The field of canine physical rehabilitation has grown tremendously over the past 20 years. Many veterinarians and pet owners have come to find rehab therapists as valuable resources when pets are injured, recovering from surgery or having difficulty with mobility.
Choosing an Adjustable Table or Tub
The majority of a groomer’s workday is spent leaning over a bathing tub or standing at the grooming table. All day long, your body is contorted into uncomfortable and possibly unhealthy positions; bending, twisting, stretching, lifting, etc. It’s no wonder that you say, “Oh, my aching back!”
Take the Bite Out of Back Pain
Lift, lower, bath, wrestle, brush, scissor, repeat. Yes, I love my job as a dog groomer but because it can be physically demanding with lots of lifting and repetitive movement, this type of work has a high incident of injuries.
Animals can’t talk. They can’t say, ‘Hey, I’m not feeling well…I might need medical attention.’ Because pets can’t tell us themselves that they are sick it is up to us to figure it out. That means that we, as animal owners, care givers, groomers, etc, must be able to ascertain a deviation from the norm.
Keeping Them Current
Grooming Rosie (AKA The Vibrating Wonderdog) was always a challenge as she vibrated as if she was standing on a washing machine with an unbalanced load during the agitator cycle. Rosie suffered from a neurological disorder and I was always on guard when using any sharp tools around her.
Groomers do a lot of their work standing up, and there is a good bit of walking involved in our work as well. Did you know that with every mile we walk we experience 200,000 to 300,000 pounds of stress on our feet? Considering that in our business we are often carrying a dog when we walk, you can multiply those numbers.
What is a “Lick Lesion”?
When dogs lick over and over at the same spot they eventually cause sores that veterinarians refer to as “acral lick dermatitis” or an “acral pruritic nodule”. These are itchy, thickened, centrally ulcerated or “raw” areas of skin, typically on the legs and forepaws, caused by excessive licking and complicated by bacterial infection and scarring.
How do we deal with stress? Or maybe the question should be, can we eliminate stress from our lives? Well, of course not…stress is all around us. How we handle that stress is vital to our well-being. Before we can deal with stress, we need to look at what leads us into that state of frustration. Recognizing when we are reaching an emotional breakdown is critical to our response.
The best quality of life is what all pet owners want for the furry members of their families. Pain diminishes the optimal enjoyment of life, but would you know when your pet is suffering?