Burrs, Coat Damage and Oral Glositis

Burr season is well underway here in Wisconsin. 

Cockleburrs have their own difficulties for groomers as well as the dogs they get stuck in. 

 

So do those tiny round little  stick tights. 

 

But THESE awful little SANDBURRS are a special kind of evil.

 

~Nothing like scrubbing through the coat in the tub and finding one of these with the tip of your finger.

😫😩😢

 

Remember also that anytime you find burrs on a dog, I would recommend inspecting the mouth and tongue to be sure they haven’t partially ingested any or have anything irritated inside their mouth or on their tongue.  

It very commonly happens that if they do pull any off during self grooming, the barbs of these can break off in the tongue and mouth and cause blister like lesions.

 

Here’s an article on more information about burrs & glossitis, as well as oral inflammatory & ulcer disease:

https://www.askjpc.org/wsco/wsc_showcase2.php?id=VGExeXcrWmFTM09oUjQ5Rmlvdkt5Zz09

 

Obviously we don’t want to be diagnosing because there are also other serious genetic diseases that can cause ulcers in the mouth similar to those exhibited from burrs. 

But it is very important if you find anything that you alert any owner at that point.

 

Know also that removing burrs in the coat can commonly cause breakage. 

I have found that removing burrs from the coat while it is covered with shampoo or conditioner in the tub, or simply blowing them out with a blow dryer and some coat spray containing silicones, is far more effective and less taxing on your workload, the dog’s tug tolerance, and the damaging effects to the coat.

 

#themindfulgroomer