# Help!!! Puppy not acting herself after first grooming.



## Mia-Bee-Uh (Oct 3, 2012)

We have a 17 week old Shih Tzu whom we've had since she was 9 weeks old. She has always been a spunky little mischief maker who makes friends with everyone she meets. Two days ago we went to have her groomed for the first time. Her fur is basically an inch long now all around and her head and tail are still poofy so nothing to drastic happened.
She was gone for 4 hours and when I left her with them I told them not to cage dry and gave them a list of do's and don'ts thinking nothing bad would happen to MY puppy, and now I'm afraid I was wrong.

When I got home from work she was home already since my boyfriend picked her up and he said when he got her she was really happy and acting herself which was true ffor about an hour after we bought her home. Towards the evening she started walking in a "U" shape trying to get at her rear which I thought maybe it was just because it was more "exposed" but I dont think thats it. Also the whole day she was completely lethargic and sleepy.

Slowly she lost her apatite though however last night I got her to eat some wet food. Then yesterday she started acting even more unlike herself. Still totally letahrgic. She wouldnt follow us around the house. When she walked she would basically run with her tail in between her legs and try to sit ASAP then she would lay down and refuse to move. Also she's been willing going into her crate. Its normally a fight just to get her into it!! She doesnt want to lay on the bed with us anymore she just lays in corners now which is so not like her.

Also she isnt going potty she went once last night then around 6am she usually wakes me up with kisses begging to go out. Well its 8am and still she hasnt gone potty yet. I took her outside and she just sat there. Today she seems more lethargic. We're taking her to the vet since she had to go tomorrow for a shot we just bumped it up to today. Sorry this is so long im just completely freaking out! She still wont walk and if she tries she runs with her tail in between her legs and her head down.

Do you think something bad happened at the groomers and if so should I contact them and let them know?! I'm just so angry and scared for my puppy and ugh!


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## chubby (Aug 18, 2011)

Mia-Bee-Uh said:


> We have a 17 week old Shih Tzu whom we've had since she was 9 weeks old. She has always been a spunky little mischief maker who makes friends with everyone she meets. Two days ago we went to have her groomed for the first time. Her fur is basically an inch long now all around and her head and tail are still poofy so nothing to drastic happened.
> She was gone for 4 hours and when I left her with them I told them not to cage dry and gave them a list of do's and don'ts thinking nothing bad would happen to MY puppy, and now I'm afraid I was wrong.
> 
> When I got home from work she was home already since my boyfriend picked her up and he said when he got her she was really happy and acting herself which was true ffor about an hour after we bought her home. Towards the evening she started walking in a "U" shape trying to get at her rear which I thought maybe it was just because it was more "exposed" but I dont think thats it. Also the whole day she was completely lethargic and sleepy.
> ...


Could be a mix of both physical ailment and behavioural - next time, when you take her to the groomers, supervise them the entire time. I do this every time I go to a new groomer because you never know how they're really handling your dog. They tend to be nicer to Butters when I'm around


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## Catdancer (Apr 11, 2012)

You bet your furry butt I would be so freakin mad and scared if this were my dog. I would first call the vet and get in to see them ASAP and I would also call the groomer and nicely ask if anything unusual happened while my dog was there.


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## Mia-Bee-Uh (Oct 3, 2012)

Well we just got home from the vet and they said that she has a VERY bad ear infection. He showed us and deep in her ear canal was a lot of green gunk and he said he was surprised the groomer didn't mention it. She was fun up until the day of her grooming so he said either they caused it and it advanced very rapidly or they noticed it and chose not to say anything. So anyways it was a $112 visit to the vet. I dont know if I should even contact the groomer. I just feel so bad for her.


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## Catdancer (Apr 11, 2012)

Aww...poor baby. I would at least call the groomer and ask them if they saw the infection yesterday. 

Just your baby lots of love and cuddles. I hope she feels better soon!


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## Amaryllis (Dec 28, 2011)

Mia-Bee-Uh said:


> Well we just got home from the vet and they said that she has a VERY bad ear infection. He showed us and deep in her ear canal was a lot of green gunk and he said he was surprised the groomer didn't mention it. She was fun up until the day of her grooming so he said either they caused it and it advanced very rapidly or they noticed it and chose not to say anything. So anyways it was a $112 visit to the vet. I dont know if I should even contact the groomer. I just feel so bad for her.


