The Challenge of Grooming Arthritic Dogs
Dog's feel the pain of old age just like us. If you are over the age of 50, you know what I mean. It HURTS to lift your legs to put on a pair of pantyhose and it hurts to stand and walk for a long time. Aleve, Motrin, Aspirin and prescription drugs help us get thru our days without unbearable pain. We might also have to take vitamins and supplements to give us and EXTRA BOOST. But we have to admit, it takes us longer to accomplish certain tasks .THEN we are worn out and need a nap afterward.
Grooming dogs with Arthritis is certainly a challenge as well. If they feel pain, they get unusually cranky at having their hair fussed with. My job is to make them as comfortable and as relaxed as I possibly can. Then I try to fly thru the groom to make it as fast as possible. The more relaxed they feel, the calmer the pet, which in turn leads to a better groom.
Let me give you 2 examples.
2 identical golden retrievers. Both 11 years old, partially deaf and blind and both have hip and elbow dysplasia.
Rocky, the male is 20 lbs overweight. He constantly sniffs out food and his owners indulge him "because he's old". He walks into the grooming salon and heads straight for the big walk-in shower and PLOPS down. Just that amount of walking is exhausting for him. So we soak him down in VERY warm water. It feels good to loosen the joints and soak the muscles. The shampoo is massaged in for 10 minutes, then rinsed and done all over again. Rocky can barely keep his eyes open. It feels so good to him! He gets brushed while lathered & wet to loosen up as much dead fur as possible...then the conditioner is poured out and let soak. All the while his legs, shoulders, hips, skull and ribcage are being massaged with firm yet not heavy hands.
Here comes the hard part! "Come on Rocky, you gotta stand up and rinse off. Up to this point, Rocky is allowed to lie down and stretch out. He feels so relaxed that he's almost catatonic." Rocky does not want to stand up. But in order to rinse all the products out of his fur, he has to be in the standing position for about 5 minutes....then he has to get his belly area dried. THEN he can relax in a cage with quilts and towels to blot up the moisture that seeps downward. He is surrounded by so much warm air and high velocity fans that its hard to keep his eyes open. So he sleeps soundly for about 1 hour and then we bring him out to the grooming room for the last phase of the groom. His fur is 100% dry. Any remaining moisture close to the skin causes dogs to STINK again.
He is helped up onto the padded table and pumped up to a comfortable grooming height. His hip area is supported by a wide leather strap (like a horse's girth strap) AND the front half is supported by a collar that is hooked at the back of the neck AND the throat latch...so no choking is involved. Now that he's hooked up and ready, lets begin the groom.
I will lift up a back paw to shave the hair inside the foot pads. Rocky begins to tremble and shake the table. WHY? He feels off balance using only 3 legs to stand on. Arthritic dogs feel more pain when they are off balance. They have a fear of falling as well. So I pet him and reassure him by my hands that he is OK. The straps are doing most of the work for me of holding him securely.
I go around the dog several times, repeating steps such as doing all the pads, all the nails, brushing and combing, then de-shedding and furminating, cleaning both ears, checking for stray hairs, doing a hair cut if requested and all the while doing quickly and efficiently and walking around that table about 30 times. Sometimes I aim warm air at the neck area as I work. They seem hypnotized by the soft hum of the dryer motor and the warm air relaxes them further. I also check for warts, tumors, ear infections and skin irritations as I go thru the coat inch by inch. This dog is done. Its hair looks and feels shiny and soft, it smells good all over including the under-tail area. Its ready for cologne and a bandanna. Put his collar back on and he's ready to wait for his family to pick him up.
He is old but he's normal for that age of dog. He really needs to go on a diet to lose some weight and he'd do much better. His skin is fine and he needs no further professional help from a veterinarian.
RUBY the female golden retriever is a different story. She is on the thin side...about 50 lbs. She was hit by a car when she was 4 years old and her back leg was broken. Both of her parents were diagnosed with hip dysplasia and she most likely inherited that, as well. She has good days running and playing and other days when she can barely get up off the hardwood floors. She has virtually no traction in her house and feels better when she's walking on carpeting or grass. Her toe nails have grown so long that her feet look like duck-feet....her toes are spread wide apart and the nails curl like talons.
When Ruby comes into the salon, she immediately balks and won't walk on her own. Her owners are dragging her and they feel embarrassed that she's behaving so badly. She's very scared and starts to urinate all over, laying down in her wet mess.
This poor baby needs my help immediately. She can't take another step so I go get a blanket and lay her on the blanket and then drag it by its corners into the back where the shower is. Slowly I help her into the shower and lay her on the rubber bath mat and I begin clipping those toenails right away. As I begin soaking her down with a warm waterfall, the look in her eyes begins to soften. I rub her down with shampoo and I can feel scabs and crust all over her spine and lower hip area. As I start shampooing and scrubbing that area with my fingernails, she starts twitching her back leg. This area has been bothering her for a very long time. The crust is 1/4 " thick and is flaking off as I scratch it. I let the 1st shampoo ex foliate the dead skin, the second bath is medicated and helps further loosed the crust and crud. I help her stand up on all four feet and as I run my hands down her legs, I can feel how swollen her ankle joints are. Now that she's soaking wet, I can see the deformity in her back legs and that her back is swayed and her front feet turn out. This poor old girl's skeleton is like a deformed bag of bones. No wonder it hurts her to walk.
