Medicated Dogs

Throughout your grooming career you are likely to come across dogs that can not be safely groomed without the aid of medication prescribed by their vet.

There are different kinds or medication (or ‘happy pills’ as they are sometimes called) that can be prescribed and given as a chemical restraint for grooming. Most aim to relax or sedate the dog (taking the edge off their aggression or anxiety), but some aim to paralyse and not treat the underlying emotions that are causing the dog to behave in the way it does. Knowing WHAT a dog has been medicated with should have an affect on how you approach the groom, how much you are aiming to get done, and what to look out for as a side effect of the meds.

Communicating with an owner about how a dog has behaved or coped with the meds that have had on board during a grooming session is important so that they can take that information back to their vet in order to adjust the dosing. A dog that has seen no effects from the meds may need to be prescribed a bigger dogs, and a dog that is heavily sedated and hard to rouse would not be safe to groom without veterinary monitoring, and is likely to need a smaller dogs. You are working to find the ‘sweet spot’ that makes the dog relaxed enough to learn that grooming is not going to cause them harm, with the aim to eventually weaning off if possible.

Things to remember when grooming a medicated dog:

• A dog that initially appears well medicated can break through the meds if they are feeling a strong emotion like fear or pain. It is important to stay on your guard - the adrenaline released when the dog is panicking is powerful enough to make it seem like they have not been medicated at all! Basket muzzles, restraints, and a second person can call be used to keep the grooming session safe for both the groomer and the dog.

• A loud or busy environment can stimulate the dog and make it fight against the medication. A quiet room with soft lighting can be best to allow the meds to do their job, and for you to get the groom completed safely.

• A heavily sedated dog will struggle to control their temperature, movements, and breathing. Unless under veterinary supervision and monitoring, these dogs are generally not safe to groom in a salon environment.

• Medication only has a small period of time that it is working at its best. Co-ordinate with the dogs vet and owner to give the medication early enough before the groom, that it is at its peak when you begin. Ideally a medicated dog will go straight on the table, and be groomed straight through, in order for the medication not to wear off before the groom is finalised.

Dogs being medicated for grooming often do not need to be medicated forever. Often they just need a little bit of help to take the edge off their emotional reaction to being groomed, in order to be in a state of mind to begin learning that being groomed is just another part of life. Encourage owners to speak to their vets when necessary, and if you are not comfortable grooming medicated dogs - it can be handy to have a list of groomers in the area who are.