Teeth!

Today's blog is about canine oral health! 

Teeth are normally neglected by owners as not many people know that your dogs mouth needs just as much attention as their grooming needs. I am writing this blog because a very regular Maltese client passed away a couple of days ago due to chronic dental disease. 

Peppi was a 12 year old Maltese. He came in without fail every 6 weeks to be shaved off short all over as he was prone to getting ticks. Despite Peppi's teeth he was in good health. Peppi was 11 years old when I first met him and I remember informing the owner that his teeth were in terrible condition and a majority of them needed to be pulled out. The nature of my personality is that I am very quietly spoken and I don't like to pressure people but I really wish I had pushed this matter further with the owner as she never took me seriously and Peppi came back 6 weeks later still with a rotting mouth. Every visit from there on Peppi became harder and harder to groom around his face and every visit I would tell the owner about the teeth. Peppi's last visit with me he did not seem well at all, deep down I knew that would be the last time I would see him. I told the owner when she picked him up that Peppi was not well and needed to see a vet. I think she could really hear the concern in my voice and agreed. 

A few days later I got a phone call from Peppi's owner saying she had him put to sleep. His kidneys and liver were failing and his white blood cell count was through the roof indicating that he was battling an infection. She admitted to me in the end that the infection stemed from his mouth and she expressed her apologies for not listening to me. Her excuse was that she did not realise how severe canine oral disease was. And sadly, a lot of owners don't understand it. 

RIP Peppi, may you be forever young and pain free up in Rainbow Bridge.

Signs of Canine Oral Disease

• Bad breath
• Excessive drooling
• Inflamed gums
• Tumors in the gumsThere
• Cysts under the tongue
• Loose teeth

Canine dental disease scoring chart

How to prevent dental disease

- Bones: Every dog loves to chew on a bone. It is not only great mental and physical stimulation it is also a great way for dogs to clean their teeth! Don't bother with chicken wings or necks as they are mainly cartlidge. A nice marrow or brisket bone will do the trick. Be careful that the bone isn't so big that your dog will break its teeth chewing on it though!

- Chew Toys: There are some great toys on the market at the moment that promote chewing and will clean the dogs teeth whilst they chew. I don't have any personal experiences with these as my dogs have never enjoyed toys.

- Dog Treats: I don't really encourage the use of treats as they seem to go hand in hand with pet obesity but there are some really good and healthy treats that promote good oral care. Dentastix and Greenies are great, but remember, all treats in moderation! 

- Tooth Brushing: You can buy special doggie toothpaste and brushes from any pet shop or online. If you can keep your dog still for long enough this is a very effective way of keeping your dogs mouth clean. It has to be done every day to be effective. 

- Professional Teeth Cleaning: Any licensed vet will be able to do a professional teeth clean, much like what a human hygenist does to our teeth. It is recommended every 2 years but it can be quite expensive. 

This poor dog has extreme dental disease and is probably in a lot of pain. 

Types of dental disease

• Periodontal disease is a painful infection between the tooth and the gum that can result in tooth loss and spread infection to the rest of the body. Signs are loose teeth, bad breath, tooth pain, sneezing and nasal discharge.
• Gingivitis is an inflammation of the gums caused mainly by accumulation of plaque, tartar and disease-producing bacteria above and below the gum line. Signs include bleeding, red, swollen gums and bad breath. It is reversible with regular teeth cleanings.
• Halitosis—or bad breath—can be the first sign of a mouth problem and is caused by bacteria growing from food particles caught between the teeth or by gum infection. Regular tooth-brushings are a great solution.
• Swollen gums develop when tartar builds up and food gets stuck between the teeth. Regularly brushing your dog's teeth at home and getting annual cleanings at the vet can prevent tartar and gingivitis.
• Proliferating gum disease occurs when the gum grows over the teeth and must be treated to avoid gum infection. An inherited condition common to boxers and bull terriers, it can be treated with antibiotics.
• Mouth tumors appear as lumps in the gums. Some are malignant and must be surgically removed.
• Salivary cysts look like large, fluid-filled blisters under the tongue, but can also develop near the corners of the jaw. They require drainage, and the damaged saliva gland must be removed.
• Canine distemper teeth can occur if a dog had distemper as a puppy. Adult teeth can appear looking eroded and can often decay. As damage is permanent, decayed teeth should be removed by a vet.

