Ear Problem :(

[jaclynariana]

Ok so yesterday I had a bichon come in matted to the skin. I had to use a 10 for the entire body and even that had oroblems going through. The ears were thick with matts so I shaved them out bathed him, dried him and put him in a kennel. So I go to get another dog to prep then bathe and I looked at the other one and saw that the ears were bleeding. My first thought was that I might have nicked the ears, but it was both ears. I took a damp towel to clear away the blood so I could see and there was no cuts! And he kept shaking his ears which the blood was on the tips. I put quick stop on it and it stoped. The dog is coming back today so I can finish it. But what in the world caused this poor baby's ears to bleed? Has anyone else had this happen? I want to avoid this ever happening again. I hope I didn't do anything wrong that I don't know about.

[Particentral]

http://groomwise.typepad.com/grooming_smarter/dematting_safely/

[workingchihuahua]

excellent article debi.

[cgriff]

Despite taking all precautions, that's happened to me twice. The owners were convinced that I had nicked the ears even when I explained the whole process. Needless to say, it's frustrating! I did call their vet in both cases to explain what happened in case the owner went in there complaining about what their groomer did to their dog. The vets were on my side!

[scullysmom]

I second that-awesome article

[bednbones]

Indeed

I will print it out and keep it for future reference and even to hand to clients before they leave when I notice matting to the ears.

Awesome article.

[Particentral]

excellent article debi.

Thank you Mary! It happens to everyone in good time and I was lucky enough to have my camera onhand when it did.

[jaclynariana]

thank you

I actually showed the article to my boss so I don't lose the commission. The lady came in and wanted her money back because I injured the dog and he was in such discomfort all night. My boss told her that she signed the matted pet release form and we didn't charge for dematting, so no dicounts for her. =) Now I now know how to try to prevent it next time. Well at least now I know I'm not the only one and I'm not to blame. =) Very well written and informative article. Thank you.

[Particentral]

Glad I could help. THat ear did that absolutely out of nowhere on a day that this was being discussed on this board so the timing was EERRY to say the least! Those things happen and it is not our fault that the owners neglected their pets!

[Helly]

Just be thankful all you had happen was the ears oozing blood. I had one (a Cocker) that had mats so tightly wrapped around the ear that when I clipped it the lower third of his ear literally fell off.

Luckily I worked for a vet, and went screeching into his office "Oh my God! Oh my God! Come look at this dog. Quick! Oh my God!" He checked them over and assured me it wasn't my fault. It was simply that the mats had cut off blood to the lower part of the ear that the tissue had died and all that was holding it on was the matted hair.

Talk about STINK!

[Particentral]

Just be thankful all you had happen was the ears oozing blood. I had one (a Cocker) that had mats so tightly wrapped around the ear that when I clipped it the lower third of his ear literally fell off.

Luckily I worked for a vet, and went screeching into his office "Oh my God! Oh my God! Come look at this dog. Quick! Oh my God!" He checked them over and assured me it wasn't my fault. It was simply that the mats had cut off blood to the lower part of the ear that the tissue had died and all that was holding it on was the matted hair.

Talk about STINK!

Yeah, thanks for remonding me of THAT incident at a breeders facility....USDA liscended place, inspector osite at the time no less! Sigh....I had effectively blocked that from my memory. I got sick the facility got quarantined and fined....

[caninecrazy]

Great article Debi! I have had this happen a couple times over the years and promptly called my vet to find the cause and then I put something together in writing to give clients with extremely matted ears. Yours is way better then mine, so I will print and use for those few unfortunates. Also vet, did not educate me on trying ice to slow down blood flow, although I love love the happy hoodies. I really appreciate the education as I don't ever want to turn matted dogs down because I feel they need attention pronto! The educational info from this site for my arsenal of defense against stupidity and ignorance is just astonding and makes me so happy and my job so much more rewarding.
Thanks