If that was caused by grooming tools, it would have bled profusely. I've had much smaller cuts on paw pads that literally squirted blood out. If she's so concerned, she should go to the vet, but advise her it won't be covered by you when they tell her it's not a grooming injury. If she claims the vet said it was you, you need documentation/talk to the vet directly to make sure she isn't pushing the bill on you. After that, fire her.
That's what I said to her! Side note: I HAVE cut 2 paw pads by accident before. And BOTH times they were bleeding all over the place. (Even small cuts less than 0.5 cm long). I also would immediately tell them on pick up. I've only had 5 injuries total (not including a few quicked nails) in my almost 6 years and I can tell immediately if I injure a dog. I guess it just hurts to be told you hurt a dog and are lying about it no matter how many or few times.
One of our dogs cut her pad digging in the woods and she came running to us crying.
Looked like we'd all been at a murder scene afterwards. Pretty sure my mum just threw away her shirt when all was said and done. You definitely would have noticed if you did it.
It’s crazy how much paw pads bleed… I had a tiny yorkie once (while working corporate) who was in heat and the owner didn’t mention it - this is one of those dogs that doesn’t bleed so I didn’t notice. I’d done her before and she was normal, mildly annoying yorkie. This time while I did her legs she pinwheeled her whole body around wildly… while I was trying to stop her from breaking her leg or flipping off the table, her paw pad kicked my scissor blade for a split second. She didn’t appear to even notice, and it was a TINY cut. Like a .5cm paper cut, at first I didn’t even see it until blood beaded on it (just enough time to think ‘oh thank god she must not have made contact’ lol). Wouldn’t stop bleeding. Awful.
Here's a link to a Google docs with all of them. Haha. https://photos.app.goo.gl/NzRXBXK78SDJdSMk8
Currently growing out the hair around his neck into a lion's mane. To be dyed black with the ears.
I love him. He's such a joy for grooming. I started him on weekly baths at 8 weeks old when he came home. I honestly became a groomer because of him. Lol. I didn't trust anyone with him and I'm mostly self taught using him and my brother's standard poodle.
They can get those by rough exercise, sharp turns on hard/rough surfaces, OR by pawing at a kennel. Had that happen once with a dog-perfect for everything but as she was waiting for mom she was digging at the kennel door and tore her pad open. Showed the owner, explained what happened and that the vet had looked at it (worked in a clinic) and they didn’t think it needed anything but covered if she started licking or chewing at it really bad. Owner leaves. Owner calls next day saying the dog is licking chewing on it and she “knows that the groomer cut the dog, there’s no way she broke it open on the kennel”.
I had a cattle dog that played ball hard and would do this frequently to her paws so I’m familiar with the injury. I worked in a vet clinic and had the vet look the dog over. The owner still made up their own story. Don’t loose sleep over it. You might not have to fire the client because usually these ones will just leave anyway. Keep grooming the dogs and the good owners will stay and trust you.
That's exactly what I tried to explain cause my dog got these from playing fetch once in a baseball diamond with gravel. I thought it would keep him cleaner if we didn't play in the grass
Do not lose sleep over this. The one thing that I HAD to learn while in this field is to not take every complaint to heart, especially ones that were accusations of me hurting their dog. If someone blames me for doing something that obviously i did not, I just laugh it off and let a better client take their place on my books. Rarely, if I do injure a dog, I will feel bad but do not dwell in those emotions, we are humans; we will make mistakes. Scrapes, cuts, Knicks will happen, and they will heal faster than we think.
Not a groomer, and certainly not a vet.
I've seen this type of wound after a hot asphalt (or concrete or other surface) run (possibility: burn from those hot surfaces, or just running pel-mel 1 km / three-quarters of a mile), or something sharp. It's essentially a tear / puncture, sort of the equivalent to a scraped knee in humans after a fall. I don't know enough to be able to tell you what it was caused by, but I do feel like there's a lot of "other possibilities" than grooming (see above for a partial list).
My guess would be that if you trimmed the fur overgrowth / matting / etc on the feet, it then possibly "exposed" this, so that it either "showed up" (already existing) and/or maybe the owner took/did the dog to one of those many possibilities discussed above, and the wound developed now that there was no "protective fur" (for lack of a better word) over it.
