Are groomers supposed to...

[Chewbecca]

dip dogs for fleas without notifying the customer of the issue before doing so?

I'm just curious.

My mom (who gives her dog frontline) brought her bearded collie mix into be groomed at a local place in town.
They claimed they found a flea on him and dipped him then and there without notifying her. And then they charged her for it.

Oh, and when one dips a dog for fleas, are they supposed to dip the entire head/face?

Because ever since he was dipped, his eyes have been swollen and he's had eye issues. My mom had been putting drops in his eyes after this incident to help him, but after a week, his eyes didn't look right.
AND the other night he was just standing there, shaking, for no reason (or not for one that we could figure out).

 

[PoodleMommy]

I would not be pleased (to say the least).

If a groomer found a flea on my dog, I would expect them to call me and discuss our options before they did anything.

 

[Chewbecca]

I would not be pleased (to say the least).

If a groomer found a flea on my dog, I would expect them to call me and discuss our options before they did anything.

This is what we all kind of thought as well.
But none of us are groomers, and I own a pit bull who doesn't need to go to a groomers, so I do not have much experience with using them.

Are they supposed to dip the head and face for fleas??
My brother and husband do not seem to think they are supposed to dip the head and face.

 

[Tankstar]

We give a automatic flea bath if we find a flea at a charge of 5 dollars. BUT Every client that walks in our shop signs a waiver, and it is on the wavier "If we find flea(s) on your dog, they get a automatic flea bath at a charge of 5 dollars"

No we do not flea bath the head/face

 

[Chewbecca]

No we do not flea bath the head/face

oh god, he looked like he was knocking on death's door.
He's 9 years old, or so, so he's not young anymore, but his eyes were watering, red, and swollen.
And he was just shaking.
I told my mom to take him to the vet after Christmas (this was Christmas eve), but I'm not sure if she did or not.
I do not like her vet place AT ALL, and you could NOT pay me to take Ella to them, so even if she DID take him, God knows if they did anything for him.

 

[Sweet72947]

It depends on the grooming salon. I wouldn't be comfortable going to one that will dip dogs without the owner's consent/knowledge. I worked for one that would do this, and although it was slightly to keep the fleas from spreading around the building, it was mostly because the owner wanted to be able to charge people more money. (it was rare the groomers actually had to dip a dog though, I think I can only remember it happening maybe twice.)

They absolutely should NOT have dipped this dog's head! "Flea Dip" is basically a chemical bath. You cannot dip puppies/kittens under a certain age because it can actually kill them. I personally would never consent to a flea dip, as I've seen the bottles it comes in, and the warnings plastered all over NOT to get it on your hands because its CAUSTIC. There are much safer products on the market for de-fleaing a dog (like dawn dish detergent - it kills fleas pretty well and is safe to use on puppies and kittens).

 

[dogsarebetter]

we do NOT dip without consent. but we flea shampoo a dog with any fleas in a citrus natural shampoo.
we DO shampoo or dip the face and head, if not then all of the fleas will just go to the face and head and then after the dog drys they will be running all over the dogs body again. we even dip the inside of ears (not in the hole!) with a damp cotton ball. i have noticed during flea dips, fleas will go inside the ears and hide on the leather. and if you dont get them, than no since in even dipping them because the dog will still have fleas.

 

[Brattina88]

I think a groomer should CALL the owner and explain what they've found, give some options on what they do to help the problem.
He could be having some sort of an allergic reaction. Most flea dips have nasty chemicals in them, not every dog tolerates them. I hope he's okay!

 

[D'tailsDogGrooming]

When I worked for PetSmart it was in the grooming agreement that each owner signed that if we found fleas on the dog they would need to be immediately treated for them. But we NEVER treated their head or face. I would take the dog to the vet and determine what is wrong, if it can be lead back to the flea bath, the groomer needs to pay for your vet bill. It sounds like the dog is having some kind of allergic reaction to whatever they used on him.

 

[drmom777]

My pittie had serious allergies to all kinds of things on contact. I would have been beyond peeved if anyone ever applied anything to his skin without my permission.

Of course I always explained the issue every time he was anywhere without me,and made sure they understood the issue, particularly important since he had contact dermatitis to nylon, which is in all kinds of collars, leads, and pads.

 

[vanillasugar]

I know where I work if fleas are found on a dog the dog is automatically given a flea bath (NOT dip, just a bath with flea shampoo instead of the stuff we normally use).

