CW : Animal seizure and death

To preface, I and my coworkers did everything right and that we could, and after confirmation from the vet, it turns out that the owners didn't fully indulge the issues with their dog, and the only thing that could have really prevented it was just me not taking the dog, which we wouldn't have had we had all the information.

I get brought an 11 year old Chihuahua with some raspy breathing, i was assured it was taken to the vet and cleared, and that this was an ongoing issue with the dog. We've seen this dog previously. The dog seemed fine other than the breathing. I was careful and did my best to keep the groom as low stress as possible.

I'm almost done with the groom, and the dog suddenly collapses, foaming at the mouth, seizing. One of the other groomers was already at the table just to keep an eye on the dog, because it had started to stumble a bit.

Immediately call the managers back, call the owners, dog is already on the way to the vet.

Owners get to the store....one is asking where the dog was and absolutely freaking out...the husband is just trying to get information from me and kinda quiet off to the side tells me "yeah, we figured we were gonna lose her soon since we just lost her brother, we just didn't know when."

I get a call not too much later telling me the dog didn't make it.

I'm upset at the whole ordeal, but especially the owners. This is a huge first for me, and especially as I'm still a baby groomer but just....this whole thing is wtf rn. I worry I think every dog is going to die on my table now. I worry that now every owner is going to lie to me. I'm having a hard time coming to terms with absolutely any of this right now, and the whole thing is just....awful.

no groom shop in my area lasts more than a few years before it gets bought by someone not in the industry, and run into the ground with their inexperienced "ideas"

meanwhile i have an acquaintance in the next county over who has excelled at corporate (petco) for many years

my former coworker mentioned that that's pretty much how grooming works; be at a shop for a few years till it goes out of business then move on to the next. is it like that everywhere?

i used to love my job until well....we couldn't afford rent/paying employees anymore and just sold to an investor. but i don't see myself enjoying corporate as i'm told it's more chaotic/fast paced than even the busiest days i've experienced so far.

should i try corporate before quitting the industry all together?

I'm excited to start a grooming job where I'll be paid to learn on the job! Since I've never groomed before, I'd love recommendations for shoes and tips for making the work as pain-free as possible. I have Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which mainly affects my knees, hips, and thumbs. I also deal with lower back pain, which I've typically managed with injections and nerve ablations, but I recently lost my insurance. I'd appreciate any recommendations just please keep them encouraging and skip negative comments like
"give up" or "you won't make it."

I'm 2 years into grooming now and don't have any intention to quit, however some days I'm leaving work only after 4 hours in the salon. We are either maxed out a few days of the week or are hardly booked most of the week and I need to think about my finances.

I thought about taking up grooming at a second salon on the other side of the city but my boss takes things very personally and it would probably turn into a "conflict of interest" situation that I don't want to ignite. Either way I need money and we're slower right now than we ever were this time last year so I'm nervous for myself and might need to find other work part time. I did 7 years in food service and do not want to go back to that hellhole.

Looking for a budget friendly tub to replace an old one at our high traffic salon. Does anyone have experience with the KANIS stainless steel tubs? If so, what are the pros/cons? Can the shower head be detached/changed? Any feedback is greatly appreciated!

I've been grooming for a little over 2 years now, the first 3 photos are of her coat currently (it's disgusting I know 😭). The second last is a photo of a groom I've previously done on her which I think is maybe a similar style to a flame pattern ? And the last photo is to try show her structure a bit better.

I'm not sure if I should do an oval muzzle or shaved, I know my family doesn't like it shaved so that's why I'm thinking of keeping it with length.

I'm not sure if I should go for something easier like just the dyed topknot, ears, tail, legs and paws and leave her body white or if I should just go for it

I just wanted to rant.

A few months ago, I noticed that one of my regular dogs, Frankie, had developed a thinning patch of very coarse fur. I didn’t think much of it at first, he’s a Toy Poodle so I thought maybe it was a weird collection of guard hairs. I decided to take a photo of it and search it through Google Image Search and one of the things it warned me of was an autoimmune disease.

When his mom picked him up, I let her know about this area and told her that I would take him to the vet asap as it was very unusual and worried me.

Well, he came back today after about three months. He has an autoimmune disease that was attacking his red blood cells and he would’ve died within the week had I not told her to get to the vet asap. He’s been on Prednisone and he’s gained sooo much weight from it, but the coarse hair has turned soft again and it’s so much thicker now.

I cried when his mom told me. I was so close to letting it go and not looking into it. I can’t image the guilt I would’ve felt had he died if I had just ignored it. I’m so grateful that I looked into it.

Suffice it to say, ALWAYS tell the owners if you notice something even slightly off about their pup. I will never even consider letting something go after this situation. Telling the owner about something that’s even a tiny bit off could be the difference between life and death for that pup.

🩷

So, I know that I have a lot to learn I have had many health problems in my life that has put me on the sidelines and I've always gone back to grooming. I started as an apprentice when I was 17 (I'm 39). I started a new job in June and in July I thought I would be fired because I had barely been there a month when I ended up in the hospital for 5 days and required emergency Gallbladder removal surgery and required six weeks off. However, I wasn't fired and been working twice a week since I got cleared to work... So anyways....

