Lucy - groomer accident??
 

Lucy is our senior yorkie cross who we adopted a year ago from a rescue. She has been in for grooming twice - both times to the same grooming salon I really love and have trusted my dogs there for the past 5 years or so.

When we got her groomed last winter, for her first grooming probably EVER (she was very matted and in bad shape when she was abandoned - looks to be a puppy mill dog who was bred over and over) the groomer noticed she was missing one nipple and the tip of one of her ears was cut right off. I was glad they let me know. It was obviously not them, it had been that way for awhile - no scabs or anything, it had been healed for a long time!

We took them in for grooming again last Wednesday. They didn't say much of anything when I picked them up, other than Kash was really matted and they saved as much of the fluff on his tail as they could. No problem, I paid, left a big tip (because they were so adorable!) and we left.

Lucy very very rarely lays on her side or lets us see her stomach and chest. If she gets really tired and I get really good at pushing for a belly rub, she'll roll over a little and let me do it. So this is what I did, and I could feel something hard like her nipple was scabbed. So I forced her to flip over so I could look, and it looks like the nipple is missing and there were a couple of black scabs there!!!!!

Could this have happened at the groomer? I know they only used clippers - I asked them to use the longest clippers they had on her. We groom Layla at home with our own clippers and they would never even irritate her skin, let alone cut a nipple right off!!!! I am so confused and wondering how this would have happened... it doesn't seem to bother her for me to touch it, and I don't want to call and really accuse the groomer if it didn't actually happen there... I am just so confused about how this could have happened to the poor girl! It was almost a week later when I noticed. I will try to take a picture tonight if she'll let me.

Can clippers really cut a large chunk of skin like that off???!

i wanna say yes...i have a cosmetology license and have accidentally taken a skin tag in my really early days of doing hair. it was probably smaller than a nipple it didnt bleed but did scab over, i did not have a guard on the clipper. but if they used a guard on it the whole haircut then the clipper blade should never had grazed her skin. sorry thats not really much help. im glad shes not in any pain at least.

It's possible... some folks permanently mark their dogs by clipping off the tip of one ear...

Good to know. I'm glad she's not in any pain either - probably doesn't help her fear of grooming though. Her nipples are quite long and sort of dangly I want to say... lol I am not sure, they are much different than Layla's and there is my only experience owning girl dogs! I am guessing it was because she was used for breeding. They are sort of flattened-looking I guess, so I think it would be similar to a skin tag.

That is just awful :(

I'm pretty sure a large, vigorous clipper, held in place for a second as one looks away to talk or something, could cut a big chunk out of skin. Even if it left the nipple partially hanging, likely the groomer just took scissors and cut through the remaining skin ASAP, perhaps to avoid that dangling nipple being immediately discovered and to help keep bleeding down. I've heard of some ghastly clipper wounds on dogs of friends and family. I would call the groomer, tell her what you found so she can be aware that the possibility exists that this happened on her watch. If she has had other, similar complaints, then she will have a good idea she has a sloppy, dangerous groomer. If no other complaints, she still should discuss it with her staff as it could have happened there.

I will NOT use clippers on the soft belly area, no matter the matting or whatever for just this type of problem. That skin is sooooo soft and vulnerable!

Thank you. I will be giving the groomer a call.

I agree with what the others have said... If she wasn't using a guard, it definitely could take off some skin. When I shave my dh's head, I have nicked him before. I have never had it bleed, but it sure does hurt.

I'm glad to hear you are going to call the groomer... She definitely should have noticed if she nicked Lucy's nipple :(

I'll bet the groomer, if indeed they caused it, did notice and just treated the bleeding, ragged skin and hoped no one would check her over once she was home. I'll bet it hurt like heck for days.

It seems like it must have bled... the scabs looked BLACK from what I could see. It almost looked like a large scab, and then a tiny bit of skin that was white like the rest of her tummy, and then another tiny scab right beside it. I hope I can get a better look tonight. It kind of reminded me of a black stitch.

Bless her heart. I used to go over my dogs from head to toe after they came home from the groomer - and vet's office still. It finally got too worrisome for me once I found a fresh nick and I just stopped taking them in. I even check in the mouth, the teeth, soft tissue and inside ears.

I guess I am too trusting :( It took me ages to find a groomer I actually liked here. When I just had Layla and we moved here, we went through 3 or 4 groomers who were awful, until this place was recommended by a friend. Layla was always happy there and they did such a good job, I just didn't think to ever look them over anything!

