eye, our pets go from super energetic youngsters to enthusiastic adults. Their baby fuzz grows into their adult coats. Their feet no longer seem huge and awkward. Their attention span grows even if treats are not involved.

Our dearly departed master of the lumps and bumps, Commander

Cody Honey Badger (mayherestinpeace).

The progression for adult to senior seems to happen more slowly. Sometimes so slowly it is almost unnoticeable. Generally speaking, 7 years old is considered to be senior age for dogs. Depending on the individual breeds, large dogs can be considered a senior as early as 5 while small dogs might not be seniors until they are 10 to 12. 7 is a middle-of-the-road type generalization. Cats are a little different in that they usually don’t show any signs of age until they are very old. 9 is usually considered the beginning of old age for cats though some don’t show actual signs of aging until they are around 12. Some cats never seem to age at all! Around senior age mark, animal professionals (groomers, vets, dog walkers, etc) start to keep an eye open for behavioral and physical changes. Owners might start to notice a few things as well. Muzzles might start to get a hint of silver. Eyes might start to develop a slight clouding.

While keeping a close eye on your pet’s health is important for their entire lives, it is more important than ever to watch them in their golden years. It is not uncommon for pets to develop stiff joints, bad hips, hearing trouble, or vision problems. They are much more likely to begin popping out lumps and bumps on their skin as well. These bumps can be anything from old-age warts to benign cysts and fatty tumors to more concerning cancerous growths such as melanomas and carcinomas.

Any time you find a new bump on your pet, it is important to note a few things about it. Pay attention to the size and placement of the bump along with the surface texture and color. Have your vet check out any new bumps as they crop up, especially if they are in areas that could present problems later on. Areas such as the face and ears, paws, and near any joints can cause secondary medical concerns down the road. By knowing where the bump was and what it looked like when you first noticed it, you can help your vet figure out if the lump is growing and changing or if it has stayed the same. This will assist your vet in deciding if this bump is something that needs to be further investigated or if it is simply an old age lump that is nothing to worry about. Most of the time, the vet will preform a needle biopsy, a quick, simple procedure where they take a small sample of material with a fine needle to look at under a microscope. If the bump ends up being something concerning, the smaller it is, the easier it is to remove and generally the better the outcome will be!

Of course, knowing about new lumps and bumps and their diagnosis helps your groomers as well! We can be extra sure to keep an eye on any bumps and let you know if we notice any changes. Sometimes changes happen so slowly they go virtually unnoticed until there is a drastic difference. There are innumerable cases where a groomer noticed something an owner did not and ended up saving a pet’s life! Knowing will also mean we can keep your pet as comfortable as possible. Some lumps might be tender to the touch. Some surgical sights can remain sensitive long after the wound has healed. Or, if the pet is generally not sensitive but suddenly is, we can alert owners to a change in behavior which can then be brought to the vet’s attention.

Lumps, bumps, and warts can happen to any pet of any age but are much more likely to pop up on an older animal. Finding them early is so important for proper treatment if treatment is needed. While you are stuck home with your buddies of all ages, give them a good once over at least a couple times a week. Pet them slowly to feel for bumps. Check their paws and nail beds for anything that looks weird. Check their gums as well if they will let you! Be as proactive with your pet’s health as you are with your own! And as always, call your vet if you have any concerns at all. Their phones are pretty busy these days, but they will always be there to help you out!

Infestation Prevention

Spring has finally arrived! We think anyway. We are definitely somewhere between winter and summer. Sometimes it seems like we have all three seasons in one 24 hour period! Even though us humans are all stuck inside our homes, outside, the flea and tick populations are exploding! This time of the year, it is not uncommon for groomers to see a vast increase in the number of dogs needing baths due to flea infestations. Unfortunately, this year, we are not available to help at the start of the season!