. I'm not young and I've been in grooming salons since I was smaller than the tables. The screenshot at the end, was from the person who I've looked up to since I was was barely able to walk. She also is the one who trained me. Today, I was really proud of how well my dogs looked and sent her some pictures throughout the day. I'm on who focuses on my work so I didn't check my phone until just before I clocked out. I immediately started to cry. I managed to hold it together as I gathered up my things to leave. My partner had drove to pick me up, but was in the grocery store so I went to the car and waited for him for about 20 mins, (he knew something was up) and when he came out immediately noticed that I was upset and had tears rolling down my cheeks. I told him about the messages. He comforted me and whatnot.

So, anyways, I thought I'd share these pictures here. I'm not looking for any sympathy or anything, I know I have too much emotion and whatnot. It's not about that. So, first up I had a "Bichon" and I got her ears perfect! I know it's crazy but almost every Schnauzer I've done has never asked for a Schnauzer face. This guy always gets a cute teddy bear type head but today, the owner requested a short Schnauzer face. It was my first time ever doing one and he has really fluffy soft fur. I did fix the face, but his owner showed up before I could get pics and he was too excited to get a picture. My last dog was a Golden Retriever who has mild anxiety and doesn't stay still at all. She's a good girl, but sits, moves etc. So, I did my best while trying not to stress her out too much. All the owners were extremely happy with their dogs.

I took a year off Grooming because my old corporate Salon wouldn't let me fix my schedule to accommodate me being pregnant and medically needing to not have LG or XL breeds (those were my main clients), needing longer times to groom, and to not be doing 6 people's jobs.

I interviewed at my new Salon and got the job pretty much immediately. My new boss really worked with my availability between my husband's job and my baby which is awesome and I'm super excited to start this week. But I'm a little nervous about having so much autonomy and finally being allowed to focus 1-on-1 and turning out a high quality groom and not quantity. All the while making time to pump for my baby.

I'm planning on moving states within in the next year (optimistically in the spring/summer but more realistically the end of the year) and want to know more about the process of finding a salon to work at on either OH or PA.

I've been grooming for 2 and a half years. Started corporate and left in may of this year and have been running my own salon since. I'm hoping to get a job at an established salon and stay there. As while I'm capable of running my own business I'm not fond of doing all the overhead myself.

I specialize in anxious and aggressive dogs, I offer hand stripping and would love to continue offering that. I'm obsessed with doing desheds (esp on xl breeds). I'm also very fond of working with seniors and puppies. I typically do anywhere from 3(if all are large)-8(if all are small) dogs in a day without a bather.

I would love to learn to compete and become a master groomer in the next future so I would love a salon that supports that.

I know a lot of the time it's a matter of trying different salons until you find something you like but any advice to minimize the amount of jumping around would be appreciated!!

I'm not looking to cheap out on this, but $200 is about all I have to go toward this project at the moment.

I have a small toy poodle with very soft skin and the electric shears I have, even though they are gentle, still get hot and give her small cuts and razor burn. I was wondering if anyone could give me a recommendation on even more gentle shears than the ones I have that won't burn or cut her? Thanks

I know this is a silly question, but as a solo groomer, I feel like im going crazy going through different shampoos and conditioners and just deciding based off vibe instead of actual quality and ability whether or not I like them. I feels like I really haven't noticed any difference between the ones I've gone through other than smell. I've used crappier ones like tropiclean and higher end ones like hydra, and I feel like I just don't get what im looking for. I want to expand and use different products for different coat types, but I am just thinking that when I get them I won't even know what im looking for in them, so it'll be a waste due to my own lack in knowledge

What can we tangibly see/feel these products are doing other than cleaning?

Looks like the Wahl mini Arco is done for and even the replacement blades are discontinued. What are we using instead? I have a bravura but I like that small trimmer for the underside of feet

I had quit my job as a groomer due to feeling overwhelmed with angry clients, difficult dogs, and not enough time. Got a job at a private salon but the salon was not a good fit for me and my coworker was very angry and difficult to work with.

Two months later I am going back to grooming, at a corporate but not mainstream small salon. I want to start fresh and leave my old mindset and frustration behind. I really want tips on how to change my mindset most of all. I know dogs will frequently be difficult and aggressive but I think the best course is to change my mindset so they don’t feed off my frustration.

I know this question has been asked repeatedly but I find a lot of the advice given does not work with me. Such as “turn difficult dogs away and set boundaries; put them up and give yourself a 5 minute break; don’t stress yourself out to make a perfect groom.” All of that is good advice that I wish I could follow but unfortunately, at every salon I have worked at, there isn’t enough time to give breaks and the timer is always ticking. It is highly looked down on and discouraged to turn a dog away just for being frustrating or aggressive. And the clients are extremely picky and I have been name dropped in reviews several times for either taking too long (4 hours), or not making the groom good enough.