I hope I have given some of you a little in site into the importance of canine oral health! Please feel free to ask at your next appointment to perform a FREE oral health check if you are unsure about your dogs teeth.

Source: http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/ten-steps-your-dogs-dental-health

To shave or not to shave...

Should you shave your double coated dog?

This is such a controversial topic in the grooming world with some groomers saying yes and some groomers saying no. I am still on the fence. 

Such breeds like your spitz types dogs that were bred for much cooler climates like the snow etc like huskys, malamutes, Pomeranians etc are a big topic of discussion on several grooming forums and I just want to have my word in without it being shoved down my throat and being labelled a bad groomer because I DO shave these dogs. Here are my reasons...

The undercoat does act like insulation, keeping the dog warm in winter and cooler in summer, but these dogs are "artic" dogs, they were never meant to be comfortable when the temperature reaches over 40 degrees in our hot Australian climate. It is wrong to say that these dogs do not suffer in the heat. 

Ticks as previously stated in my blog last night are a huge problem here. They are hard enough to keep under control on a short coated dog, let alone a dog with 4 inches of thick fur. 

Most people don't realise that these type dogs need regular grooming more then once or twice a year. Because of this reason the undercoat becomes so thick and matted that it is near impossible to brush it all out and not to mention it is uncomfortable for the dog. It feels like a full body wax! I will shave if this is the case. 

The main reason why groomers won't shave your double coated dog is because there is ALWAYS a risk of the coat not growing back. But what most don't understand is that these spitz breeds are prone to such problems like thyroid issues which affect the way the coat grows back. Usually if the coat doesn't grow back it is a sign of a medical issue and not due to being shaved. 

Undercoat grows faster then top coat and I always explain to my customers that it can take up to 8 months before the coat is back to normal and the re growth stage isn't the most attractive. It is also important that the dog receives regular grooming after being shaved to keep the undercoat under control and to prevent matting that will require further shaving. 

Shaving too short can affect the way the hair grows back, also if shaved too short the dog will have no protection from the sun so will be vulnerable to getting sun burn.

So far I have not had any issues that I know of where a dogs coat has not grown back. The dogs I groom are short but not shaved to the skin. 

Here is a picture of a Pomeranian who's coat never grew back properly (this is not my picture, curtesy of google images) 

This dogs coat grew back patchy, but once properly groomed it should grow back normally (image curtesy of google) 

Make sure you always go to an experienced groomer. There are a lot of inexperienced groomers getting around who will just take your money and shave your dog and not make it clear to the owners of the risks that can happen. 

This is Dellilah the malamute, she has problems with ticks and so I made the call that it would be easier to keep under control if she was shaved. 

Lucy the husky was struggling in the heat and was also a bit matted. Her owners also wanted to be able to spot ticks easier so shaving was the best option. 

Now onto the retrievers, collies and shepherds. 

Although these dogs have an undercoat just like the spitz breeds, there are far less concerns with the coat growing back. Usually the only problem is that it will grow back thicker. I groom one of these types of dogs at least every week. I have owned shepherds most of my life and I always shaved them in the summer. I never had any problems in regards to coat re growth. Usually old age has some form of affect on coat regrowth but that's the same with any mammal with fur! 

So, in conclusion, it is completely up to you weather you get your dog shaved or not. I have given you the pros and cons but the decision is ultimately yours. I don't care either way, I will do what is best for the dog- not what is best for my pocket. You can guarantee that I will give you a completely honest opinion to the best of my knowledge as to what I think is best for your dog. 

Fleas and Ticks!

In Central Queensland fleas and ticks are a very common problem. There are a lot of
farms and cattle around so it is really hard to control them. Even myself as a groomer have
battled with fleas and ticks since being here. Most fleas and ticks won't cause that many
problems except for causing your pet quite a lot of discomfort and can cause a secondary
skin infection called flea allergy dermatitis. Fleas also carry tapeworm so when your pet eats one they get the tapeworm egg which causes some internal discomfort. If your dog has an infestation he may become anaemic and lethargic in which case a blood transfusion will be needed. I have my dogs on a flea tablet called comfortis, I find that it is the only thing that works these days, however it does not prevent against paralysis ticks or other parasites. You can pick up a 6 month supply from the vet for around $108 depending on your dogs size. I also sell individual tablets for $20 each. It is important that you treat every pet in the house hold at the same time, wash everything that your pets come into contact with - linen, dog beds, etc in boiling hot water. I add a product called "malaban" when washing my pets bedding etc just to make sure everything is dead. Vacuum your carpets really well and set off some do it yourself flea bombs that you can get at the supermarket. I recommend 1 In every room. Leave the house for minimum of 3 hours, leave your pets with me and I will flea bath them and look after them until you're able to go back to your house. Your pet should go home flea free. It is also important that you don't vacuum your floors for at least a week after doing the bombs because that decreases the effectiveness of the treatments. Repeat this process every time an animal with fleas visits your house.

