By Carrie Hyde, The Spaw Pet Life Coach | April 17, 2022
No one wants to watch their furry best friend struggle with age. But for those pets who are lucky enough to see their golden years, it comes with the territory.
One thing many owners of ailing pets wonder is if they should still get their senior pet groomed.
While the answer to this question is usually a resounding yes, there are many things you need to consider before you make that decision for your aging dog or cat.
Below, we’ll look at the risks associated with getting an elder pet groomed as well as the risks that come with not getting them groomed. We’ll also walk through some of the grooming routine changes you can make to decrease those risks and maximize grooming benefits for your senior.
The Risks of Grooming Senior and Ailing Pets
The risks a senior or ailing pet might face at the groomer are specific to their condition and needs. The following is a general list that owners of older dogs should consider before deciding how to approach grooming with their pets.
Strain on Arthritic Joints
Grooming may not seem like an endurance sport, but for a pet that is past their prime, it certainly can become one.
Dogs, especially those receiving complex cuts or extensive work, can be required to stand for extended periods during grooming. They must stand in the bath while being scrubbed and rinsed. They must stand through much of the drying process. And they must stand on the grooming table during brushing and clipping.
For a large, curly-coated breed, this can mean potentially hours on their feet.
If your dog suffers from arthritis, painful joints, or other mobility issues, standing for such extensive periods is going to aggravate these problems. This added pain can lead to behavioral issues and increase their stress levels, two more things that can make grooming more dangerous.
Stress Can Aggravate Cardiac Issues
Stress, whether caused by painful joints or just the process of grooming, can aggravate pre-existing issues in the cardiac system.
It is not uncommon for senior pets to develop heart murmurs and congestive heart disease. These pets are at greater risk for heart failure, heart attack, and stroke compared to healthy dogs. The added stress and physical demands of grooming can further increase the chances of something happening, just as exercise, vet visits, and travel can.
Sensory Issues Can Increase Stress
Even if your dog is used to being groomed and seemingly comfortable with it, aging can bring about stressors that didn’t use to exist. In addition to age-related pain adding to their stress, changes in cognitive function and decreased sensory sensitivity can make familiar situations seem scary.
Hearing problems and vision loss are common in older pets. These dogs and cats often experience increased anxiety in both new and familiar environments. In a grooming room that is full of loud noises, new smells, and other stimuli, it can be easy for a senior pet to become overly stressed.
Older dogs often experience increased anxiety compared to when they were young. This can be apparent even inside the home where they are comfortable. In a less familiar environment, this anxiety can quickly spiral, increasing the risk that the pet hurts themselves or the groomer.
Changes in Physiology
One aspect that is often overlooked by owners is how changing physiology in older dogs can make them more difficult to groom.
The best example of this is how older dogs’ skin becomes thinner, just as it does in older humans. This means there is an increased risk of bleeding during trimming and shearing. Unless your dog has clotting issues, this is not a major risk, but certainly, something to be aware of.
The Risks of NOT Grooming Senior and Ailing Pets
Of course, there are also risks associated with not taking your senior pet to the groomers. This is especially true for long-haired or curly-coated breeds. But all dogs, even those with short, easy-keep coats, can suffer if their grooming routine is disrupted.
Matted Hair Can Add to Their Discomfort
Hair doesn’t stop growing just because a pet gets older. If your senior pet doesn’t receive frequent brushing and trims, that hair can begin to mat. Not only does this look bad, but it can be quite painful.
Mats pull on and irritate the skin beneath them. They can also cause skin irritation and lead to hot spots and infections. For older dogs with compromised immune systems or who are on medications that affect their immune system, this can lead to serious health problems.
It’s common for owners of older pets to put off grooming due to the risks we discussed in the previous section. But delayed grooming often means more matted hair. And more mats mean a longer, more stressful, and painful grooming experience when you do finally bring them in.
Older cats are especially prone to matting as they become less able to groom themselves effectively. If your older cat is not used to the groomers, it’s in their best interest to bring them in as soon as mats begin to develop rather than waiting until they’ve progressed. This way, their first grooming experience is less stressful, less painful, and not nearly as lengthy.
Incontinence Issues Are Made Worse Without Grooming
Many senior pets struggle with incontinence. Long, ungroomed hair will only make this difficult situation that much worse.
Matted or long hair near the rear end is prone to getting dirty and more matted when a dog struggles with fecal or urinary incontinence. If they aren’t bathed frequently and thoroughly, this problem can lead to painful skin irritation and further infections.
An expanded sanitary trim, in which the hair on the hind end is cut short, can make cleanup after accidents much easier for both you and your dog.
Poor Body Temperature Regulation
Even short-coated dogs will benefit from grooming into old age.
Dogs with thick double coats, whether long or short, do not shed as effectively as their younger counterparts. This leads to a lot of dead hair getting trapped in the outer coat. Not only does this look terrible, but it makes it difficult for the pet to regulate their temperature.
In order to properly insulate, whether from hot or cold, the coat must be in good condition. