Lots of customers have been having issues with itchy skin with their 4-legged dogs. 'Why, why, why?' they ask me. Their are many reasons for dry skin, but when a great many more dogs are experiencing dry skin in the grooming shop, generally, it is the season, or season change, that causes this. Here are the top 5 reasons that your dog may have dry or itchy skin:
1. The outside temperature is low, usually below 40 degrees. The low temperatures create static in the air, which encourages itchy skin and/or dandruff.
2. You have an inside dog and you heat with wood or radiant floors.
3. Your dog has been playing in the snow often
4. You have recently bathed your dog. (Typically owners use the wrong shampoo for their dog's breed or they do not rinse the dog well enough).
5. You have a short-haired dog.
The majority of our customers that complain that they have itching dogs have or are experiencing one or more of the conditions above. For this customer, we always bathe their dog in emu oil shampoo and finish with a moisturizing emu spray. We have many customers that request the emu treatment for their dog weekly. You can use these professional products at home singularly or paired depending on the severity of the dog's itching. You can purchase the emu oil shampoo or emu oil moisture spray in either shop, or online at http://www.thepoochparlor.net/shopping.html. You can also find emu oil pills that are available at any health food store. If you have a dog with sensitive skin and itchy issues, try the cheapest, natural remedy first, EMU OIL. Why does it work? I do NOT know, I just know it works.
DuAnn Lustig-Chambers
Happy Pooch Tribune
Professional Tips to Pamper Your Pet
http://www.thepoochparlor.net
Showing posts with label pet grooming school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pet grooming school. Show all posts
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
Telling your clients about medical concerns can save a dog's life!
Today we were surprised and thrilled when one of our favorite customers brought in their St. Bernard/Pyrenees cross, Bandit. You may recognize this dog from an earlier blog that we mentioned had a suspected urinary tract infection.
This owner told us that our mentioning the symptoms and our concerns saved the dogs life. Bandit's urinalysis showed that her urinary tract infection was so serious and pervasive that she would have been dead in another 24 hours.
That is amazing for us to know, and thank goodness we take good notes on dogs behaviors to have a baseline to compare to. Tell your owners about the medical findings or concerns you have with their dogs, it might just save their life!
DuAnn Lustig-Chambers
The Happy Pooch Tribune
Professional Tips to Pamper Your Pooch
http://www.thepoochparlor.net
This owner told us that our mentioning the symptoms and our concerns saved the dogs life. Bandit's urinalysis showed that her urinary tract infection was so serious and pervasive that she would have been dead in another 24 hours.
That is amazing for us to know, and thank goodness we take good notes on dogs behaviors to have a baseline to compare to. Tell your owners about the medical findings or concerns you have with their dogs, it might just save their life!
DuAnn Lustig-Chambers
The Happy Pooch Tribune
Professional Tips to Pamper Your Pooch
http://www.thepoochparlor.net
Monday, October 25, 2010
Thyroid issues are very common to see in the grooming room
Today we groomed a 10 year old Golden Retriever that was a bit overweight. He hadn't been into our grooming shop for nearly 2 years, but his owner has been doing owner grooming at home.
We noticed that Riley had a lot of dandruff that was not explainable. Even after the bath, parts of his skin felt greasy and had dandruff simultaneous. We rewashed the greasy areas right down the spine and recombed this part. During the combout, Riley continued to have lots of hair loss and dandruff.
Because of his age, his weight, the hair loss, the dandruff and the grease, I suspected that Riley was suffering from a thyroid issue. I did ask his owner if there was a change in his weight and if the hair loss was normal for him. His owner confirmed that the recent hair loss was new, and so was the weight gain.
I advised the owner to have a blood test done on Riley.
For those groomers that are interested in steering a customer to the vet for valid reasons: Hair, skin and weight issues (that are new) that happen simultaneously are typically a thyroid problem.
DuAnn Lustig-Chambers
The Happy Pooch Tribune
Professional Tips to Pamper Your Pooch
http://www.thepoochparlor.net
We noticed that Riley had a lot of dandruff that was not explainable. Even after the bath, parts of his skin felt greasy and had dandruff simultaneous. We rewashed the greasy areas right down the spine and recombed this part. During the combout, Riley continued to have lots of hair loss and dandruff.
