Chloe's Story

[Particentral]

http://groomwise.typepad.com/grooming_smarter/2010/02/chloes-story.html

This is a MUST READ for anyone and everyone who has a dryer with a heating element. There are two more installments coming later in the week.

This is a TRUE STORY. REAL PEOPLE. REAL INJURY!

It is time to question what we use and how we use it. Past time.

[Moonpiepoodlz]

That's HORRIBLE!
Is it her belly that's burned. I used a box fan yesterday for the first time to kennel dry a dog for a few before hand drying...worked wonderful! I couldn't believe at how well it worked and will be buying more for drying.

[mylady]

It is so sad. So preventable too. I'm trying to figure out how she got burned on her belly, unless it was a stand dryer pointed up through the bottom grate. Poor, poor thing.
Many years ago at a salon I worked at a groomer cooked a dog. I was a lowly apprentice at the time, I had gone to the grooming manager with my concerns because this groomer would put our Oster stand dryer on a cage and then cover the cage completely with towels! She said it was what they did at grooming school to get the dogs to dry faster. I thought it was dangerous, but my words fell on deaf ears until a Yorkie died. They sued and I remember the manager coming in and telling me she couldn't have killed the dog because they measured the temp on the dryer and it only got to 94 and the vet measured the dogs body temp at 105. I asked if they had measured the temp with a cage covered in towels and she looked stunned. I told her everything I knew, though I wasn't there the day it happened thankfully, and once I did they settled out of court for an undusclosed amount with a non-disclosure order.
Cage dryers with heating elements ARE an asset to our job when used properly, though I do not think they need to get as hot as most of them do. At my last job we had Edemco cage dryers and the manufacturers instructions were to set it at 90 degrees. I felt that was not safe and was constantly turning them down.
Poor, poor little dog.

[stewiedog]

I have worked at shops that use stand dryers as cage dryers, I personally never have, but it was normal policy at 2 places I worked at. I feel it is dangerous, and inhumane. I do on the other hand use an edemco "box" dryer. I am the ONLY groomer with no bather (i choose it be this way) I NEVER EVER, EVER turn the heat on, in fact when we had another groomer there her husband was an electricion and he disconnected any heating element. Even if someone turned the temp up, it would NEVER go on. I have dogs, that do not handle an HV even on low with no nozzle/defuser on it.
I don't like stand dryers although I have one, and again I NEVER turn the heat up. I VERY accidently dried out/burnt a dogs eye, while just trying to straighten the ears. I know what I am doing, and was standing there with the dog, brushing straight, and drying (a Cocker) with the dryer only set to 5 on the heat setting (edemco "white" stand dryer with the 6 legs) I didn't think anything was wrong,but she was bothering with her eye before her owner got there. When the vet diagnosed it I knew what it was from, since I NEVER put clippers near her face I did her "cheeks" with an 81/2 against, and scissored her whiskers (balck dog I don't like to shave whiskers on since in my Whippets it seemed to prematurly gray faces)
I am 100% OK with my box dryer only used on dogs that have a big problem even the "happy hoodie can't help (faces dried) If I do use my stand dryer it is never directly on, or towards the facel
I am very good about the time set on my "box" dryer, and as I said it has been disabled for heat even if it could get hot I NEVER turn the dial. I am also the ONLY one to touch it, and my bathing, drying, finishing, and ALL caging is in the same room
I know ALOT of you have a problem with this type of drying. I think in the RIGHT knowledgable hands it is actually the safest. All other types of "cage" dryers (*unless a reg box/floor fan) DO get hot,and in alot of cases are not monitored right. I use it as a "last" resort, and as I said only on dogs, who wont tolerate the HV be their face/head. I have had ALOT more problems with the "stand"/heated dryer than I have EVER had with my heat disconnected box dryer.

Oh and dogs that I know don't like to be dried too much, and NEED to be (certain poodle bichons, etc...) I wrap in towles and let "drip" for a bit so the drying is less, but I get the same "straightness" I woul if dried from wetter (wow great speakin'z I gotz there LOL)

[Raffyroo]

This is why I never ever use heated cage dryers, and avoid any cage dryers as much as possible. I have worked with others who, after being informed of the possible consequences, still ignore the fact that a heated cage dryer can hurt or even kill one of their dogs. It is very frustrating.

[Smart-n-Pretty]

This is why I never ever use heated cage dryers, and avoid any cage dryers as much as possible. I have worked with others who, after being informed of the possible consequences, still ignore the fact that a heated cage dryer can hurt or even kill one of their dogs. It is very frustrating.

So have I.

