Pet Care Services

Clipper Burns and Clipper Abrasions

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Every successful and competent groomer on occasion has had an experience where a few days after grooming a dog it develops an extremely itchy, moist, scabby area that drives the dog and the owner crazy.  These skin sores are often called Hot Spots. Hot spots (also called Moist Eczema) result from trauma to the skin surface either from a clipper blade scratch or from contact with a hot blade. A true “clipper burn” is a skin lesion that can occur due to a hot clipper blade contacting the skin. 

 A  Clipper Abrasion is an actual scratching of the skin surface from holding the blade at the wrong angle to the skin or from using the wrong sized blade.  The most common site for this problem is along the cheekbone and on the cheek.

Hot Spots (moist eczema) requires repeated cleansing and often oral antibiotics to hasten its resolution. Be especially careful with the clippers around the cheeks, it’s just possible the sharp points on the blades are creating tiny scratches that become irritated or infected, then the dog scratches the area compounding the skin trauma and shortly after that you get a call from the owner!

This condition should be checked by a veterinarian. And don’t be discouraged if you loose a client because of “clipper burns”…  whoever they take the dog to next has had their share too!  You won’t know when it happens, but you’ll find out a few days later.

 As in any worthwhile endeavor, the fruits of your hard work will be recognized by customer satisfaction. You will have lots of repeat customers!  And they will tell their friends. Your success will result in no small measure from your professional and knowledgeable assessment of the mental and physical and nutritional well-being of the pets entrusted to your care. Be observant, take good notes, and don’t be reluctant to advise your clients about proper pet health care. Groomers are a vital link in the pet health care chain.
NOTE:  Hot spots can result from inadequate rinsing, too.  If any shampoo is not rinsed away completely and remains in contact with the skin for an extended period of time, a local skin infection can result. 

 The solution:  Rinse thoroughly and dry the entire skin and coat before sending the dog home!

Add comment June 18th, 2006