Because of his age, his weight, the hair loss, the dandruff and the grease, I suspected that Riley was suffering from a thyroid issue. I did ask his owner if there was a change in his weight and if the hair loss was normal for him. His owner confirmed that the recent hair loss was new, and so was the weight gain.
I advised the owner to have a blood test done on Riley.
For those groomers that are interested in steering a customer to the vet for valid reasons: Hair, skin and weight issues (that are new) that happen simultaneously are typically a thyroid problem.
DuAnn Lustig-Chambers
The Happy Pooch Tribune
Professional Tips to Pamper Your Pooch
http://www.thepoochparlor.net
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Lifting dogs is not as easy as you think, know the liabilities
Today we had a customer that came in do wash her own dog in the self-service bathing station. Her dog was 100 plus pounds. There are stairs that go to the tub for the dog to walk themselves in, but the dog also must WANT to go in. Today, even though Mistee has been there several times for full and self-service grooming, she decided to tease her owner and sit on the steps for 15 minutes while her human tried coercing, pulling, asking and begging her to go up the stairs. Mistee just smiled and sat.
The owner is highly intelligent, and looked capapble enough physically, but she could not convince her dog to budge. The owner asked for help lifting the dog into the tub.
This seems like a perfectly normal and acceptable question to ask, and the average person would not hesitate to help someone lift their 100 plus pound dog into the tub. However, dogs are dogs. You cannot predict what they will do and who and what they will react to.
Dogs are so unpredictable with the tubs and with their owners, that we had to put a policy in place about NOT helping owners with the lifting. Our groomers can help each other lift a dog because we understand what many subtle triggers are that the dog communicates to us with eyes, ears, tail set, a posture, that the owner will have no idea how to interpret. If the owner is not aware of the lifting methods we have set in place for safety and procedure, it is entirely possible - and has happened more than once - that they drop their dog mid-lift for whatever reason. This leaves the other lifter at risk for personal injury from the dog and from the lifting.
It seems impossible that owners would drop their own dogs while someone is helping, but guess who the owner blames if an injury happens to any of the humans or dogs? That's right, the groomer.
How well does it work when husbands and wives move furniture together? Speaking from personal experience, NOT very well! We all have a different idea of how things should go and be done, but rarely is it verbalized. Its the same way with dog owners. Add with an overprotective owner and an unpredictable dog, and you have a recipe for a very bad day.
So, groomers, limit your liability with your customers, do not help them directly. There is no need to be ungracious, if help is needed lifting a dog you don't know, ask a fellow professional to help you do it. The injuries and bad feelings you will be avoiding by following this unusual practice will save you lots of heartache.
DuAnn Lustig-Chambers
The Happy Pooch Tribune
Professional Tips to Pamper Your Pooch
http://www.thepoochparlor.net
The owner is highly intelligent, and looked capapble enough physically, but she could not convince her dog to budge. The owner asked for help lifting the dog into the tub.
This seems like a perfectly normal and acceptable question to ask, and the average person would not hesitate to help someone lift their 100 plus pound dog into the tub. However, dogs are dogs. You cannot predict what they will do and who and what they will react to.
Dogs are so unpredictable with the tubs and with their owners, that we had to put a policy in place about NOT helping owners with the lifting. Our groomers can help each other lift a dog because we understand what many subtle triggers are that the dog communicates to us with eyes, ears, tail set, a posture, that the owner will have no idea how to interpret. If the owner is not aware of the lifting methods we have set in place for safety and procedure, it is entirely possible - and has happened more than once - that they drop their dog mid-lift for whatever reason. This leaves the other lifter at risk for personal injury from the dog and from the lifting.
It seems impossible that owners would drop their own dogs while someone is helping, but guess who the owner blames if an injury happens to any of the humans or dogs? That's right, the groomer.
How well does it work when husbands and wives move furniture together? Speaking from personal experience, NOT very well! We all have a different idea of how things should go and be done, but rarely is it verbalized. Its the same way with dog owners. Add with an overprotective owner and an unpredictable dog, and you have a recipe for a very bad day.
