Has anyone experienced this.....?

Question

I feel so upset by what I'm about to tell you. I don't take my dog to be groomed very often, only about twice a year. My dog is very small, he is a pomeranian, so he has lots of hair and when it gets hot I like to have him groomed. I took him to a very well known pet supply chain. The guy that groomed him cut him and didn't say a word about it. I picked him up and took him home. I noticed he was acting strange, he kept shaking and cleaning the same spot and he would yelp when he was picked up. I finally checked him over and when I more closely examined him by moving his thick hair around, I noticed a huge laceration with meat showing! I was shocked and rushed him to my vet and it required 7 stitches to close the wound! I was so upset and shaking, that someone would do this and try to cover it up. My vet thinks they might have tried to use liquide bandage to close part of it which was useless on this size wound.

The store did pay the $200 bill from my vet.,but I'll never take him to be groomed again!

Ok, most of the time I do his basic grooming. What I meant was that when he needs to have more trimming and stuff, then I take him. I do bathe and brush him every week myself.

Answer 1

that is absolutely horrible and really bad that nobody from the groomers told you in the first place- your poor dog, and you! Sometimes vets have advertisments while you are waiting for your appointment, and some of these may talk about grooming for dogs. You could talk to your vet about it (if you havent already) and see where they think the best groomers are. It sounds like you are american because you talked about dollars, but if you are english there is a great place called Peter's Posh Pets in London. Whatever you do, however, do not visit that groomers again- they lied to you and tried to cover up something that could have been even more serious than before had you not been concerned about your dog. Well done and good luck! x

Answer 2

I am a professional groomer this means that I went to school to learn how to groom dogs and I have a certificate to prove it.
In the area I live in Virginia you don't need any kind of experience or training to be a groomer and this can be a problem.
I have heard of these kind of problems but i will also let you know that I myself have saved the sight in one dogs eye it was a Lhasa and the dogs hair was so bad in the face and after shaving it I found the dog had a badly infected eye and I called the owner immediately she made an appointment at the vets picked the dog up and went directly there and if it was another day or two the vet said the dog would have lost it's eye.
another time I did an Old English Sheepdog and that dog had an injury the owner didn't know and it had maggots in it.
So You need to find a good reputable groomer or if necessary a vets office to groom your dog.
I am truly sorry for what did happen and as I've read things like this does happen and unfortunately give us good groomers a bad name.

Answer 3

Yes, I have some friends who just had the same problem a week or two ago. Not as bad as your case, but it does happen.

Dogs can be squirmy and scared at the groomer. I can understand a groomer accidentally nicking a dog. What's really bad (I think) is when the groomer just tries to repair the damage and pretends it didn't happen.

There was actually a case on the news about a dog who got home from the groomer and his EAR FELL OFF!!! Yes, the groomer cut off his ear and glued it back on!!!

I've been thinking about asking a question on here about how to find a good groomer. If you do that, please let me know. I'd like to watch it.

I guess, from my viewpoint, I'd ask a groomer if they groom dogs competitively (there are grooming competitions--they're actually kind of interesting) or if they groom for dog shows. Not a certain way to get a good groomer, but I'd feel a little more comfortable...

Answer 4

try bringing him to be groomed more often. Pom hair gets really thick and they dont just sit there while the groomer has to brush and combit. they really should be groomed every two months. if its a tiny pom, its probably an easy dog to cut its skin, and if the hair is so thick that the groomer cant see what hes doing the dog might get cut with the comb or rake that they use. they totally should have told you what happened though. groomers make mistakes but they should notify the owner. that is horrible! ive never heard anything good about those Chain petsmart or petco stores. try a smaller business-they actually have something to lose if they screw up

Answer 5

You have to remember that not all groomers are good with animals. I am glad the store paid the veterinary bill, but I would make sure they looked into whoever cut your dog. My dog had to be put down because a laceration from grooming got infected with staph and she was just too old to have to fight it. Your dog does, however, need to be groomed. If you don't have the time to learn how to do it (and it can be difficult, especially with a dog with that much hair) I would just make sure to have a talk with the groomer you choose EVERY time you go in. Let them know that any cuts should be reported to you immediately and that you will be expecting them to cover the vet bill.

Answer 6

I'm so sorry to hear about your dog! I'm glad they paid the vet bill, but if you haven't, I suggest you talk to the groomer and tell them you understand accidents happen, but you wish they would have informed you of what happened. Even if you never take your dog there again, you could prevent this happening to another person's dog.

What's a terrible thing... I hope he's feeling better now.

Answer 7

Wow, i have never had that happen before. What amazes me is that they just try to cover up a wound that big. I for sure would never go back there or let anyone in my family or any of my friends. It was nice of them to pay the vet bill, but it doesnt make up for what happened. Im just shocked that someone would do that

Answer 8

OMG! What were they THINKING?!?!? OK, mistakes happen, but you TELL the owner and do all you can, you DON'T hide it. I felt like dying the first time I nicked a dog, but it was certainly not anything near that. That sounds like someone who should not own a pair of shears was trying to split a mat, and did it all wrong. I'd be certain to tell all who would listen not to go to that shop. The worst boo-boo I ever made was a horribly matted shelter dog I was grooming, not long after I started my business. (I do them for free.) I was splitting a mat so I could get clippers under it, and I poked her leg with the tip because I couldn't feel her leg under all the crap. (Literally crap...feces) She got a 1/4 inch cut, but it wasn't deep. I told the shelter, and offered to have her vetted. The director said he'd look at it. He couldn't even find it. She healed up, and got adopted, but I STILL feel horrible about it. They should be ashamed for the way they handled their mistake.

Answer 9

I have never experienced that and i have had a dog my whole life and we groomed my first dog every 4 months who has now passed on but now we groom my puppy every 3 months. i wouldn't take it any farther except you had the right to know this so u do have the right to send in a complaint letter. well you now know he/she will be fine. i would feel the same way. take a breather and know that it was taken care of and it prolly won't happen again.

Answer 10

OK! The groomer didn't inform you that someone cut your precious Pomeranian. You had to find out for yourself. You should of not only gotten them to pay for the vet bill, you could also ask for compensation not only for the suffering that your precious is still going Thur but for your pain & suffering too! I would find out who did this, and demand that he/she be fired so that he/she cannot do this to another animal. Go to small claims court and sue them. Yes you took $200 for the vet bill, you can still sue for pain and suffering. Did you sign any release form after they gave you the $200? If not then you will be sueing them, not for just the money but so that person cannot hurt another animal, or person for that matter! Here in California you can sue for max $5000. That's what I would ask for. No less. Now if you signed a release and you can't or don't want to sue then at least do this. Make them lose something. Business. How? March around their business with a sign stateing what happen. You know, as if you were in the union and on strike. It's legal. They will pay you to stop doing that. I know it sounds extrem, but keep in mind that you can still lose your dog to infection.