Grooming Smarter

Danger! Danger!

Normal, everyday grooming tools can lead to injuries requiring medical attention if you are not careful, and the dog is not always the one to be injured either!

I rarely use dematting tools. Combs and brushes YES but dematting rakes and splitters, NO. They tend to damage coat and cut it badly and if I cannot get it out with a comb and brush I just shave the mats off. I do own them however, for those rare times when they are going to be useful. I DO NOT let my staff use them. They are, IMO too damaging to coats and skin to be used safely by staff that may or may not be as careful as I am using them. If you noticed, by looking at these photos, you can see that the edges on all three types of matsplitters have been sharpened to VERY sharp to slice through mats easily. They can also slice though skin easily and remove parts o ears or tails if not used with extreme care.

I had a Bichon, Lazer, on my table Wednesday of this week and he was a mess. He had no mats on his body (we used a 4F wet to get the hair off him) and yet his tail was matted with three big mats hanging away from the skin. These are candidates for a matsplitter since they are away from the skin, the owners do not get him groomed very often, and as a result, damaged or cut hair will not matter to them (or me for that matter).

So I look for my splitter, knowing full well I bought a new one at the Atlanta Pet Fair and have not used it (mistake number one). I find it in a drawer behind my station and then set out to remove the mats. I used the one with 6 blades that are slightly ridged to accomplish this task. Now, I have to say, at the time I was sitting there, I was showing my apprentice how to demat using this and I said to her "If you are not careful you can, and WILL , cut the dog badly with this because it is really sharp." We talked about how it cuts the mats into smaller segments and that makes them easier to brush out. How starting at the bottom and working your way up is the best way to use them. How you should NEVER pull hard because it will slide fast and cut the dogs tail and how this is not a tool I would use on ears because if the dog turned just right the ear itself would be inside the blades and it could be catastrophic. I had two of the three mats split into smaller ones and brushed out. She could see how it cut the hair, and why I don't recommend using them on all matted dogs because they DO damage coat. She also understood that in this case it was OK and why it was ok.

The last mat was the smallest of them all and I ALMOST shaved it out (mistake number 2 was in not doing that). Instead, I said out loud "I would shave this one out but it's smaller than the other two, so I might as well get it out.

I put the splitter in place and went to draw back on it (you use it like a comb) and the mat fell apart, causing the matsplitter to fly into my little finger, right at the outside edge of the nail. I knew right then and there what had happened and that it was bad. Ashley, my apprentice went running for something to wrap it up in and I headed straight to the bathroom to clean it up. My son stood with the dog, but honestly the dog was not on my list of things to be concerned about at that time.

I knew looking at it that there was nothing to stitch. Luckily I know how to apply a compression bandage and did that. I got the bleeding stopped fairly easily and went back to work. I have been cleaning it daily and using Blister band-aids (they are a gel and seal the wound with cushiony material). It will be fine. It hurts like mad and using a splint over the band-aids helps keep me from banging it hard. Typing is not easy however……I never realized how much I use that finger in everyday activities! The picture above was taken two days after the incident. It is really deep, which the photo fails to show well.

MAN am I glad it didn't slip and get a dog!

Moral of this story is the tools are very helpful, but also VERY DANGEROUS. If using them use caution and only use as needed. Keep your fingers and arms out of the way. NEVER cross a dogs ear or tail with the, and avoid using them in thin areas or on flaps of skin.

Removing sandspurs from hair

 

These little buggers are horrible when it comes to dog hair! It is important to get them out as quickly as possible because the little burr pieces can and WILL burrow into skin and that can lead to an infection. Both green and brown (dried ones) are dangerous, but the dried ones are more prickly as they tend to be more flexible when green.

  

Many people think you must shave off a coat if it gets burrs in it, but there are several ways to remove them easily and painlessly from the coat.

 

You must protect yourself from injury as well, so in the presence of many sandspurs, I suggest a good pair of leather gardening gloves to keep the burrs out of your skin. One or two is easy, but pets rarely come in with that few. Most of the time, they will be imbedded in the hair first, and the longer they are there, the closer they get to the skin. Also, in long hair, if they stay in place for several days, they can do unrepairable damage to the hair shaft. If that happens, shaving may be the best thing to do, but if caught early on, removal is easy, but time consuming.

There are several ways to remove the burrs easily.

