Vent: Petsmart Grooming Dept. Refused My Old Dog... (UPDATE, page 3)

[chestnutmarebeware]

Without even meeting her.

I adopted a 12- or 13-y-o cocker from the pound last week and she has some minor mats that need to be shaved (hind legs and under the ears). Petsmart told me they won’t muzzle or restrain an old dog, or even work on her if I get sedation from a vet.

I even offered to bring my own muzzle, put it on her myself, stay with her, and sign a release, but no go. They said nope, take her somewhere else. Aaargh! She’s not a mean cocker, but those mats may be painful. She might snap, or she might be fine. My vet will shave the mats, but I wanted her to get a bath and cocker clip at the same time. And the other local groomer went out of business.

I know I have no recourse with Petsmart, but I’m irritated and it feels good to vent! Now back to our regularly-scheduled program…

[JanM]

My vet has someone that grooms one day a week, so maybe your vet will do that this time because of the mats. Then their groomer will tell you how the dog behaves for the next time at Petsmart.

[Jhein12]

I groom at a corporation and I do old dogs no problem, but I won’t groom an old dog that might get stressed out easily for example, if the owner suggests it might need a muzzle or sedation or it is heavily matted. Most groomers don’t do a sedated dog unless a vet is on site. Being a senior pup, your dog is more at risk for complications from sedation. That groomer just doesn’t want to see your dog die on her table, and I don’t blame her! That’s the worst thing that can happen to a groomer I’d say take her to a vet that has a groomer for the first time and have them honestly tell you how she does.

[ryansgirl]

I don’t blame them. There have been a decent number of cases lately where dogs have died while at the groomers so they’re probably being extra cautious. Can your vet shave her and then you give her a bath? There are a ton of places around me that have self-serve baths - most are doggy daycare kind of places. Super cheap and they supply everything you need. Are there any mobile groomers around you?

[chestnutmarebeware]

Thank you all for the feedback! I know the groomers are afraid of the liability.

I’m now thinking it might be easiest to buy a muzzle and clippers and just do it myself. The actual shaving of the mats won’t take more than a few minutes. I can certainly bathe her easily, and a pet-cocker clip can’t be too hard with a few pix as a reference. And she’ll be less stressed here in her home. What do you think?

[S1969]

I think it depends on the dog. Some have never seen clippers before and it might be really scary, especially if the mats are very close to her body. Has she been seen by a vet yet? I might let the vet de-mat the dog, even if they won’t do the full groom job. They are good at shaving and restraining - with sedation if necessary.

ETA, after that, yes, definitely groom yourself. I think that’s the best way for old dogs because they may need frequent breaks and if you want, you can spread a groom job over a couple of days. I usually do my old guy’s head, neck and body one day, and scissor the feet and clean up tail and ears a different day.

[Miss_Anne_Thrope]

[QUOTE=chestnutmarebeware;8824799]
Thank you all for the feedback! I know the groomers are afraid of the liability.

I’m now thinking it might be easiest to buy a muzzle and clippers and just do it myself. The actual shaving of the mats won’t take more than a few minutes. I can certainly bathe her easily, and a pet-cocker clip can’t be too hard with a few pix as a reference. And she’ll be less stressed here in her home. What do you think?[/QUOTE]

That’s exactly what I did with my ex-puppy-mill breeder Cairn terrier who came to us scared of everything. Doing it at home takes away all the stress of being handled by strangers in a strange place with strange scary noises.

At home, you can also work on her a little bit at a time. I did that with the Cairn, so she was partially clipped for a day or two at a time but eventually looked decent.

[macmtn]

Go for it…and we will not diss you for an imperfect chop job.
Had a husky with a heavy long coat… She matted if you looked at her and was NOT one you could brush. I could not force, drag or carry her 100 pounds into any building resembling either a groomer or vet office. I ended up clipping her myself. After a few times we we not even embarassed by the end result

[SquishTheBunny]

I’d look for a groomer that works out of vets office

[chestnutmarebeware]

[QUOTE=macmtn;8824836]
Go for it…and we will not diss you for an imperfect chop job. ;)[/QUOTE]

Good to know, especially when I think back to what my mares looked like after I gave them trace clips! They wouldn’t look at me for days. Lol!

[JanM]

I would have the vet do the mats, and then do the rest myself at home. I bought hand clippers from a vet supply, and did my last mini schnauzer myself, when I couldn’t find a groomer that worked with my schedule.