Poor baby! Kabota had a nasty ear infection (same price tag, too) and he was feeling pretty icky, too. He got better quickly, though. 

I would say if the groomer didn't notice the ear infection, you need a new groomer. My groomer tells me every little thing she notices- little skin irritations, seeds caught in his fur, if his ears seems goopy, if he seems to be protective of one paw, etc. Maybe she's just covering her own ass (if she saw it while she was grooming, she obviously didn't cause it), but I appreciate it either way.

Definitely sit with her during the first groom. After that, show up randomly during grooms. My groomer is awesome, but she knows that I'll be showing up 30 minutes in, or an hour in or 45 minutes early.


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

A groomer cannot give a dog an ear infection. The whole water down in the ear thing isnt true, or the vets wouldnt have you pouring cleaner (which is mostly water) down into a dogs ear canal to clean ears. Even if water got in the ears, and you believe it is harmful, thats not going to happen in a few days. Whats likely is that there was an infection down in the ear canal, the groomer pulled the ear canal hair (as they should) and this caused enough irritation for the infection to get worse and cause discomfort to the dog. The rear end issues are likely because she is feeling a huge brreze on her once hair covered bum. That can be an awkward feeling for a dog that has never felt that before. Being tired and sleepy is normal after being groomed. That is alot of standing and mental stimulation that is sure to wear a puppy out especially for the rest of the day and even into the next day.
As a groomer, it really gets me angry that pet owners think groomers are animal abusers and mean to dogs. Does everyone really think we choose daily to get scratched, peed on, pooped on, sometimes bitten, and work with VERY sharp tools on dogs, the whole while trying to keep them still enough to do the job we are asked, safely, because we dont like dogs??? So many pet owners are leery of groomers, but think nothing of the vet, who is much more likely to be "meaner" to your dog, physically restrain, lay on them etc, to get their job done. A groomer needs a dog to stand, calmly while being groomed...so being "mean" is certainly not going to be helpful. But we are supposed to take your wiggly dogs, and groom them to your perfect stipulations, safely, and then if there is ever any issue, its the groomers fault. Sorry, just so tired of seeing this blame put on us. Are there bad groomers? Absolutely, just like anything. But that doesnt mean groomers are bad people and hurt dogs.

Btw, did the vet give your pup a vaccine? I hope not. Vaccines are CLEARLY labeled for HEALTHY dogs only! A dog with an ear infection is not healthy, and already is having an immune response to that. Add a vaccine (which causes an immune response) and you are drawing attention away from where it should be and compromising that dogs health even further, both immediately and long term.


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## cookieface (Jul 6, 2011)

Amaryllis said:


> Poor baby! Kabota had a nasty ear infection (same price tag, too) and he was feeling pretty icky, too. He got better quickly, though.
> 
> I would say if the groomer didn't notice the ear infection, you need a new groomer. *My groomer tells me every little thing she notices- little skin irritations, seeds caught in his fur, if his ears seems goopy, if he seems to be protective of one paw, etc. *Maybe she's just covering her own ass (if she saw it while she was grooming, she obviously didn't cause it), but I appreciate it either way.
> 
> Definitely sit with her during the first groom. After that, show up randomly during grooms. My groomer is awesome, but she knows that I'll be showing up 30 minutes in, or an hour in or 45 minutes early.


My groomers do the same thing. They've alerted us to oral lesions and infected follicles, told us how to care for flaky ear flaps, and generally given us great advice. Katie is always tired when she comes home from her grooming appointments.

I will say that Katie had an ear infection last fall. Her ears went from normal to "gross" (in the words of our vet) overnight. I'd suspect what occurred was similar to the scenario described by Graco22.


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## Tankstar (Dec 30, 2006)

I agree with graco. Why would a groomer work with dogs (and other animals) if they didnt like them and wanted to be mean. I personaly dont enjoy a daily mix of barking, biting, growling, peeong, pooing and anal glands on me. Not to mention the nasty zits, warts and toe nail warts Im asked to pop. Not to mntion a dog who acts like a fool on the table knocking over a clipper (200 bucks) and braking it or even a 50 dollar blade. What I can not stand at all, is owners who just show up. Most annoying this ever. it does nothing more then get the animal, AND other animals in the shop all riled up. I once had a owner talk through our window at her dog. I had to take her dog to the back to finish the groom as it was so riled up and made it dangerous to groom her.