Prevention is more important than ever this year. If you are one of the many people who only treat their dog with preventatives during the warmer months, it is time to start! Even if you planned to start next month or even the month after, start now. Vet offices and pet stores can still take orders for flea collars, chews, or drops. As Benjamin Franklin once said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

While we cannot currently take our dogs to the dog park or even out to the city parks, fleas and ticks can abound everywhere. Squirrels, deer, fox, raccoon, and coyotes can all live in suburban and urban areas. Wildlife quite often carry fleas and ticks. If a deer has crossed the road just before you walk your dog through the area, there is a chance that they could have dropped fleas. Those fleas could then jump onto the next living thing that passes by: you and your dog!

It only takes a single flea to start an infestation in your home. You will likely never see the first one too. By the time you start to see actual, live fleas, your home and your pets are already infested. Once your home in infested, it can be an extremely long and difficult process to completely eliminate all the fleas. No one wants strangers coming into their homes right now. However, complete eradication of a flea problem will often require the services of an exterminator.

Ticks are harder to get rid of since they tend to live in long grasses, brush, and on certain types of trees. While they are not likely to cause an infestation like fleas do, they can still carry some pretty serious diseases. With veterinarian offices also on lock down procedures, it might take a while for them to see a dog suffering from a tick borne illness. So the best thing to do is to get all of your pets on a reliable preventative! Also, keep up with your yard work, especially if your home backs up to an open field or a wooded area. By keeping the grass in the areas your dog frequents short, it is much less likely that ticks will be present. Try to keep your pet out of longer grasses, weeds, and dense brush as well. If you do suspect your pet has been bitten by an infected tick, be sure to call your vet right away so you can get into to see them as soon as possible. For many tick borne illnesses, the faster your pet receives treatment, the less likely they are to suffer from life-long complications!

Not sure what preventative is the best to use in your area? Give your vet a call or send them an email! Even though they are busy sanitizing their offices multiple times a day, they will still be happy to offer suggestions of what products to use and where to get them!

PIck-up and Communication: A Reminder

As spring gets into full swing, grooming salons become a busy place! The increase of muddy yards means a lot of dogs need frequent baths. Dogs who are left a little longer for the winter will start to come in for those short spring hair cuts.  As soon as the stay-at-home orders lift, everyone will want to get their pets in for a good clean up! Groomers might be stretched a little thinner than normal trying to accommodate owners and pets alike.

Since we run a very small salon, we have a very limited space to hold onto pets after their grooming has been completed. We just wanted to take a brief moment to remind you that we ask you to be here within one hour of receiving the call letting you know your pet is ready to go home. Our day is a tight dance. We are counting on Fluffy going home so we can clean her kennel and use it for Bob who is expected to arrive shortly after Fluffy leaves. If Fluffy is still here when Bob arrives, we might not have a place for Bob to hang out!

If you know you might be a little late picking Fluffy up, just let us know! Let us know when you make the appointment so we can have an extra kennel available just in case. We do have crates at our homes for our own dogs we are happy to bring in if needed. If something comes up after you have made your appointment, give us a call or shoot us a text message to let us know. We will do our best to accommodate or we will let you know if it would be best to reschedule for another day.

The same goes for dropping off early. We ask that you arrive no more than 10 minutes early for your appointment so we have time to check Fluffy out and clean her kennel. If Bob arrives too early, we might not quite be ready for him! Again, communicate your needs and we will let you know how we can best accommodate them!

We understand things come up. You might not know until the day of your appointment that you need to drop off early or pick up a little later. Just let us know a soon as you can so we can figure something out! Communicating also eliminates the worry factor as well. We do genuinely worry about our clients when they do not show up on time! Was there an accident? Is there a traffic jam? Did someone suddenly become ill? Did the doctor appointment not go well and someone now has to be rushed to St. Louis for specific testing with a specialist? Your groomers are definitely two “Worst Case Scenario” worriers! Let us know what is going on so we don’t stress your pup out!

