Common Dog Grooming Accidents and How to Avoid Them!

Dog grooming is essential to enhance a dog’s health and well-being. But it must be done correctly to avoid accidents and injuries to the dog and the groomer. It is vital to ensure that your dog is in the right state of mind for a grooming session. Ensuring that the dog is calm and relaxed allows the groomer to work on it correctly and quickly, reducing incidences of dog grooming accidents.

Additionally, the dog groomer must be well-trained or have some sort of dog grooming experience. They should also have the right tools and equipment, like clippers, brushes, etc., to do quality work. The groomer should also wear protective clothing such as dog grooming shoes, an apron, gloves, among others. This ensures that they are well protected during the dog grooming sessions.

Keep reading to learn more about dog grooming accidents and how to avoid them.

Common Dog Grooming Accidents

Nicks and Scrapes

These are common injuries that may happen during dog grooming. Nicks and scrapes are tiny cuts caused by sharp objects like clippers, scissors, or razors. It can happen when the dog kicks or jerks during the session. Nicks and scrapes are common when working on a dog with bumps under the coat or matted fur. You can avoid injuries by ensuring that the dog remains calm during the dog grooming session. Also, inspecting the coat before grooming can also help you to be careful if the dog has bumps like moles, warts, or scans under the fur.

Razor Burns

Razor burn is another injury that can happen during a dog grooming session. This injury happens when the fur is shaved too close to the skin. It can also happen when you or the dog groomer uses the wrong blade on clippers. Using a blunt blade or too hot blade can also cause razor burn on your dog. Razor burns mainly affect areas such as under the tail, under the armpits, groin areas, underneath paws between the webbing and the vulva area on a female dog.

You can avoid razor burns by using the right blade on the clippers and avoiding shaving too close to the skin. Also, avoid shaving your dog with a hot blade. Keep checking the blade and when it gets too hot, let it cool before you resume.

Brush Burns

Brush burn is almost similar to razor burn, only that it is caused by overbrushing a dog’s coat. Also, using the wrong brush during grooming can cause brush burns. This injury can affect dogs with a double coat as well as those with thin coats. You or the dog groomer can avoid brush burns by using the right brush and avoiding brushing the same area repeatedly.

Broken or Bleeding Nails

During nail clipping, it is easy for nails to break down, especially if they have overgrown. The nail can break off badly, leading to bleeding. Also, you can cut the quick during nail trimming, which will lead to pain and some bleeding. You can avoid quicking by being extra careful during nail clipping and using a nail grinder instead of a nail clipper. Also, you should ensure that your dog’s nails are trimmed regularly to avoid overgrown and breaking nails during grooming.

Eye Irritation

During dog grooming, you or the dog groomer have to use shampoos and other cleansing products. During bathing, the shampoo or soapy water can easily get into the dog’s eyes, causing irritations. You can prevent this accident by being careful and ensuring the dog is calm through the bathing or grooming session.

Slip and Fall

This is one of the main dog grooming accidents that affect the groomer. If a groomer doesn’t have the right pair of dog grooming shoes and is working on a slippery floor, a slip-and-fall accident is likely to happen. So grooming should happen in a safe place with a mat, and the groomer should wear the right pair of shoes.

How to Avoid Dog Grooming Accidents

• Get some training – If you don’t have dog grooming training and experience, you should not attempt to groom your dog. If you do, you will likely cause dog grooming accidents that could be costly to you and harm the dog.
• Hire a professional dog groomer – If you want your dog to be groomed correctly and safely, you should hire an experienced dog groomer. You can take your dog to a grooming store or contact a mobile or in-home dog groomer to work on your dog while at home. Professionals know how to handle dogs and are trained on how to groom dogs, minimizing the chances of dog grooming accidents and injuries.
• Use the right tools – Proper tools go a long way in preventing dog grooming injuries and accidents. For instance, if you use the correct blade on the clipper, you will minimize the chances of razor burns. So invest in dog grooming tools or hire an experienced groomer with all the necessary tools and equipment to groom your pooch.
• Start grooming your dog when it is still young – If you start grooming your dog when it is young, that will minimize aggressive behavior during grooming when the dog grows up. Also, train your dog so that it becomes easy to control during grooming sessions.
• Before grooming, inspect the dog’s coat – Before you start bathing and grooming your dog, it is essential to inspect the dog’s coat for potential injuries, matts, warts, and wounds. This will allow you to have a safe plan to groom the pet without harming it.