Im sorry opp topic.

She probably feels more air on her bum its prob a strange feeling to having a covered bum to now a naked butt. As for the groomer not noticing the infection. it happens we are groomers, not vets and dont know and see evey single problem. I do my best to right down any aliments I see, but Im sure I have missed some too, we are only human. My question is, if the ear infecton was so bad, why did you as a owner not see it on your dog you see daily? easy to point fingers...


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## Mia-Bee-Uh (Oct 3, 2012)

Graco22 said:


> A groomer cannot give a dog an ear infection. The whole water down in the ear thing isnt true, or the vets wouldnt have you pouring cleaner (which is mostly water) down into a dogs ear canal to clean ears. Even if water got in the ears, and you believe it is harmful, thats not going to happen in a few days. Whats likely is that there was an infection down in the ear canal, the groomer pulled the ear canal hair (as they should) and this caused enough irritation for the infection to get worse and cause discomfort to the dog. The rear end issues are likely because she is feeling a huge brreze on her once hair covered bum. That can be an awkward feeling for a dog that has never felt that before. Being tired and sleepy is normal after being groomed. That is alot of standing and mental stimulation that is sure to wear a puppy out especially for the rest of the day and even into the next day.
> As a groomer, it really gets me angry that pet owners think groomers are animal abusers and mean to dogs. Does everyone really think we choose daily to get scratched, peed on, pooped on, sometimes bitten, and work with VERY sharp tools on dogs, the whole while trying to keep them still enough to do the job we are asked, safely, because we dont like dogs??? So many pet owners are leery of groomers, but think nothing of the vet, who is much more likely to be "meaner" to your dog, physically restrain, lay on them etc, to get their job done. A groomer needs a dog to stand, calmly while being groomed...so being "mean" is certainly not going to be helpful. But we are supposed to take your wiggly dogs, and groom them to your perfect stipulations, safely, and then if there is ever any issue, its the groomers fault. Sorry, just so tired of seeing this blame put on us. Are there bad groomers? Absolutely, just like anything. But that doesnt mean groomers are bad people and hurt dogs.
> 
> Btw, did the vet give your pup a vaccine? I hope not. Vaccines are CLEARLY labeled for HEALTHY dogs only! A dog with an ear infection is not healthy, and already is having an immune response to that. Add a vaccine (which causes an immune response) and you are drawing attention away from where it should be and compromising that dogs health even further, both immediately and long term.


First off I didn't say anything about the groomer abusing her. I just said what the vet said. That either A) The groomer didnt tell us about it if it was there already, or B) Getting her ears cleaned caused her double ear infection. I never BLAMED it on the groomer its just something that she could have caused on accident and the reason I would contact her is just to see if she did clean her ears. Goodness. I'm not sure where that lecture came from. And of course she didn't get the shot since she has a double ear infection. I'm not sure why you and Tankstar are so angry. I didn't even hate on the groomer lol..


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## Mia-Bee-Uh (Oct 3, 2012)

Tankstar said:


> I agree with graco. Why would a groomer work with dogs (and other animals) if they didnt like them and wanted to be mean. I personaly dont enjoy a daily mix of barking, biting, growling, peeong, pooing and anal glands on me. Not to mention the nasty zits, warts and toe nail warts Im asked to pop. Not to mntion a dog who acts like a fool on the table knocking over a clipper (200 bucks) and braking it or even a 50 dollar blade. What I can not stand at all, is owners who just show up. Most annoying this ever. it does nothing more then get the animal, AND other animals in the shop all riled up. I once had a owner talk through our window at her dog. I had to take her dog to the back to finish the groom as it was so riled up and made it dangerous to groom her.
> 
> 
> Im sorry opp topic.
> ...


The reason I didn't see it before is because nothing was wrong with her before. Once again I am not pointing fingers. Once again I just said what the vet told me. No need to get so butthurt over something so silly. Like I also said its most likely that when the groomer cleaned her ears it happened and quickly advanced over two days. I never said anything about the groomer so I'm not sure where this all came from. I came here asking for help, sorry since that apperently makes me a bad dog owner? I guess I won't be using this board every again. Way to much unnecessary hostility.