The client is not charged any additional costs, but are advised that without further flea treatment the dog should have a second flea bath within 7-10 days.

 

[bubbatd]

I would be furious !!!!

 

[Tankstar]

oh god, he looked like he was knocking on death's door.
He's 9 years old, or so, so he's not young anymore, but his eyes were watering, red, and swollen.
And he was just shaking.
I told my mom to take him to the vet after Christmas (this was Christmas eve), but I'm not sure if she did or not.
I do not like her vet place AT ALL, and you could NOT pay me to take Ella to them, so even if she DID take him, God knows if they did anything for him.

Maybe he is just sensitive to the "tear less shampoos". I know Blaze is overly sensetive, blood shot eyes, watery, sneezy (big bay lol). so I never wash his face when I bring him in to groom, as he just has itchy watery eyes for days.

 

[noludoru]

dip dogs for fleas without notifying the customer of the issue before doing so?

I'm just curious.

My mom (who gives her dog frontline) brought her bearded collie mix into be groomed at a local place in town.
They claimed they found a flea on him and dipped him then and there without notifying her. And then they charged her for it.

Oh, and when one dips a dog for fleas, are they supposed to dip the entire head/face?

NO WAY! That's terrible. And flea dipping his head/face is unbelievable - I would not even get flea shampoo (or regular shampoo, for that matter) there.

 

[colliewog]

My fear would be that they use a product that my theoretical* dog could react to ... they don't know your dog's sensitivities (usually) and you may not divulge it since you're only there to be groomed. Unless a waiver was signed, they should have contacted the owner.

* theoretical because I've never had a dog groomed so have never been in this situation ...

 

[Saintgirl]

At the shop I work in we have an all natural and organic shampoo that contains a combination of herbs that naturally repell fleas. The thing is ANY shampoo can rid a dog of fleas if you scrub thorough enough with enough suds to capture and drown the fleas. Most here have heard of using Dawn dishsoap, well any soap will do the same thing and dog shampoo is pH balanced whereas Dawn is not. Sure, it takes longer but IMO a safer alternative and I am a groomer, not the person who decides flea control for each individual dog that comes through the door. Of course all owners are notified if we find fleas because where you have found one there are usually more (like on the dog bed, car, etc) that can reinfest the dog after the groom. But under NO circumstance will I place chemicles on a dog that I do not own and I would be very careful and read any release forms before signing.

 

[Paige]

This is why you make sure you read the contract before you sign it. Not stating this is the case that happened with your mom's dog but for people who just sign without second though. AHHH. I want to know all the terms and conditions when it comes to by butthead's safety.

From my experience yes they will dip the dog or bathe it if fleas show up. Seems reasonable if you consented to it.

 

[Chewbecca]

This is why you make sure you read the contract before you sign it. Not stating this is the case that happened with your mom's dog but for people who just sign without second though. AHHH. I want to know all the terms and conditions when it comes to by butthead's safety.

From my experience yes they will dip the dog or bathe it if fleas show up. Seems reasonable if you consented to it.

I never said my mom consented to ANYTHING.
I never said she signed ANYTHING.
Where did you get that?

 

[dogsarebetter]

NO WAY! That's terrible. And flea dipping his head/face is unbelievable - I would not even get flea shampoo (or regular shampoo, for that matter) there.

then how the heck do you get yucky food reside off schnauzer mustaches?!
they make special shampoos for the face area.
and to dip the face use a damp cotton ball. it gets the fleas and you will NOT get it in the eyes, nose, ears, or mouth!
why dip if all the fleas are going to run to the face and you will not kill them because you do not dip the face and head!
IME fleas LOVE to hang out between a dogs eyes and the top of the head.

 

[Giny]

Same here, DAB, the common places fleas love to hide are around the face. As for regular shampoo, I love using a facial scrub made for dogs called Ikaria Deep Cleansing Facial Scrub. It's gentler on the eyes then most reg gentle shampoo.

I don't know if they've changed the terms of flea shampoo and flea dip, but a while ago, flea dipping was an actual dip in insecticide liquid as to the lather from shampoo. I've never done a flea dip. I'm thinking of going all natural with my flea shampoo. As a groomer, if a dog comes in infested with fleas I have to give them a flea shampoo, I don't think my other costumers would love having their dog next to an infested dog. As for the eyes, I use an eye lubricant when using flea shampoo, just in case some gets in the eye.