So, groomers, limit your liability with your customers, do not help them directly. There is no need to be ungracious, if help is needed lifting a dog you don't know, ask a fellow professional to help you do it. The injuries and bad feelings you will be avoiding by following this unusual practice will save you lots of heartache.
DuAnn Lustig-Chambers
The Happy Pooch Tribune
Professional Tips to Pamper Your Pooch
http://www.thepoochparlor.net
Friday, October 15, 2010
bladder or kidney infections in the grooming room
Today we groomed a beautiful, and well-mannered Great Pyrenees cross. She is normally extremely patient for her grooming. We noticed while shaving her sanitary area that her vulva was surrounded by a brown, gooey area that was not easy to shave. Shaving this area clearly irritated her. This dog, Bandit, also had a vulva that was recessed inside a pocket of flesh and was not open to the air.
The combination of a recessed vulva and gummy brown substance around the vulva, |AND an annoyed dog made me wonder if she had an infection somewhere around there: either a bladder, or kidney infection. I asked her owner about her pee habits, and her owner confirmed that indeed, Bandit was urinating more frequently than normal and not in the normal areas.
All of these signs together are highly indicative of a bladder or kidney infection. Groomers take note as these symptoms are seen very often in the grooming room and the soon you can detect an issue, the better for the dog, for the owner, and for you.
The owner did take Bandit to the vet immediately and was prescribed antiobiotics. He did not take a urine sample to confirm, but if she does have a bladder infection, the meds will quickly help her feel better.
Mention these small details to the owner either verbally or on in a report card for the dog. You would be surprised how often, your details are more than just small, they are real medical issues.
DuAnn Lustig-Chambers
Pooch Parlor Tribune
Professional Tips to Pamper Your Pooch
http://www.thepoochparlor.net
The combination of a recessed vulva and gummy brown substance around the vulva, |AND an annoyed dog made me wonder if she had an infection somewhere around there: either a bladder, or kidney infection. I asked her owner about her pee habits, and her owner confirmed that indeed, Bandit was urinating more frequently than normal and not in the normal areas.
All of these signs together are highly indicative of a bladder or kidney infection. Groomers take note as these symptoms are seen very often in the grooming room and the soon you can detect an issue, the better for the dog, for the owner, and for you.
The owner did take Bandit to the vet immediately and was prescribed antiobiotics. He did not take a urine sample to confirm, but if she does have a bladder infection, the meds will quickly help her feel better.
Mention these small details to the owner either verbally or on in a report card for the dog. You would be surprised how often, your details are more than just small, they are real medical issues.
DuAnn Lustig-Chambers
Pooch Parlor Tribune
Professional Tips to Pamper Your Pooch
http://www.thepoochparlor.net
Friday, September 17, 2010
Can husbands and wives work together in the grooming room?
Today a future student asked me, 'Can husbands and wives work together to run a grooming business?"
The answer is absolutely yes. As with any job, coworkers need to be aware of each others needs, and duties to keep the grooming shops running smooth. When your co-worker is also your marriage partner, the need to communicate on common ground, doubles.
I have recently worked with a husband and wife team that do an admirable job at running the shop together. Bringing the marriage into the workplace is never an easy task, but since I have seen it firsthad, the answer is yes.. with hard work, consideration, and more praise than complaining, husbands and wives can make and operate a successful grooming business together.
Check out the website, www.thepoochparlor.net and see Sara and Jim Goss. They are an amazing couple that are successful at working together in the grooming shop that they own and operate.
DuAnn Lustig-Chambers
The Pooch Parlor
Professional tips to Pamper Your Pooch
The answer is absolutely yes. As with any job, coworkers need to be aware of each others needs, and duties to keep the grooming shops running smooth. When your co-worker is also your marriage partner, the need to communicate on common ground, doubles.
I have recently worked with a husband and wife team that do an admirable job at running the shop together. Bringing the marriage into the workplace is never an easy task, but since I have seen it firsthad, the answer is yes.. with hard work, consideration, and more praise than complaining, husbands and wives can make and operate a successful grooming business together.
Check out the website, www.thepoochparlor.net and see Sara and Jim Goss. They are an amazing couple that are successful at working together in the grooming shop that they own and operate.
DuAnn Lustig-Chambers
The Pooch Parlor
Professional tips to Pamper Your Pooch
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