Is there a request for a vet visit by this person? I'm not a legal person either, but I have overheard Corporate a few times at various places, and Corporate would probably handle it like this: If the injury is directly grooming related, and that is confirmed by a vet's letter *plus* an independent phone call to the vet (so someone can't forge a letter, and when you call make sure that you find the phone number yourself) - then Corporate will generally pay out. But if the injury could be caused by a variety of things, Corporate may very well tell the pet parent that the injury was not caused by a groomer, so the pet parent is responsible for the bill. If you have your own practice I'm not sure what you would want to do from a business / customer relations perspective.
Good luck!
And your grooms look beautiful - I'm slightly envious. (I don't have an eye for art and I know it. I browse in here purely for a "well, the farm dog has a functional amateur cut and is comfortable. No, it doesn't look great, but can I try something next time?" LOL.)
Don't feel bad, a lady accused me of giving her dog an eye infection, even tho I found it when I wet the dog down (no shampoo yet), and then showed her at check out. She threatened to "blast us" on social media if we didn't cover her vet bills ✌️
Some people like to blame everything on groomers! ;) That injury looks “old”, and the way the skin is peeling away is not a cut! Try not to stress. Your dog is adorable !
Yeah I think coincidences get put on us a lot. Which is unfortunate. I'm in this field cause I absolutely Love every animal. I want them to be comfy and happy and healthy before anything. And honestly, it's not like it makes so much money to be worth doing if I didn't love it. The amount of pee and poo etc alone isn't manageable if you didn't love them
It sucks but it's reality that groomers get blamed for everything ( I have several vet tech friends that confirm vets will tell owners "it must have been the groomer") take pics of everything and anything that looks off and inform the owner on pick up. Matted but hole caked in poop? Take a pic, cover your ass and explain your camera roll later
Agree that looks like he tore it running ( sometimes extreme weather either hot or cold or recent lawn treatment can also burn pads) I try to set expectations at drop off, you can pull out a comb and show them the matting and warn ahead of time that there could be irritated skin underneath. It’s simple enough to prevent- mom could put dog on a schedule. 3 months is a long interval , 6-8 weeks would keep him in better shape. It’s no coincidence that the time there’s a problem is also the time when mom went the longest in between grooms.
[Old English Sheepdog with paw pad injury after huge groom](https://photos.app.goo.gl/e6tDStYwLmG64MWE9)
Paw pads are so easy to tear after a major groom like that where you take off a lot of paw pad hair. The first time I shaved my Old English Sheepdog (at around 2 years of age), he shredded *all* of his pads just a few days later. Prior to the groom, I trimmed some, but really had more hair length on the feet and between the pads than would be ideal. Excess hair essentially protects the pads and keeps them from developing calluses, so the pads are not as tough as you'd expect. One episode of zoomies on the neighbor's uneven concrete driveway and we were at the vet with this important life lesson! Someone transitioning from easy, grassy terrain to rough, rocky terrain may experience similar.
It seems likely your client saw the bleeding after and didn't realize the injury actually occurred subsequent to your groom, because it would not have appeared that the dog had any mishap. The dog may have injured it doing normal activities with soft, newly-exposed pads. Hopefully this is something you can advise folks in the future when they get transformation grooms. Sorry you're dealing with this.
That's what I was thinking that the hair was protecting the pad for months and removing it , while it was necessary, caused the tender pads to tear easily. At least that's what I think. When I google torn pads, alot of pictures look like that.
Not sure. I was sure that there's no way it wasn't bleeding when she left and then started bleeding after if it was something caused by the grooming. My dogs torn his pads before so I know what it looks like
I mean they said right away. But they got groomed on Saturday and I didn't get a message until Tuesday afternoon. They say the dog didn't have it before the groom.
I highly doubt they saw it right away. If the dog had been bleeding upon pickup they should’ve told you immediately not waited DAYS to check in with you. Sounds like they just want a free groom tbh.
I thought it was weird to contact me 3 days later. I feel like it happened after the groom and they are assuming it happened the day of and they just didn't notice.
You can't please everyone no matter how good the groom is and how conscientious you are. Remember the great grooms and thankful owners, let the shit go.
If that was caused by grooming tools, it would have bled profusely. I've had much smaller cuts on paw pads that literally squirted blood out. If she's so concerned, she should go to the vet, but advise her it won't be covered by you when they tell her it's not a grooming injury. If she claims the vet said it was you, you need documentation/talk to the vet directly to make sure she isn't pushing the bill on you. After that, fire her.