I can tell that she's going to be more difficult to groom because she is 100 times stiffer than Rocky. She needs to be dried by hand on the floor. If I put her in a cage to dry like Rocky, she'll curl into a tight ball and never dry. So we spread out thick pads, quilts and towels on the floor and lay her down. We aim warm air dryers right on her skin and brush each area till dry. We do the entire body on both sides in this manner and she dries quickly and thoroughly. We know that our time is limited because her pain level is higher than Rocky's. We must work fast or she will poop out on us. Even worse, she might start baring her teeth, telling us that she is DONE and can't take another brush stroke.
We sympathize with these type of dogs. Its tough being old and stiff as a board. The legs don't lift and bend, the back can't move like it used to....BUT the dog is filthy, smelly, shedding, and it needs groomed right up till the end. At this point, I ask pet owners to lower their expectations. My MAIN goal is to make the skin super clean, the fur is de-shedded and the nails are trimmed. YES, there will be hair sticking out here and there, but I WILL NOT make an old dog endure too much grooming. ONLY if the dog can physically endure it will I continue with the scissors and clippers. I do WHAT I CAN as long as the pet is still tail wagging and happy about everything. When the dog had had enough, I quit.
When the pet goes home, its up to you to see that your pet continues to be as comfortable as possible. Here are 5 tips that will help your senior dog feel better.
Things you will need to buy
- Glucosamine chondroitin
- Fish oil capsules
- Ester-C
- Yogurt
- Scale
- Heated dog bed
- Kuranda bed
- Buffered aspirin - 325 mg
- Cheese (optional)
- Lunchmeat (optional)
Step 1
Start a daily supplement regimen. Make sure your dog gets glucosamine chondroitin, fish oil, and vitamin C every day for optimum joint health. Most dogs will eat the pills if you mix them and a spoonful or two of plain yogurt into their breakfast. The calcium in the yogurt is also good for aging bones.Step 2
Keep the extra pounds off. It's true for us and it's true for our dogs--extra body weight means extra stress (and pain) on arthritic joints. Check with your veterinarian to see if your is packing a few too many pounds and mutually agree on a healthy plan to help your dog slim down. Commit to the plan, for the sake of your dog.Step 3
Stretch the joints. Unless your dog really cannot move without intense pain, try to take him on at least a short walk around the block daily. Many people--and dogs--note a drop in arthritis pain if their joints are gently stretched every day.Step 4
Make her sleeping space comfortable. Warmth makes arthritic bones feel better, so consider buying a heated dog bed for your old friend, especially if the winters are particularly cold where you live. Many dog owners have also reported that Kuranda beds seemed to provide some comfort to their arthritic dogs. Kuranda beds hang from a frame, so the dog is basically sleeping on air--rather like a taut hammock.Step 5
Administer aspirin as needed. When your dog is having a really painful day, give him a 325 mg buffered aspirin. You can wrap the aspirin in a piece of cheese or lunchmeat to make it go down easier.
NOTE: TYLENOL, ALEVE AND ADVIL ARE POISONOUS TO DOGS. GIVE ASPIRIN ONLY
I have to mention the side effects of any type of pain reliever, whether its Rimadyl or Metacam from your vet OR something that seems as harmless as an aspirin can be harmful.
1. ALWAYS give it with food. Not just a tiny cheese cube. You want the food to surround the pill in the stomach.
2. Use it for as short a period as possible.
3. Give it 1-2 hours BEFORE a grooming appointment to lessen stiffness in joints if you want a really nice groom. The less pain there is, the longer window of opportunity to do a nice, completely thorough groom.
4. If you don't give it before grooming, you may want to give something AFTER before the dog's bedtime to lessen morning stiffness. Those arms and legs get a workout that the dog is not used to. They are bent or lifted to get under armpits and foot pads.
WHEN IS IT TOO OLD TO GROOM?
I can't do dogs who are totally incontinent. What's the point? I WILL do them but they don't stay clean very long. The urine burns the skin and the feces cakes and also burns the skin. Those poor dogs need more than grooming help. They need veterinary assistance.
I can't do dogs with hundreds of warts and moles. I can BATHE them but I can't give haircuts without nicking them. As careful and slow as I go, I still will hit one. Its like mowing long grass with land mines. Its almost inevitable that your're gonna cause bleeding.
I can't style cute faces on dogs that have painfully rotten teeth. They will NOT let me put my hands anywhere near their head because their head is throbbing with teeth and gum infections. If you get the teeth pulled and cleaned, I can groom their faces like normal. DOGS IN PAIN WILL BITE ME! I don't want bitten by gnarly yellowish-brown, green teeth and foul smelling saliva. Its not worth any amount of money to me. Cure the mouth and then call me.
I want you to know that I can and I will groom any dog of any age. I know what I am doing and I have the facilities to let the dog be comfortable. There is an extra cost to do this type of dog. I have to focus on your dog ALONE and not take other clients at the same time. My rate is $55 an hour. Most dogs take well under 2 hours. For instance, a crippled schnauzer might take 45 minutes to an hour. I make special time slots for this type of groom, so let me know well in advance that you have a "special-needs" pet and we'll find a time that is most convenient for you. I can do a Sunday afternoon if you really want privacy and quietness for your pet.
Links to articles on elderly dogs
poems
GLUCOSAMINE for DOGS
WHAT ABOUT CONDROIDTIN AS WELL?
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SENIOR DOGS
TOP 10 TIPS FOR SENIOR DOGS