Matting Burns Dogs

If your dog has thick matts, it is likely to have matting burns when shaved too close to the skin. If you brush the same matted area over and over again, you will likely cause brush burn. You can avoid matted burns during brushing or grooming by brushing your dog’s fur more often. This will also reduce the incidence of nicks and scrapes.

Dog Razor Burns

Razor burns are common when one uses a blunt or hot blade repeatedly to shave a specific area of a dog’s coat. But you can avoid this issue by using a well-sharpened blade. If the blade gets too hot, let it cool first before you continue shaving the dog.

Common Dog Grooming Injuries

Many injuries can happen to a dog during grooming. The common injuries include:

• Razor burns
• Brush burns
• Nicks, scrapes, and bruises
• Eye irritation
• Broken and quicked nails
• Bleeding nails
• Skin and eye irritation

Dog Eye Discharge After Grooming

Some dogs can produce eye discharge after grooming. This can be due to eye irritation if the shampoo or soapy water gets into the dog’s eyes. You can prevent this discharge by preventing soapy water from getting into the dog’s eyes. Also, proper rinsing can play a key role in preventing eye irritation.

My Dog Got Nicked at Groomer

It is easy for a dog to be nicked during grooming. It can happen if the dog has matts or bumps on the skin. Nicks or cuts can also happen if the dog kicks, moves unexpectedly or when the dog is too aggressive. So the groomer should ensure that the dog is calm and relaxed during grooming. Also, note that a professional groomer will do the job correctly, ensuring that your dog is not nicked during the grooming process.

Dog Limping After Grooming

A dog can limp after grooming if it had overgrown nails that were trimmed. Also, if the dog’s paws were injured during nail clipping or grooming, your dog is likely to limp. Another cause of dog limping after grooming is broken nails. Your dog may feel some pain or even bleed due to broken nails.

Dog Uncomfortable After Grooming

A dog may feel uncomfortable if the groomer uses the wrong shampoo or cleansing products on its coat. Some products can cause irritation on the dog’s skin leading to itching. Additionally, if the dog was nicked, injured, or got razor burns, it may feel uneasy after grooming.

Dog Skin Irritation After Grooming

If a dog has sensitive skin and a groomer uses harsh shampoos or bathing products with harsh chemicals on them, your dog may experience skin irritation after grooming. It is essential to consult your vet to know which dog shampoos can work on your dog’s coat without causing irritation. Also, a professional dog groomer will know which products to use on sensitive skin.

Dog Grooming Danger Zones

Generally, dog grooming should be a seamless process without injuries or danger. But we can say accidents do happen when working on certain areas such as nails, under the armpits, under the paws, under the tail, groin area, and around the vulvar area (for female dogs).

Dog Itchy After Grooming

A dog can feel itchy after grooming for a number of reasons. First of all, we can say that if the dog isn’t cleaned and rinsed properly, it is likely to feel itchy. Additionally, the use of harsh dog shampoos or bathing products can cause itching in dogs.

Dog Razor Burn Treatment

If your dog got razor burn during grooming, you can treat the condition by applying an aloe vera ointment on the affected area. Alternatively, you can bathe the dog with an oatmeal product or apply an antibiotic ointment. If the razor burn is too painful, you can take your dog to a vet for examination and treatment.

How to Relieve Dog Itching After Grooming

If your dog itches too much after grooming, a groomer should administer a medicated anti-itch bath using medicated shampoo. Alternatively, they can apply a medicated cream or spray to soothe and relieve the itching.

Dog Licking Paws After Grooming

Your dog can lick paws after grooming if they feel some discomfort or some itching. You can prevent this by cleaning the paws correctly and removing any foreign materials. Additionally, you should clip the nails properly.

Bumps on Dog Skin After Grooming

Bumps on dog skin after grooming are commonly caused by post-grooming furunculosis – a skin infection. This condition affects the hair follicles causing pimples or bumps on the skin. The infection can be a result of excessive grooming, skin irritation, or contaminated grooming products.

Final Words

Dog grooming is important in keeping your dog clean, healthy, and happy. But it must be done properly to avoid dog grooming accidents. You can avoid such injuries or accidents if you take your dog to a professional dog groomer or invite an in-home groomer to work on your pet. Alternatively, you can take several dog grooming courses, and you will be good at grooming your dog.