We anticipate being busier than usual once we are able to reopen.  If you can, please schedule your pet's grooming appointment on a day and at a time where you are not likely to be busy during their service.  This way, you can be ready to come get them as soon as we call.  It is looking like we will be completely booked for at least a few weeks when this is all over.  Help us keep things running extra smoothly so everyone can get the services they need as quickly as possible! Thanks! 

The Grooming Process: What People Think vs Reality

Have you ever wondered what, exactly, it takes to get a dog groomed? Or a cat? It must be such a fun thing to do! Playing with puppies and kittens all day long must be so easy!

The reality is that grooming is an extremely taxing process. Many groomers end up suffering from joint problems, specifically in the knee, hip, and lower back areas due to the long hours bending, twisting, lifting, and standing. Carpal Tunnel and Tennis Elbow are almost a guarantee from the repetitive motions. “Groomer’s Lung” can develop over time, leading to lung infections, chronic bronchitis, and difficulty breathing. It is caused by breathing in the dust, dirt, chemicals, and debris associated with grooming.

At any time, numerous injuries can occur such as bites, scratches, bruises, cuts, sprains, strains, and falls. Plenty of groomers have had their careers ended by accidents. It is far, far more common for the groomer to become injured than the pets! Some of these injuries can be caused by the pets the groomer is working with. Others can be caused by the environment. Still others can be caused by just a moment of inattention. Just about every groomer out there has cut their own fingers and hands with their shears! Many will laugh as they show you the scars and tell you the story!

Compassion fatigue is another huge, potentially deadly, problem in the industry. Most groomers care so deeply for the pets they are trusted with that seeing pelted, once-a-year grooms, dogs with poor skin and over grown nails, and cats so matted they cannot move begins to take a mental toll. Owners who do not properly care for their pets, make impossible demands, and then berate a groomer for doing what is necessary to keep the pet happy and comfortable can make groomers feel like they are worthless. They can’t do anything right. Depression and hopelessness can begin to set in. Compassion fatigue is a problem across the entire animal industry and beyond. Each year, many professionals take their own lives as a result.

So what actually happens in the salon? What makes it so demanding? For a normal, regularly scheduled maintenance groom, the process can seem daunting with all the brushing, clipping, bathing, and drying. For a pet that is not on a regular schedule, it can be even more challenging!

The typical groom will start one of two ways. After we give your pet a quick evaluation, we will either clip their nails or head straight to the bath tub. Long nails must be clipped prior to the bath as they could pose a safety issue, potentially getting caught on kennel grates or doors. If your pet’s nails are in good shape, the bath is started immediately.

A bath is a lot more than just soap and water! Very often, a dog will be washed two, possibly even three times. The first wash with a basic shampoo will remove the bulk of the dirt and grime. Their anal glands will be checked during this first shampoo and emptied if needed. Occasionally, if the pet is excessively dirty, they might get another shampooing with the basic formula but typically, we don’t need to. The second shampoo will either be another round of the basic shampoo or a specific formula picked for the needs of your pet. We might use Avacado for dry or itchy skin, hypoallergenic for pets who might be a little more sensitive, or whitening for those who’s coats could use a little extra help to shine. While the second shampoo is on the dog’s coat, they are often brushed with a rubber curry or a brushing glove to make sure they are clean down to their skin across every single inch of their body from the ears back. The shampoo is then rinsed completely from the dog’s coat and skin. But it doesn’t end there! Next, a high quality conditioner is applied to the dog. It is brushed in with the rubber curry or brushing glove. While it sits, the dog’s face will be washed with either a hypoallergenic or lightly scented face wash or a blueberry facial treatment. This face wash is then rinsed away. The conditioner is rinsed though we quite frequently do not rinse it away completely as a good conditioner is designed to keep a dog’s skin in tip-top shape.

The bathing process will usually take only around 15 to 20 minutes per dog. However, if a deshedding treatment is what they need, there are extra steps of brushing, combing, raking, and blowing that take place. A thorough deshedding process can take up to an hour to complete!