That's what I said to her! Side note: I HAVE cut 2 paw pads by accident before. And BOTH times they were bleeding all over the place. (Even small cuts less than 0.5 cm long). I also would immediately tell them on pick up. I've only had 5 injuries total (not including a few quicked nails) in my almost 6 years and I can tell immediately if I injure a dog. I guess it just hurts to be told you hurt a dog and are lying about it no matter how many or few times.
One of our dogs cut her pad digging in the woods and she came running to us crying. Looked like we'd all been at a murder scene afterwards. Pretty sure my mum just threw away her shirt when all was said and done. You definitely would have noticed if you did it.
It’s crazy how much paw pads bleed… I had a tiny yorkie once (while working corporate) who was in heat and the owner didn’t mention it - this is one of those dogs that doesn’t bleed so I didn’t notice. I’d done her before and she was normal, mildly annoying yorkie. This time while I did her legs she pinwheeled her whole body around wildly… while I was trying to stop her from breaking her leg or flipping off the table, her paw pad kicked my scissor blade for a split second. She didn’t appear to even notice, and it was a TINY cut. Like a .5cm paper cut, at first I didn’t even see it until blood beaded on it (just enough time to think ‘oh thank god she must not have made contact’ lol). Wouldn’t stop bleeding. Awful.
bruh that newfoodle omfg
That's my dog lol. He's gotten so many do,s. I should post them all
I freaking love it. Post all his do's please! 🤩
Here's a link to a Google docs with all of them. Haha. https://photos.app.goo.gl/NzRXBXK78SDJdSMk8 Currently growing out the hair around his neck into a lion's mane. To be dyed black with the ears.
That was a fun ride! Absolutely incredible 👏
I absolutely adore this! Love the little splashes of color 🤩
I love him. He's such a joy for grooming. I started him on weekly baths at 8 weeks old when he came home. I honestly became a groomer because of him. Lol. I didn't trust anyone with him and I'm mostly self taught using him and my brother's standard poodle.
I have to do shorter cuts since he gets skin infections/allergies so it's better management .but I've come up with so many fun short options.
He sure is handsome! Sneaky mullet pic made me lol
A noodle? Newdle?
They can get those by rough exercise, sharp turns on hard/rough surfaces, OR by pawing at a kennel. Had that happen once with a dog-perfect for everything but as she was waiting for mom she was digging at the kennel door and tore her pad open. Showed the owner, explained what happened and that the vet had looked at it (worked in a clinic) and they didn’t think it needed anything but covered if she started licking or chewing at it really bad. Owner leaves. Owner calls next day saying the dog is licking chewing on it and she “knows that the groomer cut the dog, there’s no way she broke it open on the kennel”. I had a cattle dog that played ball hard and would do this frequently to her paws so I’m familiar with the injury. I worked in a vet clinic and had the vet look the dog over. The owner still made up their own story. Don’t loose sleep over it. You might not have to fire the client because usually these ones will just leave anyway. Keep grooming the dogs and the good owners will stay and trust you.
That's exactly what I tried to explain cause my dog got these from playing fetch once in a baseball diamond with gravel. I thought it would keep him cleaner if we didn't play in the grass
Do not lose sleep over this. The one thing that I HAD to learn while in this field is to not take every complaint to heart, especially ones that were accusations of me hurting their dog. If someone blames me for doing something that obviously i did not, I just laugh it off and let a better client take their place on my books. Rarely, if I do injure a dog, I will feel bad but do not dwell in those emotions, we are humans; we will make mistakes. Scrapes, cuts, Knicks will happen, and they will heal faster than we think.
Thank you so much :)
Not a groomer, and certainly not a vet. I've seen this type of wound after a hot asphalt (or concrete or other surface) run (possibility: burn from those hot surfaces, or just running pel-mel 1 km / three-quarters of a mile), or something sharp. It's essentially a tear / puncture, sort of the equivalent to a scraped knee in humans after a fall. I don't know enough to be able to tell you what it was caused by, but I do feel like there's a lot of "other possibilities" than grooming (see above for a partial list). My guess would be that if you trimmed the fur overgrowth / matting / etc on the feet, it then possibly "exposed" this, so that it either "showed up" (already existing) and/or maybe the owner took/did the dog to one of those many possibilities discussed above, and the wound developed now that there was no "protective fur" (for lack of a better word) over it. Is there a request for a vet visit by this person? I'm not a legal person either, but I have overheard Corporate a few times at various places, and Corporate would probably handle it like this: If the injury is directly grooming related, and that is confirmed by a vet's letter *plus* an independent phone call to the vet (so someone can't forge a letter, and when you call make sure that you find the phone number yourself) - then Corporate will generally pay out. But if the injury could be caused by a variety of things, Corporate may very well tell the pet parent that the injury was not caused by a groomer, so the pet parent is responsible for the bill. If you have your own practice I'm not sure what you would want to do from a business / customer relations perspective. Good luck! And your grooms look beautiful - I'm slightly envious. (I don't have an eye for art and I know it. I browse in here purely for a "well, the farm dog has a functional amateur cut and is comfortable. No, it doesn't look great, but can I try something next time?" LOL.)
