Grooming Answers:
Will my pet be sedated for his grooming?
Never. At Pawsitively Purrfect, we are firm believers in the magic of
patience and a kind word. It's not that we don't approve of sedation,
as there are some pets that are simply too stressed to be safely groomed.
However, we do feel that sedation should only take place in a veterinary
setting by groomers that work alongside veterinarians just in case
complications from the medicine occurs. Back to Top
Why does my pet shake so badly when we enter the salon?
Does that mean he's mistreated there?
We are pet lovers and professionals with an excellent reputation and
never mistreat our customers. Their happiness means your happiness
and we know that. However, many pets become extremely anxious in the
waiting room during check-in. It is the most nerve racking time of
their grooming because they have learned to associate that area with
being taken from you, their loved one. In addition, if there is a
procedure that they dislike such as nail trims or blow dryers, they
often also associate our faces with that particular act and begin to
get nervous. Fortunately, once we clear the door to the work area, they
usually stop shaking and calmly await their turn at the spa!
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What are herbal skin soaks?
Many pet stores sell herbal shampoos such as oatmeal shampoo or aloe vera
shampoo to soothe problem skin. But the detergents in the shampoo eat
away at the extracts originally mixed in, rendering them useless by the
time you buy it as it has had to wait on the shelf at both the manufacturer's
warehouse, and the pet store's shelf. But at our spa, we purchase the
extract in its pure form in cobalt glass bottles to retard spoilage and add
it fresh to your pet's personal shampoo bottle at the time of bathing.
This means that your pet's skin gets all of the benefits that these herbs
have to offer, with maximum results. These herbs have been used for
centuries to heal and soothe all types of skin ailments. You will be able
to choose from chamomile, oatmeal, aloe vera, bay laurel, calendula, and sage.
They are applied warmed and allowed to soak in for up to 10 minutes.
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The groomer said my pet had matted fur and had to be shaved down.
Why can't they just brush him out?
Matted fur means that your pet doesn't just have tangles but that his fur
has woven itself into a pelt all the way to the skin. To detangle it would
leave your pet's skin bloody, his nerves a wreck, and your bank account drained.
The only humane thing to do is to shave it all off and start over. Your pet
will not feel the clipper cutting through the mats as he would
a comb tugging at the fur.
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Well if he's matted, why can't they just cut a little off and
still leave him some fluffiness? Why do they have to shave him so close?
Professional grade hair clippers use different sized attachments. The
groomer may choose from different attachments that leave the fur different
lengths. But matted fur and thick double coats ( such as you might find on german
shepherds and collies ) pose a unique problem. Any attachment designed to leave
lengths of say 1/2 inch to 2 inches of fur will simply not move through matted or
double coated fur. The attachment will jam and refuse to move. The only way
to get it to move through is to get the fur into pristine condition by detangling
and separating the hairs so that it will feed into the clipper attachment. But as
we covered earlier, detangling coats in that condition is simply not
humane or affordable.
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Why does my pet have to stay so long at the groomers?
We groom all of our customers in stages. First we give them all a preliminary trim,
designed to knock off the hair so that there is less to bathe and blowdry.
Next, we give them a sudsy bath and a fluff dry by hand. (We never use heated
cage driers, as your pet's safety is paramount to us.) Lastly we give everyone
their finish trim, along with the other services included in a full service grooming
such as ear cleanings, bandanas, fragrance, etc. If we were to work only on your pet
start to finish, we would only be able to fit a few appointments into the day,
meaning that when you call for an appointment we wouldn't be able to book you for 12
months or more! Now, we do realize that there are some pets that simply can not
stay for long periods of time due to health reasons or because you just can't bear
to be without them that long. In that case we do offer rush appointments whereby your pet
will be groomed within 2 1/2 hours. These types of appointments are limited and are done
at an extra charge as they take special handling.
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Can I watch my pet being groomed?
For insurance and liability reasons, we can not allow patrons into to the work area,
but be assured that he is being well cared for in a safe environment. While there
are many shops that allow a view to the grooming area, we do feel that this is
extremely unnerving to both your pet and his groomer. You may be a well behaved
and quiet individual but there are many patrons and their children who are not and
this leads to excessive excitability in the pet being groomed. As for the groomer,
she has been entrusted with keeping your pet safe, comfortable, and expertly groomed
and she can't do that well when there are customers whistling, talking and flitting
to and fro next to her. As long as we are in charge of your pet's well being and
care, we will strive to make it as stress free as possible.
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Do groomers ever get bitten?
All the time. We respectfully reserve the right to muzzle any pet that tries to
bite during its grooming. Our muzzles only restrict the ability to open wide and
bite, but the pet is still able to pant and drink through the large opening at the
end of the muzzle. The muzzle is removed after the offending procedure has been
completed, and is not left on for the entire stay.
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I have NEVER known my pet to bite but the groomer said he tried.
Why would he do that?
We want your pet's grooming to be a day of pampering and beautification at the spa.
However, it can be a bit intense for some pets as we proceed faster than you can at
home and it is obviously noisier. Thus some pets react out of fear or confusion
and try to bite. In his home, he is able to snuggle, eat and play with you so
there are very few reasons why he would try to bite you or your family.
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What is anal gland expression?
The anal glands are two sacs located at 5 and 7 o'clock in the anal area of dogs.
Both male and female dogs possess these glands which scent their feces for marking
purposes. Groomers will feel for the gland EXTERNALLY and gently squeeze to
release its contents.
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But I just had my dog to the groomer and his vet said
his anal sacs were still full.
Groomers, as mentioned above, manipulate the gland externally. This means
that we must feel for it through thick fur, skin and fat, which can be difficult.
In addition, we must pull the tail up slightly in order to push the gland forward.
As you can imagine, this is intrusive to most pets and something they may not
cooperate for. Repeated prodding for the sacs may also cause bruising and
irritation, so we give it one good try and not more. For a thorough expression,
it is best left to your veterinarian.
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When I pick my pet up from the groomer, his nails don't seem
like they were cut short enough. Why?
There is a vein inside the nail, sometimes known as a "quick" that will bleed if cut.
As we cut, we look at the cross-section of the nail to determine if we're getting
too close to the vein. We will not cut into the quick, even if it means that
his nails will still appear long.
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Will my pet get fleas at the salon?
We wouldn't be in business long if we gave our customers fleas, so we follow
a very strict protocol on flea prevention. Fur from afflicted pets is placed
directly into the waste can after being cut, without ever touching the floor.
We then spray the waste can and discarded fur, the grooming table, surrounding
floors and cages with insecticide. Pets from different families are always
kept separately, and we regularly treat the entire premises for parasites.
For added security, keep your pet on a flea preventative as well.
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What is razor rash?
Razor rash is the term used for the red, irritated, itchy skin that appears
after your pet has been clipped. It is usually limited to a certain area,
the most common being the belly, anus, or face. This rash appears because
your pet has sensitive skin and can't handle the close clipping typical to
those areas. It doesn't happen to all pets, and can happen to a pet that
has always been clippered with no previous problems. Let us know if it happens
to your pet, and we will mark his file to prevent it from happening again.
It is important to note that razor rash is sometimes referred to as "clipper burn".
This term is incorrect, as it leads one to believe that a temperature
related burn has occurred. We use the top of the line Andis clippers
and attachments, and keep them lubricated, which means they run cool and
stay that way. In addition, we have many years of experience grooming pets
which means that we are quick and thorough. Thus, our clipper attachments
do not overheat.
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