The drying process is the next step. The dogs are wiped down with super absorbent cooling towels. These wick a surprising amount of water out of the fur! So much so that we often don’t even need to use a regular towel afterwards! While in the tub, the high velocity dryer will be used to blow the bulk of the remaining water off the dog. Depending on the size of the dog, they will either be dried further in the tub or they may be moved to our drying table. How dry the dogs get at this point depends on how they feel about the drying process. Some dogs will not tolerate the high velocity dryer. It is pretty loud after all! We don’t blame them! A dog who tolerates the dryer will be dried until they are just a little damp. After this dryer, the damp pet will be placed in a kennel. Using either a kennel dryer or a regular fan, they will take a break while they continue to dry. We will then either work on another dog or take a brief break to fill out paperwork, return phone calls/text messages, or, if we are lucky, scarf down a little bit of lunch!

Dogs may receive another dry on the grooming table using our small, heated, Flying Pig dryer affectionately known as Dumbo. This little dryer is great for taking the last bit of dampness from a dog’s coat or for drying feet and faces. Some dogs will need this last dry, some won’t. Some dogs will need a sanitary shave which is generally done before brushing just in case there are any tangles in sensitive places. Paw pads will usually be shaved at this time if needed and the nails also trimmed and filed. After any prep-work, dogs will be brushed at this point. Longer hair is brushed with slicker brushes and medium and fine toothed combs. The dog is brushed from head to tail, paying special attention to legs, feet, ears, and tail. Small tangles are carefully worked out. Larger mats are brushed around and noted for removal. Shorter haired dogs might still get brushed with a slicker and comb but are more likely to be brushed with a rubber curry, deshedding rake, and a Sleek Ez to remove excess undercoat. No matter the hair length, this brush out process can take 15 minutes or longer. If a dog is getting a deshed treatment, this brush out can take even longer as we need to remove as much of the shedding hair as possible.

For bath dogs, this is pretty much where the process ends. They get to go hang out in their crates until their owners can come pick them up. For dogs getting a haircut, they are only halfway there!

Using clippers, blades of various lengths, comb attachments, and very sharp shears, fur is clipped down to the desired length. This is frequently the longest part of the process. The first pass over the dog’s body is to take off the bulk of the fur being cut. We don’t worry about getting perfect results on the first pass though it is nice when it happens! Using a brush or comb, the fur is fluffed up again for a second pass. This is a more careful clip intended to bring the coat almost to the final state. There will still be finish work to be done though. The fur is carefully combed and fluffed. Longer spots are trimmed down with shears. The tail is trimmed up. The feet are rounded off. The head and face are saved for last. Ears and faces are carefully combed. Cheeks are fluffed up. Fur is carefully clipped and trimmed to make the dog as cute as possible! All in all, the haircut can take up to an hour to complete. If the dog is at all fidgety or uncooperative, it can take even longer!

All in all, a groom can go as quickly as one hour for a very cooperative dog that doesn’t mind being bathed, dried, and groomed straight through or it could take three to four hours if the dog requires frequent breaks.

Cat grooms are a little different. Generally, a cat’s nails are clipped as soon as we take them out of their carriers. They get their brush and/or haircut before they get a bath simply because most cats do not like baths! Cats are immediately dried as much as possible with absorbing towels, regular towels, and our friend Dumbo. If they are resistant to the bath and dry, nothing is forced upon them. Cats can hang out in the kennels with a fan if they need to, however, we prefer to get them in and out as fast as we can. Cats are very prone to stress-induced illness. The longer they spend in the salon environment, the more dangerous it is for them. We try hard to have cats in, groomed, and out in two hours or less.

After repeating this process four, five, six, or more times per day, it becomes easy to see that grooming is not at all just playing with cute critters all day long! It is a very demanding job but it is one that we would not trade for anything!