I never work on dirty dogs unless there are sandspurs or cockaburs involved! I would rather work on the dog dirty than wet in this case, and this case ONLY. The water makes the spurs swell, making them tighter in the hair than they were to begin with.

 

Brushes are useless and only manage to push the burrs in further. A wide tooth poodle comb however allows you to work them out easily. This is made even easier by applying a thick, heavy conditioner, like Nature's Specialties Aloe Remo or Kolesteral before combing. This can be done on a dirty dog as long as you are planning on washing afterwards.

I usually use a pair of pliers. YES pliers. Using the pliers to crush the sandspurs will make them easier to remove because it will break the spines of the burrs. When you break the burr up, it will literally fall out of the hair.

 

I use pliers, then add the conditioner, using as much as it takes to work into the coat, comb, and the sandspurs and cockaburs come right out. Always work from the outside of the burrs in towards the skin. If you start at the skin, you will be pulling through more hair and they can actually get more tangled as a result.

NOW if there are hundreds of the little buggers to deal with, then it might be easier on the pet to shave them off. Usually, if there is a place in the yard or walking area the pet frequents that has them growing, they will simply get more if you leave hair, but if the plants have been eradicated, or it was a trip to the lake or beach that caused the problem, removing them is not a waste of time.

I charge as I would for dematting to remove burrs if there are a lot, but if it takes just a few minutes, I don't. I do tell my clients to watch their dog as the little pieces that stick in your skin can cause infection, and they can be itchy as well. I raise roses and I get scratched and pricked all the time and sandspurs are similar to rose thorns in makeup.

 

Beggar's Lice are another type of burr, but thankfully they do not have huge spikes, rather they have many many tiny burs on them that stick to hair, clothes, or virtually anything that rubs against the plant. Almost like a magnet, they are attracted to anything but they love dog hair!

They are actually easy to remove, but many people, including owners, prefer to cut the hair off rather than work them out.

These come out easily with a fine tooth comb. It matters not whether you wash the pet first with these types of burrs, but conditioner helps in the removal. They will stay in place during HV drying and will stay in the coat until you pull them out. I work in the same manner as the bigger burrs, from outside in.

These guys are harder to eliminate in the environment, but at least they are less damaging to skin and coats than sandspurs!

On working dogs, like hunters and planatation guide dogs, I like to leave a little bit of hair, about the length of a 5F blade whenever possible, to allow the skin some protection against burrs while in the field. It is a length that while long enough to prevent injury to the skin, the burrs cannot stick in the coat because it is short. I always try to NOT shave out pads on these guys because that will make the pads more vulnerable to the stickers on the burrs. I know you may think that is counterituitive, but hair will trap the burr and prevent it from getting into the skin that would be present in a shaved pad. Most hunters know to check their dogs feet when they are done in the woods.

Same with ears. A bit of hair left on the inside and outside of the ear makes it hard for damage to occur. A shaved ear and ear canal will allow the burrs to come into close contact and even work their way down into the ear. The hair acts as a buffer and prevents damage in most cases. A good hunter will go over their dog after hunting and remove any burrs found. I work with a lot of hunters and this technique works great for all of them.

Foxtails are another problem, and most people suggest shaving dogs pads and the like to prevent them from entering the dogs skin where they can cause terrible infections, but I have no personal experience with these. This is a good article with pictures for those of you who do have these in your area: Foxtails

While we cannot prevent the little and big burrs from attacking our clients and our personal pets, you now have the skills to remove them easily!

Happy de-sandspurring dogs!

 

 

Deshedding “Big Hairies” Made Easy

OK I admit it! I hardly ever do the “Big Hairies” anymore. I just can’t do it. Huskies are not common in my area (unless they are shaved down), Australian Shepards are generally shaved as well. Golden Retrievers basically have very little coat in this area and the other Nordic breeds are rare due to
our heat. The vast majority of my clientele is small, fluffy mixed breeds or Shih-Tzu types, and most are white. I don’t know why.
 
Anyway, I do have one large (80 pound) Husky that I have been doing for a long time. He is not nice, and he will hurt you if you are not careful. His Dad is even scared of him and will not push him when he starts growling or nipping. He means it. When he is done he is done. If he doesn't get fully brushed, he
goes home with undercoat still in him.
 
