I came across this woman's blog,i assume she's a groomer, if you scroll down a bit there is a story about the dangers of heated cage and stand dryers,but BEWARE:there are graphic images of dogs that were burnt on their bellies.she also has some good to know info on other pages of her blog
this is her blog, not sure if it's ok to post some strangers blog link ?
Grooming Smarter: Health & Safety
what i found most interesting that i think people need to be more aware of is her article on the same page down at the bottom more is about proper Cleaning, Disinfecting and Sterilization. i learned this in hair school, so when i saw the state of a local grooming shop here, i was floored at how much it was lacking of any of this.so i just googled it and was looking into it, then i relalized... there is not really association that oversees dog groomers, that make sure proper procedures are followed and they know proper ways to disinfect, i'm not even sure if you need a license to groom?at least here in this part of canada, which i think one day you should have to. theres so much they can spread between pets and damage they can do to pets. i'm sure most people here have great groomers, but i thought i'd post this just in case.i disinfect my tools between my human clients, so they should be doing that between their animal clients ..
and for those who don't want to click on the link due to the graphic pictures,heres the part from her blog about proper disinfecting at groomers :
"Disinfecting by definition: the killing of most microbial life that can lead to infection in humans—such as Influenza, Staphylococcus, HIV/AIDS, Herpes, Salmonella and Hepatitis. This can be achieved by using a chemical disinfectant or a tool like a UV sanitizer.
It is almost impossible to disinfect or sanitize a dirty item. You can kill the germs involved but you will still have dirt, grime and the like if you do not clean the items first.
I see all the time where people say they use Barbicide to clean. Well, no, you didn't. It is NOT a cleaner! It is, according to it's own website FAQ section a disinfectant to be used AFTER cleaning. From the label:
BEAUTY/BARBER
INSTRUMENTS AND TOOLS: Thoroughly clean brushes,
combs, clipper blades, shears, razors, and other
inanimate hard surfaced non-porous tools and implements
prior to complete immersion for 10 minutes (or as required
by local authorities) in a solution as prepared above.
If you fail to clean the items first you are not effectively disinfecting your tools.
Now, I am not a fan of Barbicide. I know it can damage our equipment, especially non stainless metals. I use a cleansing alcohol and peroxide to disinfect my equipment. I wash everything off in soapy water, quite often in my tub after a day of grooming using my left over shampoo. Rinse, Dry. Then spray with alcohol. In between dogs, I remove hair and spritz with my alcohol.
NOW we have the word STERILIZE. In most cases this term DOES NOT apply to grooming tools. When an item is sterlized, generally cold or heat autoclave units are used. They are used to kill 100% of all organic micro organisms. This is needed in surgical situations but it is not needed nor is it practical in grooming tools. Once an item is removed from a sterile packet or uv sterilizer, it is no longer sterile.
Since we are not using our tools inside an animal there is no reason to sterilize our equipment.
Another issue I see all the time is people not using their disinfectants correctly. You cannot simply spray a surface down and wipe it off. You MUST allow it to stay in contact (wet) with the cleaned surface for the amount of time specified on the label of the product. Barbicide states a ten mi nute contact is needed. Bleach usually kills many things on contact but for stubborn bacteria and viruses it takes ten minutes. Parvasol? Ten minutes. Chlorhexidine? 15 minutes. Nolvasan? Again 15 minutes.
I have even seen vets spray down a table, wipe it down and then get upset when I put my own towel down but I do it anyway. I just dont trust their cleaning!
Now, Peroxide based disinfectants are faster. 30 seconds to one minute! Alcohol requires ten minutes.
If you simply spray and then dry with a cloth you are accomplishing nothing. You must allow the surface to stay wet for the required time or you are not actually disinfecting.
If you do not clean the items first you are wasting your time.
Make sure you are actually disinfecting items correctly! Otherwise you are not only wasting time and money but you could be spreading illnesses and that is not what we want to do! "
that was from her blog, just thought i'd leave this here as something to keep in mind
