Paws Fur Me Mobile Pet Salon : FAQs

A: A mat is a tangle of hair or fur that can be found anywhere on a pet that has not been brushed and combed regularly. When a mat is left on the pet for a long period of time, it begins to grow (collect more tangled hair) and pull at the skin, eventually ripping itself away from the skin. The skin underneath the mat cannot breathe and will retain moisture and bacteria. Raw spots (hotspots) can form under mats; abscessed open wounds, mold, and maggots can also reside underneath a mat. The matting process is speeded up when the pet gets wet from a bath or being out in the elements and is allowed to air dry without being brushed. A pet should be fully brushed and combed prior to and after any bath or circumstance where the pet could get wet at all. A longhaired pet should also be hand dried while being brushed and combed after getting wet, to reduce the possibility of matting.

A: It depends on the type of hair involved. Regular brushing helps to de-shed as well as bring out the natural oils in a pet to keep the skin and coat shiny and healthy. It promotes the re-growth of new hair. A short-haired dog may only need brushing once a week, but a dog with medium to long hair that needs regular trimming will need brushing AND combing every one to two days to keep mats from forming. Brushing using a slicker brush or pin brush will usually only get the hair that lies on top of the coat. It may not get the hair that lies closer to the skin. A comb will also get the hair close to the skin. Very often, people who do brush their dogs don't also comb them, so mats will form close to the skin and the owners will not realize it. Combing a dog will very easily let you know if you have missed any mats. Once a mat has formed, it can be difficult to remove it and they can grow very quickly and will eventually need to be professionally shaved off.

Please speak to your groomer about proper brushing, combing techniques, and tools.

A: Very often, owners will stop brushing if their pet shows any sign of discomfort or dislike to the brushing. The pet will quickly connect their wiggling or screaming or biting to their parents not brushing. It becomes a regular, bad habit of the pet, so the owner will stop brushing the dog altogether. That makes it very difficult for your groomer to work with the dog if it has already made a habit of not wanting to be brushed. The best thing to do when your pet doesn't want to be brushed is to KEEP BRUSHING. If you are not hurting the dog, it will eventually realize that fighting you will not get it anywhere. Regular brushing is a requirement to keep the coat clean and MAT FREE. If you do not want to take responsibility for regularly grooming your pet at home, then the only option will be to have the pet shaved every time it is sent to the groomer. As long as you are willing to groom your pet at home, your groomer will be willing to work with you in keeping your pet in whatever style you prefer. That may mean up to weekly grooming appointments.

A: It really depends on the type of hair/fur your pet has. A short-haired dog may only need a full grooming a few times per year to keep you happy, but a pet with medium or long hair that needs to be regularly trimmed will need grooming every 3-6 weeks. To keep shedding down on ANY pet, regular grooming is recommended. Professional grooming can easily reduce the shedding by removing a lot of the undercoat for you. A 4-6 week cycle is recommended for maintenance de-shedding.

A: Mobile grooming has the benefit of offering an express service for you and your pet. The service is provided straight through, one pet at a time. With this method, grooming services can range from one to three hours, depending on the size of the dog, its coat type, and its temperament.

A: That is left up to owner discretion, but over-bathing a pet can cause severe drying of the hair and skin unless a pet re-moisturizer or conditioner is used. Typically, a pet may only need one bath in between professional grooming sessions. Be sure to brush and comb the pet before the bath to remove any mats and after the bath while you are actively drying your pet. Do not let your medium or longhaired dog air dry. As soon at they roll around, mats will begin to reform in the wet hair. See FAQ on mats (at the top of this page) for more information.

A: Anal sacs or glands are two small internal glands that sit on either side of the dog's anus. Many dogs will secrete the sacs on their own when they defecate. Some dogs are not able to secrete them on their own and require someone to do it for them. Signs that your dog cannot secrete their glands are scooting on the floor or constant licking around their anus. Anal gland expression is not available with every groomer. Some do not prefer to offer the service and advise a visit to the vet's to have it done. The vet's internal method of expression is more thorough and generally safer than a groomer's external method, but both are successful options. If you need gland expression done for your dog, ask your groomer.

A: One of the benefits of mobile grooming is that your pet is not exposed to contagious diseases or parasites like fleas or ticks. In order to keep that claim true for all pets being groomed, Paws Fur Me cannot accept a pet that is infested with fleas. The fleas can jump off the dog and hide and reproduce in the van or trailer causing problems for future pets. Please see Pawlicies for more information.

A: We do not offer an a la carte service. It is a package deal that comes with a bath, nail trim, ear cleaning, and hair cut if requested. We prefer to bathe the pet ourselves to ensure that the pet is clean to our standards. A hair cut will be of lesser quality if the pet is not thoroughly cleaned. It also gives us the chance to really look at the pet's skin and hair condition. We may uncover ticks, fleas, infected wounds, rashes, warts, lumps or other previously unknown issues. Regular professional grooming is very proactive in ensuring that a pet receives prompt veterinary care before a problem becomes severe.

A: If your pet is regularly walked on cement sidewalks or pavement, nail trimming may not even be a requirement. The pavement will often file the nails for you. Be sure to check the nails once in a while so you know if the pavement is filing them down adequately. For dogs who are not walked on pavement, nails should be trimmed every two to four weeks. If the nails are left to grow, they will begin to twist the toes making walking uncomfortable, even painful. Some nails, especially the dewclaw (thumbs on pets) will curl around and stick themselves into the pads, causing bleeding and infections. Long nails are especially difficult to cut because the quick, or blood vessel grows with the nail and makes the groomer unable to clip the nail short. When a nail is trimmed, the quick recedes to protect itself from exposure. Short term weekly nail trimming might be required to get the nail back to being short again. If your groomer is unable to trim the nails due to a pet's difficult behavior, you may need to have the nails done at your vet's office.

A: Quicking a nail is when a nail is trimmed to the point of making it bleed. Inside of a pet's nail are a blood vessel and nerves. For dogs (or cats) with clear nails, the blood vessel is more easily seen and avoided. For dogs with black nails, the blood vessel is completely hidden from view and quicking can happen more easily. Quicking a nail is comparable to receiving a very minor paper cut. Some dogs react highly and some dogs don't react at all if their nail is quicked. Stopping the bleeding is easily done by applying a styptic powder or gel to the bleeding nail. If no styptic powder is available, flour or even a bar of regular soap will also stop the bleeding.

Highly excitable dogs can cause their own nails to bleed by scratching their nails down to the blood vessel.

A: YES! You are allowed to see inside the vehicle and all equipment will be explained to you. You will NOT, however, be allowed to walk into the vehicle or stay with your pet, for liability and insurance reasons. You are most welcome to watch through the windows as long as your visible presence does not affect the grooming process. Some pets behave worse when their parents are visible.

A: Fewer pets are groomed in a day so that each pet will receive the highest quality one on one care he/she deserves without distractions typically found in a shop setting. Mobile grooming caters to those who work full time and have a difficult time getting to the groomer's regularly or for those who are unable to make the trip at all. We come to your door with a self-contained grooming salon. We save you the gas and time and wear and tear on YOUR car. We have your pet in and out with no kenneling or distractions. It also benefits people . . .

Mobile grooming is a specialized service and is not for everyone. If you feel that this service is not for you, you are welcomed to stay with your current groomer.

- with pets that get carsick or overly excited in car rides.
- who have a hard time getting their dog in or out of the car (older, large, or arthritic).
- with no time to make regular stops at the groomers.
- who can't drive.
- who don't have time to juggle their day waiting for the call when their pet is ready.
- with pets who are aggressive, nervous in public situations, or are easily distracted.