Nakai is not groomed often enough. I groomed him December 21,2009 then again today. His Dad does an OK job of keeping up with the brushing, so he is never that bad really.
 
He intimidated my staff today and not one of them would touch him. My bather said “He’s ALL YOURS!” and my assistant weighs about the same as the dog so it was not something I would ask her to do. In my shop, I groom the bad or difficult dogs. Nakai is one of the ones labeled “Debi ONLY”.
  
I remember thinking, “today is the day he goes home finished” when he came in today. See, he usually doesn’t get fully brushed out and NEVER gets his feet trimmed, his britches tightened, and you can forget a comb! It usually doesn’t happen.
 
I remember reading in passing several times about how if you blow out a dog with heavy undercoat before rinsing the hair will just fly out. I never really thought much about it, but apparently I filed it away to bring it out today. I know that using conditioner on matted dogs helps remove the mats easily
and painlessly and using the recirculating bather makes it easier to apply the conditioner, so I guess I should have known this made sense. I just don’t do this type of dog, or for that matter, bathe my own dogs that often, so I never tried it.
 
Generally my technique would be to bathe the dog, blow them out and apply dematting sprays then dry some more, pull out the dog and brush the mats and undercoat out. I will hurt for days, which is one reason I don't groom these guys. They take too long for the money I can make in my town and they hurt
my body as well.
 
So, I get started on him since I have to bathe him myself. I pulled out my recirculator and bathed him with Double K Grimenator shampoo. He was really clean to begin with, so I was able to get him bathed in about 10 minutes. My tub is not set up for this machine, and it takes about 5 gallons of water to make
the system work well. That is why we use the Prima system generally, reserving the recirculator for really dirty dogs and large hairy ones.
 
I decided to use my favorite conditioner in the recirculator, as you have all suggested, and used 2 ounces in my water then ran it over him for 5 minutes. The conditioner I used is Stazko and is not available any longer, but any good dematting conditioner, like Best Shot or whatever you like best, will work just as well. While I was running the conditioner over him, I was using my fingers to comb through the coat. I noticed that the thick undercoat was falling out in my hands, in big chunks. HMMMMM
“Maybe these guys are onto something” I thought.
 
My bather was in awe, saying over and over again, “WOW!”
 
When I was done applying the conditioner to the dogs coat the tub was so full of hair the pump was not running really well. There was a lot of hair on the bottom of the pump, but since I was done, it was no big deal. I then pulled out the K9III and my concentrator nozzle and went to work blowing out the undercoat WITHOUT rinsing the dog. The hair was flying. The tub surround was catching most
of the hair, helping eliminate the mess that usually happens with these dogs as well.
 
Then, using an Oster Metal Poodle Comb I was able to start combing through the thicker areas while I worked with the force dryer. I handed the dryer to my bather and he did that part while I held the dog and combed. His tail, which was one big mat (he hates it touched by anyone), was dematted and
deshedded in less than 3 minutes. I was smiling and almost doing a happy dance. I had him hooked up to the furthest eyebolt in my tub and just held on and let him pitch a fit. He couldn’t get to me so his singing and pulling was fine. Funny, the whole neighborhood probably thought he was dying, but the tail and the rear britches got totally brushed out and he gave up fighting shortly after we started.
 
Now, you may be thinking, “When is she going to rinse the conditioner off the dog?” The answer is: I didn’t. Using that small of an amount of conditioner in the water (5 Gallons in my tub), applied to the dogs coat, doesn’t really deposit a lot of conditioner onto the coat, only a small amount of the two
ounces is actually in the coat. The rest is in the water, draining out with the water. It is no different than using a spray on detangler, which I did not have to do having used it in the water with the recirculator. nWith the small amount deposited I was amazed it worked so well!
 
After he was blown out pretty well I put him in a cage with my Sahara Dryer blowing on him for about an hour. Took him out, put him on my table using two arms, a Groomer’s Helper and rear and front loops. All I had to do was run a brush across him, comb through and then scissor pads, feet, underline, britches
and call his dad.
 
All said, not counting cage time, he took me 10 minutes to wash and rinse (the recirculator makes rinsing a breeze!), 5 minutes to condition, about 20 minutes of HV dryer work and then 10 minutes on the table for finish work. 45 minutes total of hands on work that would have taken me normally 90 minutes to do. I cut my time in half and I am not worn out or hurting in any way and neither is Nakai.
 
