Gift of Grooming

At the April clinic for Red Lake Rosie's Rescue, I had the honor of changing the lives, if at least temporarily, of approximately 20 dogs and puppies.

DUDE BEFORE

DUDE WET

DUDE AFTER

Many of these dogs were severely matted and very uncomfortable from having their hair pulled tight for so long. Some of the dogs had legs that were completely encased in a mat of hair that went around the pads of one foot, over their hips and then down the other leg and around the other foot. I imagine it felt like walking wrapped in tape where each movements tugs and pulls at your tender skin.

How uncomfortable it must feel not to be able to walk flat on your feet, but tilted to one side or the other depending upon the shape of the mat between your toes. I remember the pain of my feet when I had been in high heels for too many hours, but at least I was able to take off my shoes, these poor dogs did not have that option. To be able to make these dogs comfortable again filled my heart with gladness, but at the same time brought me much sorrow because it was something that was totally preventable.

BELLA BEFORE

BELLA AFTER

Many small breed dogs such as the Shih Tzu and the Lhasa’s have hair that continually grows like human hair. And like human hair, if not brushed it becomes a horribly tangled mass that is painful to try to comb through. Some people will look at a matted dog and just say it looks a mess – but not think about how uncomfortable and full of pain they must be. It is something that can be fixed with a simple pair of scissors and a comb.

Dogs should be brushed at least weekly, and any mats found should be removed at that time. If that is too much work, then they should be taken to a groomer to get shaved down every few months. It is important that these dogs be kept indoors, especially during the winter months because they will not have hair to help maintain body warmth and will die in the cold weather.

BUDDY BEFORE

BUDDY AFTER

Most of the dogs I saw had many ticks on them. Ticks are obviously gross but they can also be deadly. Ticks carry a number of diseases that can make you and your dogs very sick and very miserable such as Lymes Disease, Anaplasmosis, Ehlichiosis, and Basesiosis. To prevent ticks, buy a quality product such as Frontline, PetAmour (this has the same ingredients as Frontline and costs less and is available at Wal-Mart), Advantage or Revolution (Revolution is available through vets only). Do not be fooled by the cheaper brands which can cause chemical burns to your animal’s skin, also do not waste your money on flea and tick collars, while better than nothing, they just don’t work very well.

A few of the dogs I groomed had sore mouths due to infected teeth. Just like in humans, dogs should have their teeth brushed daily (but NEVER with human toothpaste because the fluoride is poisonous to dogs). This may be asking too much for some people, so at minimum they should have their teeth checked every few weeks and if the gums are red and inflamed, if they are drooling when they normally don’t, or their eyes are weepier than normal, they need to be taken to a vet to see if they have a painful tooth or gum infection. Infections in the mouth, besides being horribly painful, can cause a dog to stop eating. It also shortens their life span because the bacteria from the infection often travels to their heart and causes heart disease.

CHINA BEFORE

CHINA AFTER

One of the sweet little guys that I groomed was not only severely matted, but had multiple bite wounds from being attacked by another dog or dogs, most likely because he was not neutered. When an animal is not neutered, nature drives them to want to reproduce and impregnate the females, and that means they need to keep the competition away. So fights happen frequently between the unneutered males, and it is not unusual for one to be killed, especially when the sizes are so different. This is one of the many reasons why it is so important for the males to get neutered and the females to get spayed. It’s also another reason your dog should be kept indoors.

LITTLE HUSKY BATH

LITTLE HUSKY

Our animals give us unconditional love – they love you just for being you. They don’t say I will love you only if you do this or that, they don’t judge you, or criticize you. Instead they just love, and for this love, isn’t it a small price to pay to make sure they are not in pain, they are not cold, and they are not hungry or thirsty?

I know it is for me.

J~