Health Care
Ear Plucking
When I was apprenticing to learn the grooming trade, my mentor taught me to remove every single hair from the ear canals of dogs that grow hair there. I vividly remember the disappointment on her face when she found a lonely strand in a schnauzer’s left ear. Fast forward a lot of years, and times have changed.
The International Society of Canine Cosmetologists has this to say on the subject, “Ear plucking may cause pathology. We only recommend plucking if the hair growth is excessive or there is an excessive buildup of ear wax. Normal ears with no clinical signs of infection should be left alone.”
Many veterinarians agree, and modern groomers are doing far less plucking than we did back in the day. Perhaps the best way to know how to proceed is to ask several of the veterinarians in your area for their opinion or have pet owners ask their own veterinarians and make a note of their preference in your files. Current wisdom says that when we pluck, we are leaving the hair follicles open and fungus and bacteria can get a foothold, causing infection.
Expressing Anal Sacs
Here’s another topic that groomers become divisive about; expressing anal sacs. As a new groomer in the ‘80’s, I was taught to empty the sacs on every single dog. And I did as I was told for many years. I didn’t like it—and the dogs certainly didn’t either. The current information on this smelly subject is that manually expressing these delicate structures may cause damage to the pets in the long run.
My current stance is that I don’t express unless specifically asked to by the owner, or in the rare instance that I notice the anal area is swollen. Even then, I use only the gentlest pressure, and if the sacs do not empty easily, I refer the pet to be seen by their veterinarian.
Dr. Daniel Dowling, (Camden Hospital for Animals, Camden, ME) says, “Groomers should express anal sacs close to never. Once you start doing it, there are often more troubles than if you let it go.”
Medications
Heartworm
Read about dosing schedules (every three months) at Terrierman's Daily Dose: The Billion Dollar Heartworm Scam.
Deworming
Read about deworming with Diatomaceous Earth at Wolf Creek Ranch.