Mr. Jones hands over his elderly cocker/poodle mix for its grooming appointment and says worriedly, "Please try not to cut off his lumps and bumps this time." You might not have had to roll your eyes quite as hard as you did, but you remember that you have talked about this topic with Mr. Jones on more than one occasion in the recent past.
Some older dogs are speckled with various skin growths. Poodles, spaniels, and mixes of the two tend to be prime candidates for lots of warty, lumpy skin growths, but they can be found on any dog. These bumps often bleed easily, some merely by exposure to running water or air pressure from high-velocity dryers. However, pet owners almost always jump to the immediate conclusion that we hapless groomers are merrily going about cutting their pets' lumps with scissors or clippers through sheer carelessness. Though the conversation becomes tiresome, it is worth having, sometimes over and over again.
Here is how I approach the subject. My speech goes something like this: "Mr. Jones, as you and I both know, Davy has many growths on his skin. Those growths are very sensitive, and they sometimes begin to bleed when I am doing nothing more than washing him. I know they are there, and I try to avoid them, butwashing, drying, and brushing Davy's coat often starts them bleeding. I do not cut them with scissors or clippers." Because I am aware that grooming this dog is a landmine of potential "oops!" I never use a close blade when I clip him. In fact, I use attachment combs and a vacuum system that brings the hair up to the cutting edge of the clipper, so I never touch his skin with the actual cutting edge of a clipper blade. During this part of the conversation, I hold up the guard comb I use so the owner can see I am not using some lethal-looking metal blade to mow down his dog's tender, warty growths.
At this point in the discussion, the pet owner usually says, "Oh, I know, I know, but…." And that is my key to say, "But it is very upsetting when your dog comes home with irritations on those bumps. I do understand. I need to ask you to understand that I am making every effort not to touch them, but sometimes they will be irritated by the grooming process, no matter how careful I am."
It often takes repeating the above dialogue three or four times before the owner begins to grasp what I am presenting to them. Then they might say, "Sometimes they bleed for no reason or just from being petted."I nod as if they have just stated a brilliant fact and hope my efforts to educate the person have been absorbed. I always have the back of any previous groomer if the owner says, "The last place I took him to be groomed sent him home bleeding from several of his spots," repeating everything stated above.
Lumps and bumps can make our job extra challenging, but it is worthwhile to take the time to educate the pet owner about the realities of how we groom their pet so they are not harboring terrible misconceptions.