Sometimes dogs can produce a discharge from their nipples...not a result of clipper abuse.... it will dry and look like a black scab.

I've groomed my dogs for years so I know how it can happen. And I've seen dogs at the vet and how they act and know accidents happen, needles scratch, scissors gouge and so forth. I'm just a worrywort.

It almost looks to me like there is no nipple there at all... I hope I can look a little closer tonight. We have made a lot of progress in her being comfortable enough with me to touch her stomach but she still hates being "exposed" and does not want to be on her back or let me look at her closely. I don't want her to lose trust in me after a year of progress! But I will do my best to look closer and maybe take a picture to post here.

My husband just called the groomer.

He said they were very apologetic. The owner said it does happen sometimes but they are normally very good about mentioning things like that. She said it could have been the case that it was never even noticed - if Lucy was scared already she may have been strong and not even flinched. But she did know the groomer who was working on Lucy and was going to mention it to her - she also gave us her name. She said she'd have her call us if she feels like she should, or if she remembers anything strange about that day. The owner noted the incident on Lucy's card.

My husband said the last thing she said to him was "I really hope you will come back. We can't say for sure if it was us or not but we hope Lucy is okay and not infected or anything"

Awe poor girl.. Accidents happen and it sounds like they are on top of the situation once mentioned so I would be willing to give another chance as long as she did not panic when you took her back.
Ok now with that being said its time for my warped sense of humor to come out :) maybe they were giving her a breast reduction to help her look young and perky again haha

Yeah the phone call made me feel better. Hopefully they can keep her calm and happy the next time.

Lol the breast reduction.... I think she already had a reduction when she had mammary tumors removed before we got her! Poor little girl. She has not had such a great life so it makes me feel so sad that something else happened while she's in our family and supposed to be safe for the rest of her years.

I did not get a picture last night... DH picked her up and held her up straight so he could look at it, and it scared her so much she ran and hid in the back of her little plastic travel kennel and wouldn't come out for over 2 hours. She reverts to the same timid dog we brought home and I hate to see her like that after all of her progress!

Our little rescue Lolo was never groomed anywhere but home and she would at times have just the same on a nipple I never knew what caused it, it would just appear and then be gone in a few days. I always assumed it was irritation from her laying flat and stretching on the carpet. Hopefully it won't happen again but I think when they have been over bred in puppymills that they may be more sensitive there.

Oh bless her heart. That sweet little girl. Give her a little extra spoiling. She knows you are doing good by her. Hugs to you both

Thanks everyone!

I was able to get a couple of pictures last night while she was relaxed and laying on her side (a rare occurance!)

In one shot, you can see another nipple further up, but the one between the two was also missing when we got her. And I was right, after looking closer - this other one is completely gone. There are still just black scabs where it was. And this is a week and a half after her groom.

Oh I forgot to mention - when my husband talked to the owner of the grooming place, she said they don't use clippers that far back by the legs, they use scissors. So if this happened at the groomer, which I'm pretty sure it did, it would have been snipped off :(

I know this is a reach but when Guinness gets bug bites he bites at them and cause spots like that... Could it be a spot if she was itchy she could have for lack of better way of putting it bit if off herself it she was itchy?

Lol this brings me to another "poor Lucy".... when she was abandoned, her teeth were so rotted that they were removed when the rescue had a dental done, so she physically could not have bitten at it.

:( poor baby... I swear there should be a special islands made one for people that harm or hurt animals and another for ones that harm or hurt children.. Wait we need a third for the ones that hurt elderly... Just ship them off and leave them there to rot!!

Poor baby. Sounds like she has been through a lot already. If you go back to the groomer, I would make sure that they know you want to be notified if anything happens in the future. I know things happen but they need to notify you. It is scary trying to find a new groomer. My girls go next week so I am telling mine that she can never retire!

Accidents do happen, Although groomer should have been forcoming and mentioned it so it could be treated. I used to work at a Groomers years. Andy has never been to a groomers and he is going on 4 years old. Groomers are in a hurry as they have other dogs to tend to and get out the door before closing. I Do andy myself I do the ruff cut first then bath time is fun with toys he chases around in the water and plays. By the time the actualy bathing is done and blow dryed. He is falling asleep through last trimming and nails.