HELP! grooming injury

[dr2little]

I'm at a loss. I was at the park with my dog and noticed some pink spots in the snow. I checked her paw and saw blood coming from her pad so I got her to the car and drove straight to the Vet. I thought maybe she got something imbedded but when the Vet checked all of her paws....they were all bleeding slightly. It turns out that while at the groomers 2 days before, she cut all four paws between her toes while scooping her pads.*&%!! Has anyone else had grooming injuries or know how this could happen?? I met this groomer when she brought her puppy to my puppy school. She was so gentle and kind during class and really seemed to care about the dogs experience during grooming as much or more that the hair cut....just what I was looking for in a groomer for my fur kids.

[PoodleMommy]

I did have a groomer cut one of my dogs pads once and she was very nice and gentle, she apologized profusely and did not want to charge for the visit.
If your dog moves really quick, it is possible to cut them, however, it seems kind of odd that it happened to all four paws. I would talk to the groomer and see what she says.
Also have you been to this groomer before with no problem, or was this the first visit?

Elissa

[dr2little]

Yup, I've taken both my large poodle mix (the one injured) and my rough brussels griffon to her at least 8-10 times before. The thing that bothers me the most is that the dog she cut is so stoic and calm that I can't imagine how this happened unless she pressed really hard with the clippers while scooping. It's hard to picture Sophie sitting still while this happened to all 4 of her paws...oooowwch! I did talk to the groomer and she appeard to be quite shocked and very sorry but I feel terrible having put my dog through this. One reason this is so hard is that 2 years ago I lost a dog (Rosey) that was blind and deaf, I thought I'd never get over the loss. To make matters worse, two weeks after she died the groomer who I sent her to many times for grooming was fired for cruelty. Rosey had seizures after grooming on more than one occasion. I, like most on this forum, love my dogs like I gave birth to them myself. I'm sick to think of any one of them hurt, especially during something as routine as grooming. I think I just needed to vent but also to be able to trust my (or any) groomer again. I did ask the groomer not to scoop her pads anymore and I also clip her nails, comb her out, groom her face before she goes anyway.

[PoodleMommy]

We had many bad experiences with groomers, so I know how you feel.

The last dog I had, was hit by her first groomer and was terrified of any groomer after that.

The groomer we use now is GREAT! The puppy I have now has only known him and loves him... I wish she was a little more excited to see me when I pick her up...lol

Just know there are good groomers out there... if you think this wasnt a total accident that will never happen again, you may want to look for a new groomer.

Hope everything works out, Good Luck

Elissa

[wolfsoul]

I've never heard of this happening, the only times we cut dogs at work with the clipper is on an area like the armpit where there is thin, loose skin. Never seen it happen when doing pads.

[dr2little]

Originally Posted by wolfsoul

I've never heard of this happening, the only times we cut dogs at work with the clipper is on an area like the armpit where there is thin, loose skin. Never seen it happen when doing pads.

Thanks, I'm confused Are the clippers used for pads easy to graze skin with or would you have to either be in a hurry or press to hard. I was even thinking that maybe they were new clippers, I wish I'd asked her.....I'm stuck between wanting to trust the groomer who I really like, and needing to protect my dogs who I love more than anything..

[wolfsoul]

Pressing too hard doesn't cut the skin -- the only way the blade will cut is if it "grabs" or "pinches" ths skin, which is only possible in areas where skin is easy to pinch. Alot of groomers (like myself) prefer to use scissors on the pads -- could she maybe have done this?

[dr2little]

Originally Posted by wolfsoul

Pressing too hard doesn't cut the skin -- the only way the blade will cut is if it "grabs" or "pinches" ths skin, which is only possible in areas where skin is easy to pinch. Alot of groomers (like myself) prefer to use scissors on the pads -- could she maybe have done this?

Yes, she said she'd scissors on Soph's pads from now on.

[Brattina88]

Did she cut the paws with scissors or clippers?
I'm confused, but anyways...

I don't think its very professional for something like this to happen and the groomer not talk to you about it when you pick up your dog. I don't think there's any excuse for that. How could she not know that all four paws were cut? I can imagine having one or two paws cut and then standing pacently for another one to be cut as well.

Were you able to watch this groomer work on your dog or any other? Or just at your puppy class?

On a personal note, I feel bad for groomers because I am very picky and at times judgemental. Sorry [lol]

[dr2little]

I really don't think that she knew. I think that the only reason they bled a few days later is because she was running in the snow and it really irritated them. Yes, I've watched her lots of times, she is very sweet and gentle and I've always told her that to me, the haircut is secondary to the experience for my dogs.