This is what I use to wash all my dog bedding and salon linen in. I will also wash dogs in it that have extreme flea and/or tick infestations.

*PLEASE NOTE* All dogs that have fleas and/or ticks will be given a flea bath. 

Now, onto ticks. There are 3 main types of ticks- The dog tick, the bush tick and the paralysis tick. The paralysis tick is the one you have to watch out for as it can cause an animal to be extremely sick and even die. It does this by doing exactly what it's name states- paralyses the animal. Usually starting in the back legs and ending up in their lungs where they eventually suffocate to death. 

Here is a chart to demonstrate the different life cycles of all the different ticks. 

I recently nearly lost my cat from a paralysis tick and I cannot express how heart breaking it is to see an animal suffer like that. I used to have the mind set that "it won't happen to me"

 I noticed my cat who is black, overweight and very fluffy was really starting to struggle. Being that it had been over 40 degrees for the past week and she is very fluffy and also suffers from asthma I just thought she was just struggling with the heat so I booked her in at my vet to get shaved on the following Monday. It was Friday when I first noticed she was sick. At that stage she was still eating and walking around a little, she was just wheezing a bit. On Saturday, she took a turn for the worst, her meow had turned into a raspy noise, she still ate, but she didn't move from the bathroom all day. I was thinking it was getting a little odd but I still thought it was just the heat. On Saturday night she stopped eating and I noticed her gagging. If my cat didn't eat then that is a pretty good sign that she was very sick! On Sunday morning she was struggling to breathe, I was giving her a pat and that's when I noticed a paralysis tick on the base of her tail. I pulled it off and raced her to the vet. Anyway 8 days in vet hospital and $1000 later she made it through. I am now very diligent when it comes to tick treating my pets. Dogs are a lot easier then cats though. There is only one product on the market (frontline plus) that will provide cats with some form of protection against ticks, but there are several products out there for dogs. I use "Virbac preventick collars" on my dogs. They last about 2 months and cost around $12 at any pet shop. My dogs have since never had a tick on them. They are not waterproof though so will need to be removed before any swimming or bathing. 

You may wonder why your dog or cat had a paralysis tick and not become sick because of it. My vet told me that the paralysis tick has to of had two separate blood meals before becoming poisonous. So for example. A tick had it's first blood meal from a possum, once full it jumped off and is now waiting in the ground for it's next victim. Along comes fido on his morning walk and the tick jumps on fido. The tick is now having it's second blood meal on fido. Fido goes home and plays with Fifi the cat, and the tick jumps onto Fifi, the tick is NOW poisonous and Fifi is in a lot of trouble. It can take hours or days for the effects of the tick to become apparent. I have also noticed that some animals develop an immunity to the tick poison after a while. I groom a malamute that is always covered in ticks, but she always seems to be fine. 

These are just some of the ticks I pulled off the malamute. The first time she came it was a lot worse. 

I hope I have given you all some good information here, it is a hard battle to fight with these parasites but with a lot of determination it can be won.

I'm back!

H everyone! I'm back after having my baby and taking some maternity leave! My son Aiden is now 10 months old, and I'm currently 21 weeks pregnant with number 2! My husband and I moved from the Gold Coast to Rockhampton last September 2013 and I have slowly started establishing my business again. Things are going 100x better then they were on the Coast, I guess because I don't have that much competition here. I groom on average 12 dogs a week, it doesn't sound like much, but it's enough to keep me busy whilst still staying at home with my son and I'm not over worked to the point of exhaustion whilst pregnant. I will try to keep this blog updated as much as possible, to be honest I totally forgot about it and only just remember when I got an email from blogger.com!