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

Wasnt directed at you, but at others' comments about groomers. This post is just one of manythat I have read on this board where the groomer gets the shaft for something thats not their job anyway. Sorry, I wasnt clear on that. I was having a bad nite I guess and just exploded. No hurt feelings meant. Glad the vet didnt vax ur dog anyway. Unfortunately most vets would have, without blinking an eye.


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## fantasticpoodle (Oct 6, 2012)

The groomer should have alerted you about the ear infection and maybe she meant to but forgot. A quick call would have let you know before you went to the vet. Its good you took care of it right away and didnt automatically blame the groomer. Dont give up posting here....I am a groomer and sometimes we get a little touchy....you know the whole artist thing....but nearly all of us love dogs and work really hard to give them great care, even to educate owners to help their own dogs. It does get very frustrating and disheartning at times when a very few groomers spoil our reputations for being the caring pet professionals that we are.


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## Boleyn (Aug 25, 2008)

Tankstar said:


> What I can not stand at all, is owners who just show up. Most annoying this ever. it does nothing more then get the animal, AND other animals in the shop all riled up. I once had a owner talk through our window at her dog. I had to take her dog to the back to finish the groom as it was so riled up and made it dangerous to groom her.


I hate that as well. Many people don't believe it but dogs often behave so much better for grooming when the owner is not there. Some people will get snippy and not book if you don't allow them to stay. It's not because I want to beat your dog, it's because I want to do my job safely and effectively.


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## fantasticpoodle (Oct 6, 2012)

Boleyn said:


> I hate that as well. Many people don't believe it but dogs often behave so much better for grooming when the owner is not there. Some people will get snippy and not book if you don't allow them to stay. It's not because I want to beat your dog, it's because I want to do my job safely and effectively.


I solved this in my shop years ago as all my grooming was done in the front and owners couldnt understand why I woulnt let them stay and watch. I made a very short video of a perfectly behaving dog on the table getting groomed and then let the owner come in and the dog started bouncing and jumping and whining. Also filmed the dogs in their cages watching tv or snoozing in their cuddle beds and then a stranger walks in and they all started barking and jumping. Showed to customers on a small tv in the shop if they ever got the idea that it was always that way or wanted to stay and watch. Whole video was about a minute and a half. Stopped all problems with that as they could immediatly see the difference.


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## GroovyGroomer777 (Aug 21, 2008)

Graco22 said:


> A groomer cannot give a dog an ear infection. The whole water down in the ear thing isnt true, or the vets wouldnt have you pouring cleaner (which is mostly water) down into a dogs ear canal to clean ears. Even if water got in the ears, and you believe it is harmful, thats not going to happen in a few days. Whats likely is that there was an infection down in the ear canal, the groomer pulled the ear canal hair (as they should) and this caused enough irritation for the infection to get worse and cause discomfort to the dog. The rear end issues are likely because she is feeling a huge brreze on her once hair covered bum. That can be an awkward feeling for a dog that has never felt that before. Being tired and sleepy is normal after being groomed. That is alot of standing and mental stimulation that is sure to wear a puppy out especially for the rest of the day and even into the next day.
> As a groomer, it really gets me angry that pet owners think groomers are animal abusers and mean to dogs. Does everyone really think we choose daily to get scratched, peed on, pooped on, sometimes bitten, and work with VERY sharp tools on dogs, the whole while trying to keep them still enough to do the job we are asked, safely, because we dont like dogs??? So many pet owners are leery of groomers, but think nothing of the vet, who is much more likely to be "meaner" to your dog, physically restrain, lay on them etc, to get their job done. A groomer needs a dog to stand, calmly while being groomed...so being "mean" is certainly not going to be helpful. But we are supposed to take your wiggly dogs, and groom them to your perfect stipulations, safely, and then if there is ever any issue, its the groomers fault. Sorry, just so tired of seeing this blame put on us. Are there bad groomers? Absolutely, just like anything. But that doesnt mean groomers are bad people and hurt dogs.
> 
> Btw, did the vet give your pup a vaccine? I hope not. Vaccines are CLEARLY labeled for HEALTHY dogs only! A dog with an ear infection is not healthy, and already is having an immune response to that. Add a vaccine (which causes an immune response) and you are drawing attention away from where it should be and compromising that dogs health even further, both immediately and long term.


 Wow graco, thank you for this post. Whether or not it applies to the op I think it really needed to be said. It summed up the feelings of most groomers in a nutshell.


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