The very ugly side of dog grooming....

Matting, Skin Infections and MAGGOTS!!!

As I stated in my last post I will be sharing some of the worst cases of neglect I have seen so far, believe me, these are by far not as bad as some stories I have heard from fellow groomers. 

First up we have a dog called Cookie, his case is not as bad as most. His owners went on holiday and left Cookie in the care of a friend who did not brush him. A dog who was previously very well looked after had to be completely shaved due to moderate matting of his coat. 

As you can see his coat pretty much came off in one piece. I still managed to leave him with a fluffy head and tail. 

Next up is a couple of photos of overgrown nails. I offer $5 nail trims, and complementary nail trimming with every groom service. If you walk your dog on asphalt, cement or pavement it often files down the nails so they wont need trimming so often. Overgrown nails happen mostly in 'Handbag dogs.' or dogs that are carried around more then walking for themselves. These nails often bleed when they are trimmed because the blood line is so long, it also causes great discomfort to the dog as it can twist and deform their toes.                                                                                             

            

Next is another matted dog called Livvey or 'Olivia'. The owners had requested that I just take the ends off without realising that the dog was quite severely matted. They were not very happy when I told them that their dog was matted and had to be completely shaved. I had to use a 10 Blade, which is usually used for the sanitary areas.

This is one of the more severe cases of matting I have experienced. His name is Tiny and I groomed him when I first started grooming and I nearly cried because I had limited tools to work with and did not know what to do! It took me 4 hours to free him of all the matting and a 20 minute soak in flea shampoo. 

Before

After

I bet he was feeling so much better with all that matted hair off of him! 

Prepare yourself for this next one, the worst of the worst! This is a little dog named Charlotte. She is owned by an owner who thinks it is acceptable for a long haired dog to be groomed just once a year! She was severely matted, covered in fleas and ticks, had a skin infection that was so bad her skin had began to rot away, oh, she also had maggots! This owner was not prepared to own up to the neglect she had put the dog through so she did a runner and never returned to pay or collect the dog. She was taken to the AWL so I hope she is in a better home now as she had the cutest personality!                                                              
                                                                                                                                                                               

  


And finally we come to some terrible skin infections caused by flea allergy dermatitis. Both these dogs came from the same family. Once educated about appropriate flea protection and diet (one of the dogs also has a wheat intolerance and was fed on 'My Dog' pet food which contains a high amount of wheat) both the dogs are in good condition and come in for a fortnightly bath in a sensitive skin shampoo which has helped their skin repair.

     

So that is it, most people say to me that they are jealous because I get to play with cute dogs all day, that is very far from what I do! It's sad to say I get at least one of these cases every day, but it makes everyday so rewarding because I am the one who makes these dogs feel so much better!