Pay special attention for potential mats in armpits, and tummy, so you get them before they get huge, and tight to the skin. Mine also would get a nasty chin beard mat, so I trimmed it flat across the bottom with scissors. I did it just like trimming human bangs, with my fingers pinching the hair flat and trimming the ends. That way you don’t have to worry about cutting the skin (except yours, but you can feel it easily).

[S1969]

Just a tip about grooming at home - you really need to invest in good clippers and good blades. It’s not enormously expensive, but I know people who have bought $49 clippers with a built in (not changeable) #10 blade, and think it will do the job. Maybe it will - once - (or never), but it really won’t produce a good look.

If you’re willing to invest in a decent set of clippers and some different blades, you’ll get a much better result. I do my older dogs with a #7F or #5F, and a #8 around the neck to clean it up. Not sure what they would look like if I tried the #10 on their whole body. :eek:

[Callista17]

Wow…I am somewhat surprised. We have a groomer at the vet. Although last night someone brought their older cocker puppy in they groomed. They said the curlier the better for an even look. The only issue I noticed was the muzzle wasn’t even. Lol

[MsM]

With an older, matted cocker I would take her to the vet for the first time and have them use sedation as needed. I would have them shave her completely. It is the best way to check her skin and start new. After that you may be able to maintain a cocker clip if she is okay about it.

[LauraKY]

I volunteer with a cocker rescue, so I have a bit of experience with older matted dogs. If you can’t find a groomer willing to take the time to remove the mats and groom her, really the best bet is to have the vet shave her down. It grows out fairly quickly.

There’s a learning curve in learning how to blend a cocker cut, and it’s much easier to learn from a shaved groom to start. There are lots of videos online and instructions to help you out.

Mine always got the field cut with modified skirt and feathers, but I still loved the long ears. Sadly, I’m cockerless at the moment.

Good luck with your new old cocker.

ETA: I’m not a fan of Petsmart groomers. I don’t know where you are but if you PM me, I might be able to hook you up with a rescue in your area who can recommend a groomer.

[Fred]

[QUOTE=MsM;8825265]
With an older, matted cocker I would take her to the vet for the first time and have them use sedation as needed. I would have them shave her completely. It is the best way to check her skin and start new. After that you may be able to maintain a cocker clip if she is okay about it.[/QUOTE]

I would echo this, it makes the most sense for both you and your new dog.
Good luck with her!

PS: we took our elderly rescue GSD to Petsmart for grooming, and there were no mats or anything, just for a bath. And they advised us at the time, that if the dog is elderly and needs to be muzzled, they would not be able to take her.
She was good for them, so there was no issue.
They did an ok job and it is handy for us, but since then we have found a private groomer.

[IndysMom]

You all will probably laugh, but I use my horse clippers (the small ones, not the body clippers) on my Springer (related to cockers-originally the same breed). Daizey gets mats and I just take my time and go very slowly. I also have a pair of scissors that are designed to cut hair. They work WAY better than regular scissors. I just go really really slowly and, if I have to, I cut one hair at a time. My groomer insists on a clean dog before she’ll clip the entire coat because dirt is hard on the clippers.

It’s all going to depend on how good she is. If she’ll let you do it, then I say do it at home to reduce the stress. However, if she’s not good, just let the vet shave her down and start over.

Kudos to you for rescuing an older pup!

[Come_Shine]

[QUOTE=LauraKY;8825290]
ETA: I’m not a fan of Petsmart groomers.[/QUOTE]

Me either. Spoke to the manager after hearing one of the groomers swearing at a dog. I could hear her screaming through a door, down the corridor and into the bathroom. Lovely.

Then, another time, picked our dog up. They said he was very well behaved. When I bent down to pat him, he had a big scrape on his nose and was bleeding. Then, the story changed to, oh he must have been nervous in the cage. Last time I will ever use Petsmart groomers.

[Bicoastal]

[QUOTE=chestnutmarebeware;8824662]
I even offered to bring my own muzzle, put it on her myself, stay with her, and sign a release, but no go. They said nope, take her somewhere else.[/QUOTE]

It is corporate policy not to use muzzles. Since they groom in a fishbowl where Joe Shmoe can watch everything, the corporation has rules about the appearance of the grooming process. Muzzles, Groomer’s Helper, Air Muzzle, and other restraints may look barbaric to Joe Public so they are forbidden.

Jhein can clarify which corp. One or both of the PetSomethings forbid muzzles.

[jetsmom]

I do my own in a cocker clip (except when I am bored and give him a Mohawk, or a line down his whole back that I spike into triangles to make him look like a dragon…he still has his tail, so it’s kind of amusing).
It’s easy to do. Go for it.