[Kifaru]

poor little thing. There was a Yorkie not too long ago who suffered dreadful burns on her back when she was placed on a heating pad during and/or after a C-section. This dog may well have been on a hot surface - even a wet towel in the crate can become scalding hot under a dryer.

[Fast Ellie]

In the 40 yrs that I've been involved with grooming I've seen several bad burns from dryers.

Two of the worst were from animal hospitals. One was a yorkie who had a perfect round scar from a cage dryer. The vet said it was from the antiseptic that was used to clean the stomach for surgery. Must have dripped down on the side. Yea right!

The other is a beautiful Pap that I do and thos Parti's pics are horrific this Pap's scars and pic of her burns are far worse. If you can believe it. The owner almost lost the dog to the burns.

When I had my shop no dryer was higher then medium heat and only on the big hairy dogs. All others were toweled and left in a cage with clean dry towels to drip dry until ready to be blown out.

Negilence is the culprit and someone who is in too much of a hurry to get done & out of the shop.

[Particentral]

It is her chest that is burned. HArd to tell from the picture I know. I will go back and specify that. Its like she was sitting in front of the dryer for a prolonged period of time.

Stewie, you made one of my points for me. Dryers, even in the best of hands, can cause injury BECAUSE they are made with a critical fault. THEY GET TOO HOT!

I had a long discussion the other day with another industry writer who is also doing a major article on this for a MAJOR publication. We are of the opinion that if it was a human appliance the Consumer Product Safety Commission would have issued a recall. Yet we can find no information on their website that says they even LOOK at these dryers!

Something needs to change.

[sittingpretty]

How terribly sad...that poor little dog, how will anyone get her groomed in the future? She may very well become too frightened!

I had a maltese that was severely burned after having a dental done at the vets office. When the procedure was finished he was placed in a crate on a towel which was on top of a heating pad...you guessed it, he was burned completely on the side he was laying on.

He came to me as a client after this had happened. He was older when we met, perhaps 9yr. old. He had NO HAIR on the left side of his body/ rib cage, just pink somewhat scarred skin. He was a bit of a handfull that 1st appt. I do not know if he was usually this uncooperative. I was definitely cautious of where his mouth (and teeth) were. I could never use my HV on him, even on low. I had to dry him with my edemco stand dryer on a low setting. (I do not cage cage dry except for two cockers that are afraid of the dryer, I use a box fan after removing as much wettnes as I can.)

He passed away a few months ago, we became friends and I could do pretty much anything he needed to have done. I always felt so bad for him, he was often a "grumpy old man" but I liked him none-the-less.

Bottom line here is that groomers are not the only ones using heat sources.


sittingpretty

[Debbiedogs]

Holy grossout!

Yes that is terrible, but I have questions.

How in the world could that dog get burned where the photos show and not elsewhere? Something here is not adding up to me...

Perhaps they were using something different than the usual drying procedures? Perhaps the dog was in such a teensy crate that it couldn't move away and just had high heat hitting her in that area??

Like I say, something does not add up here...

[furrybestjob]

Yorkies shouldn't have any kind of cage dryer on them in the first place. They're one of the breeds that shouldn't. Hand drying a yorkie is such a quick process anyone, I can't imagine why someone would feel the need to stick one in a cage with a dryer. If you wrap it in a towel for a couple of minutes it takes only a few minutes to dry.

[Particentral]

Debbie, I have seen photos from the groomers website that make me think that she was in a varikennel or small wire crate with the stand dryer blowing right there on her chest. I have seen this before or I might not believe it either. A snz at another shop almost died. TENS of thousands of dollars to get her healed. The culprit? A heated hair dryer blowing into a small stainless steel cage for who knows how long....and BTW a heating pad on low, or even a glove wfilled with hot water can cause contact burns of this magnitude.

My research says that water over 113F in constant contact with skin in anesthitized animals can cause thermal burns. If 113F can do it, what do you think 155F will do? SOME dryers get that hot. They list the temps on their specs!

It adds up if you wait to see the rest of my series. I have seen it. NEVER used a heated dryer other than a hand held or stand dryer on the table after seeing what happened to the snz. That was 12 or 13 years ago and it still traumatizes me. I used to own an Oster cage table dryer. It was only ever used with a box fan adding additional airflow, on medium and in open wire crates. These days I doubt I would even do that!

My consensus is if I wouldnt want to be in the room or cage with the dryer on ME then I dont want it on the dogs.

[Particentral]

Second installment in the series is up. I am discussing what types of cage dryers there are available. It is a bit simplistic for experienced groomers, but for clients or newbies, its a great start. Hope to have the third in the series up by the end of the weekend. If it eeps raining it might happen sooner!

http://groomwise.typepad.com/grooming_smarter/2010/02/what-are-cage-dryers.html