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!

Ear Infections

The Ugly Side Of Grooming...

Ear Infections

I have noticed, especially in the past few months that a lot of dogs are coming to me with moderate to severe ear infections, mostly in the Poodle, Cocker Spaniel and Cavalier King Charles breeds. I have informed the owners of these dogs that they probably need to see the vet for a course of ear drops and maybe even antibiotics, only to see the dogs return 6 to 8 weeks later and still with the ear infection. Let me tell you this- Ear infections HURT, and as the infection gets worse it makes it harder for me to groom around the dogs head and face due to the constant head shaking, and the dog in general becoming more and more skittish with the clippers and scissors around their heads and faces because the vibration and noise of the clippers and even the position of the head or if I touch the ears in the wrong way can cause pain. This in the end causes a bad grooming experience for the dog and they become scared and misbehave the next time they are groomed because they don't want to get hurt! I can completely understand!

One dog that I have been grooming every 5 weeks for the past year without fail has had an ongoing ear infection since the first day I groomed the dog. I remember when I first started grooming the dog, I informed  the owner in the nicest way possible that the dog needed to see the vet because he had red, inflamed ears with a bit of dried yellow gunk in the ear canal.  

Below is an example of a dog with a similar ear infection to the dog I am talking about.

This infection is not overly serious and is probably a little bit uncomfortable for the dog, but it can be easily treated with regular cleaning and some ear drops from the vet. Not a real problem, or an expensive one. The owner smiled at me and acted like she was going to take the dog to the vet. 5 weeks later the dog returned and he still had the ear infection. I went about with my normal routine of plucking and cleaning the ear and the dog was not overly fussed. I asked the owner when she picked up the dog if she had got round to taking him to the vet, she said no, but she did buy some ear cleaner which was a good start. I simply told her that the ear is going to get worse if she doesn't go to the vet soon but to keep cleaning the ear as needed. She acknowledged and I honestly felt that the next time I saw the dog he would have seen the vet.

Any way, 1 year later the dog still has not seen a vet, despite me constantly reminding the owner about it. Every grooming session became worse and worse for the dog to the point where I have not been able to pluck his ears for the past 4 visits and even cleaning them has become a traumatic experience for the poor little fella. 

Well the dog came for his regular appointment a few days ago and the owner was complaining that ever since his last groom he has been licking and chewing at his feet and he smelt terrible within a few days and in her exact words he smelt like 'Rotting Flesh' I was made to feel that I had done something wrong so I told her I would express his anal glands and use a stronger shampoo and douse him with perfume at no extra charge. All was well and good and I can admit that the dog did smell like death which I thought was very strange considering he is a very regular customer, but I had used a different shampoo on his last visit as he had fleas so I had to use a flea shampoo in conjunction with a soothing skin shampoo to help with the flea allergy. I just figured that that particular shampoo wears off fairly quickly. 

I put the dog in the playpen so I could set up my grooming tools and hydrobath for the job, I also mixed up some stronger shampoo in the hope it would get rid of his horrid stench. When I returned to start grooming the dog I noticed that there was a small white maggot on the floor of the playpen. Confused, I thought that maybe the dogs anal glands were a lot worse then I thought. I put the dog on my table and started the prepwork of shaving his sanitary areas and clipping his nails and cleaning his ears. I got to shaving his bum and thought I would check his anal glands whilst in that area and they seemed completely fine but I expressed them anyway. THEN I got to his ears, I cleaned the right ear first, and that one was fine. Then I allowed the dog to shake his head and I noticed another small white maggot on the table. Still I was completely confused as to where these maggots were coming from, I went to clean his left ear and as soon as I lifted up the ear the stench that came out nearly made me pass out.. Being 35 weeks pregnant at the time  I did not have an overly strong stomach and I nearly puked my breakfast all over the place, thank fully I controlled myself. As I took a look at the ear I could not see any more maggots, but at this stage the dog was whimpering and crying at even the thought of me getting any closer to his poor ear. I go to put my ear cleaner in his ear and he goes to bite me! This dog has never put a foot wrong in the year I have been grooming him so this was completely unexpected and I knew this dog must be in some serious pain but I also knew that his ear HAD to be cleaned out of all the puss and gunk. I called my husband so he could gently hold the dog still so I could get close enough to give the ear a good clean, it was not an easy job, but eventually the dog gave up and realised I was trying to help. Once again, I let the dog shake his head to loosen the ear canker and out popped another maggot, from INSIDE the dogs ear canal, as well as a big blob of puss and who knows what else. My husband nearly ran a mile! He said it was the grossest thing he has seen in a long time! I was too overwhelmed that I forgot to take a photo of the ear before I cleaned it out, but here is one from after the cleaning:

You will notice that there is still puss coming out of the ear and even after 3 cleans there was still puss so I just gave up. I am only getting paid $40, not enough to be dealing with that! 

