Hairy dogs in the UWT

[dmpaster]

Does anyone with an UWT require really hairy dogs to be shaved?
I've got a Collie that comes in and he is just a mess. Yesterday he had a bunch of fecal matter matted under his tail and mats all over his abdomen. Luckily, we found the fecal matter before we put him in the treadmill and I shaved him under his tail, but it got me thinking about shaving his whole body.
Diane

[lehughes]

I can commiserate!! We've had a few dogs over the years that are filthy!! Most recently, a pair of Newfoundland Dogs who spend a lot of time outdoors and/or in a horse arena.

We have let the owner know that because of what her dog's hair does to our water, that we 1) will need to drain the water from each of her dogs down the drain (not put it back into the holding tank) - which takes a bit longer to empty, and 2) we need to bill her for 3 appointments (versus the two), since we block off the appointment after her two dogs in order to clean the treadmill, add water to the holding tank & heat it.

We weren't sure how she'd react... but when it came down to it, we were prepared to lose her as a client if she responded poorly. (It wasn't worth it otherwise). She was okay with it. (Honestly, I think she looks at it as a regular bath appointment in addition to rehab!)

You could propose shaving, or at least partial shaving (belly, around the anus, and a trimming of the 'pants') as an option. Who knows! People are sometimes weird how they react! All you can do is point out the issue and give some solutions.

Best of luck!

Laurie

[DancingDog]

What about asking them to get grooming before they can begin UWTM? I fortunately work in a place that also does grooming- so it helps! But I think that's a reasonable request. Especially if there is poop matted in....

[dmpaster]

They've done a better job of trying to keep him cleaner since I shaved his bum
Diane