# Groomer hurt my poodle, not himself, is he traumatized?



## sneakers012 (Jun 2, 2011)

I'm so sorry for what happened to your boy!! Good luck with him, and update us!!


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## Liafast (Apr 9, 2011)

If he's taking his pain meds, he may be slightly sedated from that. If thats not it, talk to your vet. Make sure his next grooming visit (with another groomer, no doubt) is possitive. Spoo's are very forgiving and get over things faster than we do. I do understand your concerns and you have a right to be upset. Make sure you are not nervous when he goes to the new groomer, he will pick up on that. WIshing you spoo and you a quick recovery.


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## mom24doggies (Mar 28, 2011)

Aww, poor guy.  I'm really sorry that happened. I would give him a few days to get over the trauma of being cut like that...it probably hurts, and I know it hurt when it happened. I personally wouldn't "baby" him too much though. Just let him rest and make sure he eats, drinks, and gets out to go potty. Don't fuss over him, don't coax him to play, treat him like you normally would. That way he'll figure out that everything is ok and there's nothing to be afraid of. If you make a huge deal out of it, he'll figure "oh man, mom's really upset, there must be something to be afraid of" and get worse. If he continues to act abnormally after a few days though, I would say take him back to the vet for another check up. Also, watch out for infection and don't let him lick at the wound. 

I'm going to bet the groomer was using scissors...I'm a groomer and I can't honestly see how clippers would do that kind of damage. They should have immediately called you and taken your pup to the vet for stitches/staples. At least they paid for his vet bills. 

Is there anyway you can leave a review on them, like maybe on Yelp or something? IMO, they shouldn't be in business. Accidents happen, I understand that, but they shouldn't be cutting the dog down to the muscle. Small nicks, ok, fine, the dog probably just moved at the wrong moment. Slices? Sorry, that's ridiculous! 

Again, my sympathies are with you and I hope your baby recovers quickly.  Don't worry though, I seriously doubt that his personality is going to be affected forever; he's just been through a painful ordeal and it'll take him a bit to get over it and be normal again.


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## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

He may be in some discomfort right now that could be the reason for him not wanting to romp around the house... Give him some time to heal - do not make a huge deal out of his injury - dogs tend to live in the "here and now" not the "then and there"... He probably won't remember a thing about it as long as you don't cement it into his mind by making him aware that something has changed... don't treat him differently, keep your attitude "UP", make sure you provide food and water but let him get to it under his own steam (he's already proved to you he can walk & run!!) 

When he's in the house, he's probably feeling YOUR anxiety, YOUR discomfort, YOUR anger and frustration at the groomer - try to let that stuff go when you're with him - and it will be easier for HIM to let it go!! Our dogs feed off of our emotions, make sure your emotions are good ones and he'll get better faster and will be less likely to remember any of the bad stuff!!

Good luck!!

Barb


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## stealthq (Aug 4, 2011)

That is terrible! Definitely post a bad review for this groomer on yelp or wherever they advertise. There is no excuse for not calling you immediately for a severe cut.

As an aside, would you do me a huge favor and PM me the name of the groomer if they are in DFW? I'm getting my first spoo puppy next month and definitely want to be sure I don't take him/her to the same place - especially for the 1st puppy groom!


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## Fluffyspoos (Aug 11, 2009)

I'm really sorry he got cut, and the groomers approached it in all the wrong ways. If that had happened at my salon, your groom would be free and we would be offering to pay the vet bill right then and there, also, the groomer would get a performance reminder on how to properly clip hair around the flank.

Having said that, I don't think he is traumatized as you think, anesthesia can have different effects on different dogs, perhaps he has some lingering effects? Perhaps he's still in some pain from the stables?

I've groomed dogs that have been cut before while grooming, and they've never had lasting effects or grudges. I've only ever seen bad experiences with nails be long lasting, though that's normally when a dog already doesn't like their nails done - reinforcing the experience they already associate with bad things.

Also, if he's really as lethargic and as disinterested as you say he is, I'd be more worried for his health and well being. Often when an injury is discovered after grooming (though this is obviously groomers fault in this case) the vet will immediately blame groomer, no matter what the circumstances, instead of trying to find out what's really wrong. Say there's a spot on a dog after a matted shave down, vet says clipper burn, when it's actually a hot spot from the matting.

That only partly has anything to do with your case, what I'm saying is, what if there's an infection causing him to be down? I really don't think it's psychological, unless he's feeding off of your worries.


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## DonnaM (Aug 1, 2011)

I'm really sorry to hear of such an awful experience. I totally agree with previous posts in suggesting that you behave as normally as you possibly can as dogs are so sensitive to our emotions/anxiety. Once the healing is done I'm absolutely certain that you'll have your same dog back. Dogs do not hold resentment and ponder over things like we humans do. It's part of what makes them so wonderful. I'd really suggest that you ask everyone around your neighbourhood for groomer recomendations. Stop and ask everyone you see that is walking a dog of any breed that requires grooming/clipping. Understandably, I'm sure you'll be pretty nervous taking him to his next grooming. Perhaps you could get a friend to take him into the appointment. Someone who is not quite as emotionally invested as yourself. This would prevent you from transfering your anxiety to your dog.


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

I am concerned about his behavior since the injury happened Tuesday. I would expect more improvement by now. I would bring him back to the vet and see what they think. What a horrible thing to happen.


