I brought my beloved, very matted 11-year old bearded collie into Fluffy Ruff. I was impressed by the cleanliness, and the seeming professionalism of Julie, the owner. We just moved, had the flu, etc. and so Ariel's matts had not been brushed as they usually are, and so we agreed that clipping her would be the best thing to do for her comfort.
Fast forward 24 hours and my dog has corneal abrasions, pustules from an allergic reaction, and a staff infection. She is in a great deal of pain.
Without asking me, without permission, Julie (the groomer) gave Ariel a flea bath -- although I told her I had not seen a flea and she was not itching -- using pyrethrum. Our vet told us that Ariel had definitely had an allergic reaction, and that this type of flea treatment is NOT the standard of care; pyrethrum dips are not considered good for dogs anymore because it is such an irritant and is very harsh, according to the vet. We do not know if Ariel's eyes will recover from her corneal abrasions, she is on antibiotics, Rymadil for pain, Benadryl to help with swelling, eye drops that make her cry. She is miserable and we are extremely worried.
I called Fluffy Ruff, and left an even-handed message for Julie to let her know what had happened, and to tell her what the vet had said about the flea treatment she used. I did not lose my temper, and remained civil, intent of her getting the message that she had endangered my dog and that she should NOT use this dip anymore.
She did not even call back to see how Ariel was feeling. That is the part that I find incredible. Not even a phone call of concern, let alone asking if there was anything she could do to make this situation better. When I filled out a form for Ariel, there were a few lines that said I would not hold Julie responsible for cuts, abrasions, etc. that happened when she groomed. I have NEVER seen a form like that from ANY groomer I have ever worked with; I should have left. I hold myself responsible for not taking a cue from that form that some harm might occur.
DO NOT ALLOW THIS OR ANY GROOMER TO GIVE YOUR DOG A PYRETHRUM FLEA DIP AND PRE-EMPTIVELY SAY "I DO NOT WANT YOU TO DO THIS". My dog did not have fleas, has been groomed 100s of times by pros, and always came home bright eyes and shining, and in lovely shape.
Also, this woman uses aromatherapy; I am an aromatherapist trained at Purdue University. Animals are VERY sensitive to essential oils. They need to be used with great caution and care. DO NOT ALLOW ANYONE TO USE ESSENTIAL OILS OR AROMATHERAPY WITH YOUR PET UNLESS THEY ARE CLASSICALLY TRAINED. These are serious chemicals and can injure animals unless handled in proper dilution and in the right way.
I take no pleasure in writing this. My poor Ariel is so sick, and this was entirely unnecessary. No flea treatment would have meant no problem, according to the vet. And, according to the vet, it was completely inappropriate for her to use a flea dip without permission. And no call after leaving a long message. No caring. No concern. Had she called and told me she apologized and got the message, and would not use this flea product again, I would not have felt compelled to write this.
It is a secondary concern (Ariel's ill health is by far more important as any dog lover knows), but the groom was $100, the vet visit $181, and we will need to bring her back at least twice. She cannot go out alone and needs eye drops every six hours without fail, which meant appointments, etc. needed to be canceled today.
If the groomer doesn't care enough to own up to a problem or show any concern if there has been one, do you want your dog in her hands? read more