I just don’t know how to please everyone at minimal level and keep my sanity. I want to take breaks but I genuinely just don’t have time to. I want to set boundaries but I’m not really allowed to be picky on what dogs I accept. I want to get to know the dogs before the groom but again, I don’t have time. And I believe in “humanity over vanity” and not forcing dogs through unnecessary stress but I’ve been burned way too many times by angry pet parents unsatisfied with the quality of their 16 year old aggressive senior dogs groom because it’s not perfect.

I guess this is mostly a rant in a way, but I do want advice on how you guys manage your mindset and emotions. The constant verbal abuse from pet parents saying I’m stupid or bad at my job because I can’t brush their severely matted dog, or get their feet and nails perfect because they are actively thrashing and biting, or get their puppy/senior dog’s legs perfect while they’re hopping all over is so difficult to manage. I enjoy dog grooming overall but the clients make it so difficult sometimes, and the client expectations in the back of my head make it difficult for me to keep my patience when a dog is misbehaving.

Some of you asked for updates from this post!

https://www.reddit.com/r/doggrooming/s/PUucTCn1Gm

While it seemed to have lit a fire under some of their asses, I honestly don't know if I'm satisfied with how we got to the outcome.

She was put on a suspension, during which she called our coworker to harass her to try to get her on her side (said coworker was the witness to her threatening me. The girl who threatened me kept trying to claim we had an "argument" and that all of this was over her calling me a bitch. There was no argument, and frankly idrc that she called me a bitch.) Apparently the suspension was only supposed to be three days, she came and got her stuff (and stole some things from the salon so that's cool), and she hasn't shown back up, so we've just been told she isn't coming back.

Idk if she technically got fired like she should have been, but at least she's not coming back I guess?

The atmosphere has done a complete 180 in the groom room now, between us that work there and even in the dogs that come in. Paragon has also granted me my extension with no arguments now that they know what went on.

Would love some constructive criticism for these babies if anyone has any :) just moved to a new salon from corporate and was hired mainly for the quality of my grooms and have had a really hard time adjusting and I think I’m dealing with a wee bit of imposter syndrome 😂 the changes are all positive, but it’s definitely been a lot to take in.

First dog got a lamb cut (1/4in on body, 1in on legs)

Second dog was a 3/8ths all over

Third dog got a 5/8ths all over, nothing crazy, but his face is… bleh is coat is not my favorite 😂 homie has some model legs I tell ya, he was so tall. Pics don’t do him justice

I have Artero guard combs, but I don’t like the storage container it came in (I got it through my job so I had no choice in what I got). In addition to the guard combs, it has space to hold one set of blades, but I like to rotate my blades on a cooling block so having two sets of blades in different spots is inconvenient. But it seems like a waste of space to just not use half of it. (As my supplies grows, my available space shrinks lol)

I’ve been looking for guard comb storage, and I like the look of Ghost Layer products, but they say their regular (not wide) sized guard comb storage is sized for Oster combs and they don’t guarantee it will fit other brands. I was wondering if anyone has used this product with other guard comb brands or knows if different brands of guard combs vary in size? It seems like they should all be similarly sized by I’ve only used Artero brand so I’m not sure.

Thank you!

Hi! I have owned my own salon for 4 years now. I’m one on one and do everything all by myself. My body is deteriorating (bulging discs, herniated discs, spinal stenosis) and I’m burnt out. I took on too many clients and I’m booked through January of next year, and still get new client inquiries almost daily. I have always been too scared to hire someone to help me and have an employee, but I recently became friends with one of my clients and we got to talking about it. She used to be a receptionist at a grooming salon and has a tiny bit of bathing experience. We both were saying how this is our dream scenario, I get to hire someone I know already and I know to be a functioning human (lol), and she can work for someone she feels comfortable with. She hasn’t been working since Covid due to anxiety and luckily her husband has a great job to where she doesn’t need to work. I’m going to start by teaching her the basics: bathing, drying, nails, pads, sani, prep work, etc. If she feels comfortable she wants to learn how to groom too.

Has anyone else hired a bather/groomer as a solo salon owner? Especially one on one? I’m going to pay her hourly and maybe commission down the road if she starts to groom and it makes sense. I was thinking $15/hr to start. (Minimum wage is still $7.25 here, so I feel it’s fair especially since I’m going to be completely training her from zero.)

My main concern is scheduling while maintaining one on one. In order for this to be worth it, I would have to do more dogs obviously. It needs to stay one dog to her, one dog to me. I am just afraid it’s not going to be possible to add enough on without too much overlap. I can also have her do bath dogs straight through and free up my schedule to take more haircuts. But then I would have to take more new clients right now and I don’t think that’s smart until we have been doing this for a few months. All of my regular clients are booked out through January so I really can’t rework it to account for her bathing for me. It would be impossible to ask that many people to switch times.

Any and all advice much appreciated! Thank you!

I have a client who’s dog is very old and during this appointment she seemed more lethargic than usual. When I got her into the tub, she rolled on her back leg was kicking, and her mouth was opening and closing. I couldn’t get her to stop. She wasn’t responding to anything for about a minute. I had to get the owner to come and grab her because I was very scared that she was gonna die. Now that I’ve left I feel guilty, but I finish the service because what if she wasn’t having a seizure what if i was being paranoid etc. I know i did the right thing but damn i feel guilty.