I was thrilled to death with the results and cannot wait for the next heavily undercoated dog to come in to try this on again. The only thing is, it will likely be a Pomeranian. They are really the only undercoated dogs I see routinely. It will be fun to see how much time we can shave off of my favorite Pomeranian, Ginger’s, bi-weekly groom doing her this way.
 
I thank each and every one of you who recommended this technique and am glad to share it with anyone who had never heard of it before. I wish I had paid closer attention when I heard this back when I was grooming this type of dog more frequently. It might help me accept this type of dogs more often. But I
doubt it.

Making your own Stazko de-matting spray

It wasn't that long ago that I said "If they ever stop making Stazko Spray I will quit grooming". That is a direct quote. Well that day has apparently come and alas, I cannot quit grooming. The product has been discontinued by every major supplier and most are reporting that they have confirmed it is no longer available.

I have tried other sprays so I am not doing this out of spite, but I have never found one that works as well as Stazko works. It works differently than most sprays, so I have been disappointed in every spray I have tried. Either they leave the coats slippery, or gummy, or dried out or greasy.

I had two gallons of his conditioner which I only moderately liked and had wondered if it might work as well as the spray if it was diluted. I had found that in my experience, if you used the conditioner as directed it didn't really help a lot for removal of undercoat or mats. It worked OK, but not as well as the spray for my general use. Out of desperation one day I thought, "I wonder if I can make a leave in spray out of his conditioner" and guess what? It works! I have been experimenting with other conditioners and have had great results with some, not so great with others.

What I do, is add 2 ounces of Stazko conditioner to 32 ounces of HOT water, shake to mix and shake well before each use. It might take a bit less if you have softer water than I do, so you will need to experiment with the amounts to find what works for you, but after a trial and error game we found this works the best for us. Because the products are similar in composition, you are getting an incredibly similar product that behaves the same way as the original Spray did. Since the Spray is no longer available from practically anywhere, at least at a reasonable price, and the conditioner CURRENTLY is, in limited quantities that is, this will enable you to at least make it through the transition until you find something else that will work for you.

A gallon of his conditioner will make 64, 32 ounce bottles or SIXTEEN GALLONS of diluted spray the way we are using it! I have honestly found it to work amazingly well and wanted to share this with everyone.

The reason it works, is that you are applying the product in a diluted manner and the results are similar to the way the product works in the tub. In the tub you are adding product straight onto the coat and rinsing off, but when applied to a clean coat you are getting the same affect without rinsing. Think about it. If you rinse out 2 ounces of product you are getting very little product left on the coat plus are using more water. By applying the product in a mist of water to a clean damp coat you are getting the benefits of the product without wasting product or using more water, which in Mobiles especially is important. You use much less product in a mist form and that saves money, plus no rinsing saves time.

If you are not a huge fan of Stazko products but want to make your own dematting spray or leave in conditioner, I have also had great results with Tresemme' Remoisturizing Conditioner, their Anti-Breakage Conditioner and Chris Christensen Day to Day. I would imagine any lightweight conditioner can be used to create a leave in spray with dematting properties. It is not really different that using them in the tub, you are just using less product to begin with and saving a step.

If you experiment some with your favorite products and who knows, you might be able to save some money and find a product that works great for you as well. Because of this test I have been able to stockpile enough Stazko Conditioner to make over 200 gallons of spray, so I no longer have to quit grooming. At least for quite a while.

Hematomas

Hematomas

Many groomers will never see this occur, but the vast majority of us will see it at some point and time. Since it is “summer shavedown season” and this problem is going to be seen more often during this time, I thought it was important to bring this to everyone’s attention.

There are two types of hematomas we will typically see on ears.

There is the ear that is full of blood, like a balloon, several things can cause that type of Hematoma.

• Ear infections causing scratching or head shaking
• Snoods left on too long
• Rubber bands left around the ear leather not in the hair
• Injuries to the ear

This type of hematoma, depending on the reason for the injury, can require surgery or may respond to simple massage.

Hematomas related to injury or infection will usually be the result of a broken blood vessel in the ear which prevents the blood from going where it is supposed to go and instead pooling in between the layers of tissue in the middle part of the ear. The tissue there is thick and can trap the blood in a pocket, making the ear fat, warm and tender.