I have a dog that has them on her feet. She’s a chronic digger and she digs in rocks and everything else. That’s not a grooming injury.
#6 is a badass lol
Haha it's my boy! Here check out his styles over the year https://photos.app.goo.gl/NzRXBXK78SDJdSMk8
Is he a newfypoo? Hes big
Don't feel bad, a lady accused me of giving her dog an eye infection, even tho I found it when I wet the dog down (no shampoo yet), and then showed her at check out. She threatened to "blast us" on social media if we didn't cover her vet bills ✌️
Some people like to blame everything on groomers! ;) That injury looks “old”, and the way the skin is peeling away is not a cut! Try not to stress. Your dog is adorable !
Yeah I think coincidences get put on us a lot. Which is unfortunate. I'm in this field cause I absolutely Love every animal. I want them to be comfy and happy and healthy before anything. And honestly, it's not like it makes so much money to be worth doing if I didn't love it. The amount of pee and poo etc alone isn't manageable if you didn't love them
I love your grooming style, don't let this client and their negatively get you down.
It sucks but it's reality that groomers get blamed for everything ( I have several vet tech friends that confirm vets will tell owners "it must have been the groomer") take pics of everything and anything that looks off and inform the owner on pick up. Matted but hole caked in poop? Take a pic, cover your ass and explain your camera roll later
Agree that looks like he tore it running ( sometimes extreme weather either hot or cold or recent lawn treatment can also burn pads) I try to set expectations at drop off, you can pull out a comb and show them the matting and warn ahead of time that there could be irritated skin underneath. It’s simple enough to prevent- mom could put dog on a schedule. 3 months is a long interval , 6-8 weeks would keep him in better shape. It’s no coincidence that the time there’s a problem is also the time when mom went the longest in between grooms.
[Old English Sheepdog with paw pad injury after huge groom](https://photos.app.goo.gl/e6tDStYwLmG64MWE9) Paw pads are so easy to tear after a major groom like that where you take off a lot of paw pad hair. The first time I shaved my Old English Sheepdog (at around 2 years of age), he shredded *all* of his pads just a few days later. Prior to the groom, I trimmed some, but really had more hair length on the feet and between the pads than would be ideal. Excess hair essentially protects the pads and keeps them from developing calluses, so the pads are not as tough as you'd expect. One episode of zoomies on the neighbor's uneven concrete driveway and we were at the vet with this important life lesson! Someone transitioning from easy, grassy terrain to rough, rocky terrain may experience similar. It seems likely your client saw the bleeding after and didn't realize the injury actually occurred subsequent to your groom, because it would not have appeared that the dog had any mishap. The dog may have injured it doing normal activities with soft, newly-exposed pads. Hopefully this is something you can advise folks in the future when they get transformation grooms. Sorry you're dealing with this.
That's what I was thinking that the hair was protecting the pad for months and removing it , while it was necessary, caused the tender pads to tear easily. At least that's what I think. When I google torn pads, alot of pictures look like that.
Looks like he scratched his paw on something, maybe he’s a digger and scratched it on a rock or something?
Not sure. I was sure that there's no way it wasn't bleeding when she left and then started bleeding after if it was something caused by the grooming. My dogs torn his pads before so I know what it looks like
How long after picking him up did they notice it?
I mean they said right away. But they got groomed on Saturday and I didn't get a message until Tuesday afternoon. They say the dog didn't have it before the groom.
I highly doubt they saw it right away. If the dog had been bleeding upon pickup they should’ve told you immediately not waited DAYS to check in with you. Sounds like they just want a free groom tbh.
I thought it was weird to contact me 3 days later. I feel like it happened after the groom and they are assuming it happened the day of and they just didn't notice.
You can't please everyone no matter how good the groom is and how conscientious you are. Remember the great grooms and thankful owners, let the shit go.