Health

Lilly was a fairly new client. I had only been grooming her and her brother for about six months. Both brother and sister were elderly and it’s my policy to do a full body pet assessment before grooming.

We all have our weekly clients; those with the “special” skin pets who come in with a bag of “special” products that keep their smelly, flaky and oily pets tolerable.

You know the routine well…busy day grooming, dealing with cranky people and crankier pets, and all day your energy level is being sucked dry and drug down until you feel completely devoid of anything positive.

As soon as Karen walked into my salon with her sweet little mixed breed, Simon, I knew something was terribly wrong. She burst into tears. “I have bad news about my dear Simon,” she sobbed.

Clean air. We step outside for a fresh breath of it to clear our heads and rejuvenate our spirits. But what have we just stepped out of and what are we stepping back into?

While some fear the feline claw as a dangerous weapon, others admire the beauty and functionality embedded at the base of the cat paw. The extension of the skeletal system allows cats to mark their territory, kill prey and gently get the attention of the ones they love.

Back when I was a teenager, I could never wear makeup. Every time I applied it, my face would break out in a rash. Not a good look when you’re 15 and sensitive about your appearance. Hypoallergenic makeup had just made its debut and even that would cause a problem.

I will be the first to admit that I thought my clients were being neurotic or the vets in my area were over diagnosing hyperthyroidism. Almost every cat I groom seems to have a hyperthyroidism diagnosis.

Skin is a wonderfully versatile covering for a body. It is the largest organ and performs many functions. It helps retain heat, insulates against cold, and contains the nerve endings to navigate objects and pressure from our surroundings.

Many misconceptions exist about how, where and why our pets shed and what we, as groomers, can do about it. There are many products on the market to address this very real concern but still so many questions about which is the best one and if they really even work.

There are many keywords and catch phrases being thrown around in the industry these days. In

Cats and allergies—we hear it all the time. Almost everyone seems to be allergic to cats. As groomers, we can and do help humans who have chronic or sudden allergies to their cats.