Drainage of the blood from the area is required in most cases and usually a drain can be left in place to keep the blood from pooling again. In some cases this is sufficient to stop the hematoma and allow the ear to heal, but in most cases it is not. Surgery is generally required to cauterize the bleeder and prevent the ear from shriveling into what is often referred to as a cauliflower ear. This is not just an ugly even but it is uncomfortable for the pet as well.

Hematomas caused by restricted blood flow can usually be corrected rather quickly with massage. No further treatment is needed in most cases. What you do is remove the offending item and then hold the ear up, applying firm, steady pressure in a circular motion from the bottom of the hematoma towards the top, going slow and steady. The idea is to move the pooled blood back into the blood stream and out of the ear. It will take, depending on the type of dog and the size of the hematoma, between a half hour and an hour to move the pooled blood out of the ear. Steady pressure will slow help reduce the pooling, but the circular massage is the best technique.

I need to stress that ear hematomas that are caused by trauma, not by restricted blood flow, do not respond to massage! They need vet treatment. If you notice a problem during grooming, stop what you are doing and call the owner, strongly suggesting they take the dog to the vet as soon as possible.

 

There is a second type of hematoma that we are more apt to see in the grooming salon. That is the type that affects the ends of the ear leather and causes seeping or dripping blood and sometimes splitting of the ear tips.

 

There are several reasons we see this occur. Severe matting is the main cause of this occurring, but it can happen when no matting is present. Plucking of extremely hair ears, ear infections and clipper irritation are some of the other reasons.

 

 

 

 

Matting restricts blood flow to the area of the body that it covers. In ears it is especially dangerous because the ear can become encased in mats causing all types of problems. When the ear hangs down the mats get wet in the water bowl and get food in them as well. They stay dirty.

 

Dirty, wet hair that is tight to the skin is a recipe for disaster. Moisture as well as lack of blood flow weakens skin causing it to be thinner and more likely to tear or bleed. Removing mats quickly can cause a quick rush of blood into vessels surrounded by weakened tissue which then causes “bleeding out”. All it takes for this to happen is to shave an ear and have a dog shake its head one time.

In some cases where there is no matting and the ear is healthy, shaving the ear feels funny to the dog and he shakes his head a few times, causing the ears to hit each other or the head and the shaking causes the same kind of injury. You have to be aware that whenever you have a dog shaking his head, you run the risk of this happening.

There are things you can do to avoid this problem.

When the ears are matted severely, shave them down a little at a time, removing small amounts of hair in layers from both sides of the ear. After each section removed, go to another part of the dog. Then come back to the ear. If possible, split the matting with your shears or razor splitter and allow the ear to sit for a few minutes. This allows blood to return to the ear slowly, not all at once and the incidence of problems will be reduced.

Shave the ears while they are wet. It will help stop some of the irritation that can occur when removing tightly matted hair.

Don't pluck ear hair on ears that are traumatized or that you fear will be damaged. It is better to leave the hair and come back to it later or send the dog to the vet clinic to have the hair removed. If the ear is already prone to hematoma damage, then plucking will just make it more likely.

 

After shaving the ear, secure the ears to the head with a Happy Hoodie or vet wrap or even a sock cut to act like a head wrap if you are concerned this might happen or if it has already begun to happen. They must lay tight, so a snood is probably not enough to help very much. Monitor the dog to ensure the wrap stays in place and the ears are not bleeding out. Remove the wrap after a half hour and look at the ears. If you see no bleeding you are probably OK.

If you see bleeding or are really concerned it will happen, you can ice the ears as well. That will help restrict the blood vessels and slow the blood flow back into the area. As the ear will warm back up slowly from the ice being present it will help prevent the bleeding that can occur.

In the event you see bleeding or are concerned that it may happen call the owner and have them take the dog to their vet. Here in this area vets treat this type of injury with a steroid shot and generally antibiotics.

You have to be aware that this can happen and understand that it is neither your fault nor directly anything you did to cause it. The shaving of the ear did cause the problem to a degree but in the case of matted ears it was the matting that caused the problem. In the case of non matted ears you can, in most cases, find a secondary reason like infection, clipper irritation or shaking,  so it is not the clipping that does it but something else the clipping aggravates that actually causes it.

When we are aware that something can occur and prepared to deal with it, the clients and dogs are better off. Feel free to print this out and show it to clients and staff. This is an important lesson for every groomer to learn from.