I bathed the dog in the shampoo I had previously prepared, blow dried him which was so difficult around his head and then finished the groom, taking special care around his face. I scissored his ears short in the hope that might help with his infection and maybe air out his ear, I am no vet, but it made sense to me haha!

On pick up I told the owner what was going on and how severe his ear infection was, I even kept the maggots to show her and explained that his ear is the reason for his horrible stench and him chewing at himself could be a pain response. I was not so nice this time as I was disgusted and upset that the ear had ended up so bad even after me telling her on EVERY visit for the past YEAR that the ear needed vet attention. I think I may have finally gotten through to her, she looked like she was feeling a bit embarrassed and expressed that she could not afford the vet...Mind you she drives a BMW convertible and has just returned from a 3 week holiday to Spain! I explained to her that there are a few vets around that do offer payment plans and concession discounts. I sent her home with some vet phone numbers and I gave her some ear cleaner for free for the time being so she could at least clear away all the dried puss. She seemed grateful and sympathetic and apologized but I guess I will know if any of it actually sunk in when she returns in 5 weeks time. 

So everyone, this is one of the many ugly sides of dog grooming that you will be witnessing in my blog! Sadly, this is not the worst I have seen. I will write another post later tonight, or tomorrow morning with one of my worst cases ever, and yes, maggots are involved as well! 

Introduction

Introduction

Hello everyone, my name is Leanne and I am a dog groomer situated on The Gold Coast. I have worked at a 'top of the range' or 'luxury salon' as some people have called it for the past 2 years, but I have been grooming dogs in total for nearly 5 years.I originally started grooming in Adelaide as part of a trainee ship, and then I managed to get a grooming job in NSW so I moved there with the promise of being trained under a certified master groomer. Things never worked out how I planned and now here I am on The Gold Coast and it has been the best move I have made in my life so far!

 I will be leaving my current salon next week to have my baby and then late May to early June I will be opening up my own home grooming salon with my husband called 'The Pink Pooch.' 

I have been waiting for the best time to open my own salon, and I feel that now is the right time, I am in the prime of my life, I have been fully trained and have undertaken proper qualifications in the grooming field. I believe I have what it takes to own and operate a fully functioning salon from the comfort of my own home. No more working under money hungry franchises, and feeling as though the love and care has been taken out of grooming dogs and replaced with the greed for more customers and money! I have worked in a wide variety of Dog Grooming salons, all operated in a different way, so I know what works and what doesn't  and I especially know what a customer wants out of their grooming experience- Great service and a Great Price! Most salons focus on the bells and the whistles which is great to a certain extent, but most dog owners want their dog groomed, smelling great and well cared for. Believe me when I tell you, the more expensive the groom does not necessarily mean you will be getting a great service and groom. 

I love dog grooming and take pride in what I do, I treat dogs the way that I would want my own dogs to be treated at a dog grooming salon. The grooming will be done one on one which means that only one dog will be groomed at a time rather then at most salons where it is more or less treated like a factory chain with approximately of 20-30 dogs groomed in a day and in the salon at any one time. I am aiming at grooming 8 dogs a day, with each dog coming in on the hour and picked up in the following hour. I wont be using cages, instead I have a lovely grassed courtyard area where dogs are able to run around whilst waiting for the owner. Although on rainy days, I do have a playpen inside the salon so the nice, clean dogs wont get all smelly and dirty! 

So anyway, my aim of this blog is to introduce you to the good, the bad and the ugly side of dog grooming, from the most darling dogs, to the downright extreme. I will be giving advice and taking photos of my incredible journey. So I hope you will enjoy and understand that dog grooming is not always the most glamorous job in the world, but we do it, because it is also the most rewarding and exciting job around! No day is like another!

Enjoy!