Breathe Healthy Masks

Groomer Humor

 

During a recent photo shoot of masks for the website, our cat ("Kitty" is her name - oh, how original....) showed a liking to the masks. OK, maybe it was just the heat of the photo lamps, maybe it was the allure of some new smells, but I like to think it was her appreciation for great products.....

Anyhoo, I had to take a picture of her. Then I thought about the difficulties of grooming a cat. I figured that this blog post could be a great reminder to all the groomers that put up with our feisty, fanged, and sometimes furious feline friends (say that 5 times).

Have you heard this before? "She's never done that!" Or, like I always tell my vet - "she's doesn't do this at home" or "she really is a mellow cat, she just hates coming here". So please, my brave and resilient groomer, when Kitty hisses or otherwise threatens you, remember this photo as proof that, yes, she really is sweet and mellow at home!

 

Take it from a Groomer......

Ever since we decide to market our antimicrobial masks to the pet grooming market, we've received some great feedback from the groomers who use them. Many responses come from groomers who have been grooming for a while (10+ years). Diane, a groomer I met about a year ago, has even been a consultant on the respiratory hazards of grooming. She has been through so much with her chronic sinus infections, and has provided us with some helpful information on how to protect groomers better. Here's a post from her in response to seeing a Breathe Healthy press release:

"Mike, I am so pleased with the masks I received from you. After having major medical problems with my sinuses the last two years, I made it mandatory for all my employees to wear one when we are drying in the drying room. They are extremely comfortable and you get so used to them, its kind of like how you get used to wearing your seatbelt, you start to feel naked when you don't have one on! I wish I could go back in time to before I got this extremely resistant sinus infection. All the Drs I have seen (7 ENT's, 3 infectious disease Drs & others including Internists, Rheumatologists, Pain Drs, even Natureopathic Drs) all agree that I had to have gotten this from inhaling a bacteria while force drying. Either it was from an ear infection or a bacterial infection on their body, but I inhaled it and it found a nice warm wet place to live in my sinuses. Two years and two surgeries later, I still have so much pain in my face I am on very strong pain meds 24/7. We are continuing to work on the infection, inflamation & pain. I have gone to specialists from one end of the country to the other, only to be told that these type of infections are extremely hard to get rid of. I've spent thousands of dollars trying to kill this bacteria in me. I've told my story on some blogs just to let groomers know that they really need to take care of their health. I always worried about my lungs, but never thought of my sinuses being affected. I challenge everyone who reads this to give these masks a try - they are inexpensive, comfortable, and even cute. More importantly, they can change the outcome of the rest of your life. And for those of you that are thinking, "I don't worry, it hasn't happened to me yet", I got this infection 23 yrs into my grooming career. I thought I was invinsible too...(or as my husband calls it, stubborn). Which just goes to show we always have something new to learn when it comes to grooming. I've had to put expanding my business on hold & I am missing my 2nd Barkleigh Pet Pro Cruise in January because of this constant pain/pressure. I am so angry at myself because i could have prevented this!!! So PLEASE, PLEASE take care of yourselves and give these masks a try!! You deserve to stay healthy while doing what you love! I am grateful I got to tell my story. If I could I'd scream it from the rooftops if it could help just one person. Thanks Mike for giving us such a great product,

Diane

(when it comes to the masks I prefer the mesh ones, I can seem to be able to breathe easier in them)."

Warwick, RI and the "Fall Fest" grooming show

Saturday and Sunday, Nov 6th and 7th - It was great to be at another gathering of grooming professionals. What an excellent way to exchange knowledge, experience and ideas, while practicing a little friendly competition. Unfortunately, as a vendor, it is difficult to get much of a glimpse at the grooming that's going on. But we do get to talk to lots of people as they make their way around the show.

Fortunately, at this show, we were given a chance to speak and to showcasing a little bit of groomer safety about the need for groomers to protect themselves from developing "Groomer's Lung". Look for an article soon from a groomer and her personal struggle with respiratory problems.

Here's a photo of what Mike might does to get a laugh. Yes, he was a little bored at the time.

 

Let's Get Started

Breathe Healthy looks forward to its new blog on Petgroomer.com! We'll try to give you current, useful information related to your respiratory safety. This is an incredibly important safety issue that is often overlooked until health issues start to develop. Additionally, we will try to use data from the medical realm, as well as from other groomers themselves, in order to bring realistic problems and solutions to light.