Aside from disinfecting grooming supplies I wonder how many groomers check to see if the dogs they groom are up to date on their vaccines. I now use a mobile groomer who I have been using for years. Before that, I used a groomer who appointed 8 dogs at the same time then kept them cooped up in cages until she got to them. A few days after that horrible experience my Yorkie Barkley starting coughing. It sounded so bad I actually thought he was choking on something. Checked his mouth and throat and saw nothing. Took him to the vet who diagnosed kennel cough. How could that be, he was never boarded anywhere - ever! She saw the bow in his hair and asked if he had been groomed recently. I told her how he was crated for 8 hours at the groomer. She told me that they never check on updated vaccines and that Barkley was probably in a crate or near a dog with kennel cough. He had the vaccine, but I found out that day that it doesn't cover all strains. Barkley was sick for about three weeks to the point we thought he had developed pneumonia. Vet visits, antibiotics, xrays. One very expensive deal both mentally and financially. Never used that groomer again. Even my mobile groomer asks about updated inoculations. When I asked the vet if I should call the groomer and tell her about Barkley, she said "she will tell you that you can't prove anything". She was right. Live and learn. |