"God will prepare everything for our perfect happiness in heaven, and if it takes my dog being there, I believe he'll be there."
~ Billy Graham
Being a passionate and eccentric dog lover, I cringe and my heart hurts when I read about or hear bad things happening to a dog, beloved pet, or abandoned stray.
I am compelled to educate people about man’s best friend whenever I have an opportunity.
Many of the health issues with a pet dog are attributed to the ignorance of dog owner… and there is way too much ignorance. Much of it is perpetuated by misinformation and advertising. Much of it is just simply the owner not being educated, compassionate, responsible and properly caring for a life that totally depends on the owner for health, happiness and survival.
A dog has the same emotional intelligence and cognition as a 2-1/2 year old human child… think about that.
Pet groomers are one of the most dangerous exposures to a dog. They will do things to a dog during grooming that is totally ignorant of the facts regarding a dog’s physiology. For example, proper bathing and drying a dog is critically important. A dog can be drowned in a matter of minutes if water is squirted into the nose and lungs. If a hot a dryer temperature is used, a dog will over heat and can die in a matter of minutes.
PetsMart was recently, again, in the news for killing two dogs by their groomers. Petsmart is one the most dangerous place you can take a dog for long list of reasons. The Petsmart here recently exposed several dogs to the Parvo virus.
Back to groomers and their ignorance…. Many will tell you all kinds of things about what they think they know. Most have no official certification, no formal training. Most States do not require any kind of grooming license.
It’s common for an ignorant groomer to do anal gland expressions (externally pressing with their fingers on the two anal glands to squeeze out the anal fluid from two tiny sacs). It's not uncommon for them to rupture the sac and now cause a major issue with infection and extreme pain to the dog. Unless there is a problem with a dog’s anal glands, LEAVE THEM ALONE! If there is problem, the dog will tell by scooching his butt, biting and licking at his hind end, or you can feel bumps on his hind end near and just below his anus about at about 4 and 8 o’clock. If a dog has an overly filled gland, TAKE THEM TO A VET AND HAVE THEM DO AN INTERNAL CHECK AND EXPRESSION.
The other thing that ignorant groomers will do is literally pull the hair out of inside of dog’s ears. Unless the breed is known for ear infections and need diligent care (some floppy eared dogs), or the dog develops an ear problem. LEAVE THE HAIR INSIDE THE EARS ALONE!
Ignorant groomers will tell you that anal express and pulling the hair out of the inside of dog’s ear is part of the normal grooming… BRAVO SIERRA!
Now, not all groomers are ignorant. My groomer of 17 years was a Vet Tech before starting her dog grooming business. She now has returned to school to become a Veterinarian.
Food, diet, and veterinary procedures are other topics that should be thoroughly understood by a pet owner… and unfortunately, lots of misinformation and ignorance can be found.
I have very strong and emphatic opinions based upon the past 10 years of owning, studying and researching dogs.
If, by sharing my opinion and knowledge, I can save one, just one, dog from torture, pain, or unnecessary termination of its life, or possibly saved by adoption for a better rest of its life, it will be worth it to me.
Gnarls.