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## CurlyDog (Aug 20, 2008)

Wow. I'm a firm believer in the "accidents happen" philosophy. If the Groomer had fessed up, and done the right thing (called you and made arrangemnts for your pup to see the vet ASAP), it'd be one thing. Their response was wrong. I'd definitely take the complaint up the food chain. 

I think he'll be fine. Just to be safe, I'd make sure and take it slow with the new Groomer. Let them know what happened and make sure Barkley is having fun. If you have to, you can do several "dry runs" where he just gets a little brushing and very little clipping. Sort of go through the motions a couple times. 

Sorry about poor Barkley.


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## katbrat (May 8, 2011)

The exact same thing happened to our toy poodle when she was about a year and a half old, same place, where the leg meets the stomach. It was at a Petsmart when we lived in Texas. It must have happened just before I picked Patches up. They told me right away, I did not pay for the groom and they had already taken her to the vets office which was in the store. They could not stitch it because of where it was and used a kind of super glue on it. It is a Friday, they are packed and ds who was four at the time is crying at the top of his lungs, "they hurt my baby, they made my baby bleed." I took her home and she was pretty mellow for a few days. I had to take her back to the vets the next day and then several days after that to make sure it was healing ok. By the last vets visit later on in the week she was back to her bouncy self. I did take her back there, because they did handle it the right way and they were super careful with her after that. She got over it just fine, ds on the other hand was another story. He would tell anyone who would listen as soon as we hit the doors how they had hurt his baby. Hope your baby has a full recovery.


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## LNB083 (Aug 15, 2011)

Wow...so much good advice and I want to thank each and every one of you for responding. Just reading your comments took a HUGE weight off my shoulders this afternoon. I was pretty down about the situation and it helped so much. I'm happy to report I have good news!!..

So this afternoon I headed off to the grocery store, and when I got back, I was shocked to be enthusiastically greeted at the door by a running little Barkley. Shocked! He then proceeded to grab a stuffed toy and actually wanted to play with it. He has been SO much better this evening, it's been like night and day. This has been the first time he has run in the house, or even touched one of his beloved toys!
I now know that he WILL be himself again after all this is over. 
Thank you guys for reassuring me about that. Great advice also about how much I need to keep my attitude "up" and how in tune he is to that. 

We go to the vet Friday to get his staples looked at and hopefully removed, so I'll keep you posted. Wow, love this forum!


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## outwest (May 1, 2011)

Glad to hear he is feeling better!

The pain killers will do all the things you are mentioning. My whippet was on painkillers after he was neutered (he was a cryptorchic and they had to open him up and hunt for the testicle). He was lethargic, wouldn't eat, was dull and everything you describe - he was drugged  . As soon as he was off the painkillers he was back to himself.

Good groomers can shave a dog that is one complete mat without slicing them open. It sounds like they tried to cut a matt out with scissors and cut his skin open instead - ouch! A completely careless act. I totally understand you being upset. I would be, too. 

Do not take your dog back to that same groomer. They should not have tried to blame you for it, but fessed up, called immediately, apologized profusely and paid for the vet. Accidents happen, but they handled it badly. He shouldn't have the same association with another groomer or shop, but explain to them what happened.

We all have to remember that dogs live in the moment unlike humans. He will be himself again.


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## phrannie (Jan 8, 2011)

*I'd be pissed, too....that they poo poo'd the whole thing, when in reality the pup needed stitching up. It's in a place where it's hard for your dog to not notice pain, plus he's on pain meds.

He'll probably be back to his old self as soon as the staples are out, and the pain meds are done. That's the one thing I hate when something happens, and medication is necessary...once MY trauma is over, I want my baby to return to normal right away...Let him heal, and then see how he is.

p*


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

I am so glad Barkley is better. Accidents happen but I do not like the way they reacted. If my dog got hurt I would want to be called right away.


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## sandooch (Jan 20, 2011)

Oh, I'm so glad that Barkely is feeling like his ol' self again and very happy you joined this forum. There is a wealth of information on here.


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## Poodlelvr (Mar 13, 2010)

I'm so glad Barkley's feeling better. If these groomers won't pay the vet bill for the injury they caused, I might think about taking them to small claims court. If it were one of my dogs, I just might be mad enough to do it. They handled this horribly.


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## Rowan (May 27, 2011)

First, I'm *appalled *by how your groomer handled this situation. Not only did they injure your dog, they failed to report it immediately, and they tried to shift the blame to you, the innocent owner. (I hope you weren't charged for the "groom.") What is wrong with people? 

I predict he's just feeling a little blue (imagine if you had stitches and were on pain meds, etc.). I'm sure he'll be back to his old self in no time. Try and act as if nothing happened and go about your business. He'll look to you for guidance. And, I'd try and brush him / handle him if you can so he's not "gun shy" when it comes to grooming.  

And remember, the more attention he gets from acting depressed.... (Poodles are smart--they will continue something that works in their favor! LOL)

Keep us posted!


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## LNB083 (Aug 15, 2011)

Hi everyone, sorry it took so long, but I just wanted to update you all and let you know that Barkley is doing awesome. His staples came out and his laceration healed perfectly! He's totally back to his crazy self and I couldn't be more thankful. 

So thankful to all of you who commented and helped me out, cause I was scared to death... Thank you all!


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

Thank you so much for the update. I am so glad Barkley is back to his crazy self. I would be very interested to hear how his first grooming since the incident goes.


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