Grooming is an essential part of your dog’s health. Bathing, brushing, and trimming nails help to maintain the coat and skin while preventing matting and infections.
Professional groomers can see every inch of your pet’s body, including the skin, ears, and paw pads to identify and treat any bumps, bruises, or external parasites.
Skin Irritation
Skin irritation is a common grooming mishap that can result from poor techniques, improper tools, or inappropriate products. If your dog is showing signs of irritated skin, it is important to identify the cause of the problem and take steps to fix it. There are many causes of irritated skin, including atopic dermatitis (itchy ear flaps), seborrheic dermatitis (greasy, flaky chin or armpits), hair loss, hot spots, and other dermatological conditions.
Irritation caused by grooming can occur when a groomer uses the wrong clipper blade, incorrectly shampoos or conditioners the coat, or accidentally cuts the skin. These mistakes can have both physical and emotional consequences for your dog.
A good groomer will always heed your pet’s verbal and body language signals during the grooming process. For example, a growl is the most serious signal that you should stop grooming immediately. If your dog shows other signs of distress during grooming, such as pinned back ears, stiff posture, whale eyes, or hackles up, it’s important that you allow them to calm down before proceeding further.
When a groomer is inexperienced or rushed, they can miss the tiniest areas of your pet’s body. This may result in itchy, scaly, and red patches of skin that will not respond to any other treatments.
Long-haired dogs are especially prone to developing itchy, flaky skin due to matted fur that isn’t regularly brushed or groomed. Regular grooming sessions and the use of shampoos formulated without sulfates can help keep your dog’s skin healthy and comfortable.
Small and medium sized dogs need their anal glands expressed on a regular basis to produce the lubrication that helps them go to the bathroom. If the glands are not expressed on a regular basis, they can become infected and require medical treatment at the vet. Groomers often express the anal glands by squeezing them from the outside, but this is not as effective as having your vet lance them internally.
Infections
Grooming removes tangles and matting, which can harbor bacteria and irritants. It also reduces the risk of infections from fleas, ticks and other parasites that can carry illnesses. If left untreated, skin infections from these pests can be extremely itchy and uncomfortable for your pet. Grooming can also minimize the growth of long nails, which can damage your pet’s stride and posture. If left unattended, they can even grow into the paw pads and cause pain.
In addition to ectoparasites, your pet may have internal parasites that can be just as dangerous. These organisms can be transmitted by eating contaminated soil, food or water or from infected fleas, ticks and mosquitoes. Internal parasites may be yeast (which is very itchy) or bacterial or fungal infections like ringworm. These infections are typically accompanied by a scaly, red or discolored area and can be very difficult to identify by the naked eye.
Excessive licking is a common sign of a bacterial or yeast infection. If your pet is licking a particular area excessively and you notice a rash or ooze near that spot, it is important to get them to the vet right away.
Nicks are another common problem that can be caused by improper grooming. These small cuts are often caused by nicking your dog’s coat, pelt or skin and can be quite painful. They can also lead to infection and hair loss if not treated promptly.
Unfortunately, many dogs don’t receive proper grooming care because of a lack of resources. These omissions of care can be especially problematic in marginalized communities where access to basic grooming services is limited. The veterinary field and animal welfare sector should consider how social determinants of health—including transportation, neighborhood characteristics, income, education and discrimination—can affect grooming access for pets. Finding the right groomer for your pet can be a challenge, but with so many options available, it’s easier than ever. There are plenty of professionals delivering quality grooming services near you, ensuring your pet receives the care they deserve.
Fleas and Ticks
Fleas and ticks are bloodsuckers that cause serious discomfort to pets and can transmit deadly diseases. Preventive medication is available in many forms to help keep these pests off your pet, including collars, topical treatments and oral medications. Regular grooming can also ensure that your pet’s coat is not a food source for fleas and ticks.
Regardless of preventive measures, it is almost inevitable that every pet will encounter a flea or tick at some point in its life. However, a bad tick or flea infestation is much easier to treat if it is caught early. This is why proper grooming is so important.
Grooming encourages blood flow to the skin and hair follicles which stimulates the shedding of dead fur and allows new, healthy growth to take its place. It also removes matts, dirt and yucky stuff that can accumulate in long hair. It also allows you or your groomer to spot abnormal lumps, bumps and itchy areas that could indicate the presence of an external parasite.
It is also essential to regularly brush and inspect your dog’s ears, between toes, around the pads of their feet, the base of their tail and any other difficult to reach places. This allows you to spot a dirty build up in their ears, signs of infection or other problems and to pick off any grass seeds before they penetrate the skin (which can be very painful). It also allows you to check for parasites, like fleas or ticks, for matts and for foreign bodies such as grass seeds that may have become stuck in your pet’s coat.
While most dogs that are regularly groomed by a professional do not have as much of an emotional or behavioral response to trips to the groomer, pets that do not receive regular brushing and inspections can develop severe itching and other symptoms due to parasites, knots and tangles in their coat. This can lead to bald spots, itchy areas, infections and even anemia. Fortunately, modern medicines allow for quick treatment and control of these external parasites.
Injuries
During grooming sessions, professional dog groomers massage shampoos, conditioners, and cleaners deep into your pet’s skin, which gives them the opportunity to feel for scratches, lumps, scrapes, external parasites, injuries, and other health-related issues. When these are not detected and/or treated promptly, the consequences can be severe. Poor grooming is most likely to occur when pets are not routinely bathed, brushed, and inspected by their owners. Factors affecting pet ownership, including household dysfunction, lack of transportation, poverty, racial/ethnic discrimination, and low education levels, have been linked to poor grooming practices and the resulting omissions of care.
Regular grooming prevents several health-related issues, including long nails that can cause joint pain and abrasions, dirty ears that lead to ear infections, and unbrushed teeth that result in gum disease. It also allows pet owners to spot signs of illness, such as lethargy, trembling, or a tense abdomen, before they become serious.
Grooming-related omissions of care can also include ear or nail trimmings being performed improperly, such as cutting into the quick (the blood vessels in the nails) causing painful bleeding and injury. Groomers should use a dog nail grinder to trim nails in order to avoid this issue, and keep up with the routine grooming so they can always cut the nails at the proper length.
Grooming is an incredibly important part of the care that dogs receive and should be a routine aspect of every pup’s life. While there are horror stories of groomers making mistakes, it is important to remember that these are rare events and that most are due to ignorance, incompetence, or mismanagement of the tools or grooming process. When choosing a groomer, look for one who is experienced and uses the most modern equipment. A quality groomer should also be able to answer your questions thoroughly and quickly, and will report any health or safety concerns immediately. Avoid groomers who show a lack of knowledge or professionalism, such as ignoring signs of stress or discomfort, using outdated tools or techniques that can cause harm, and yanking on leashes with excessive force.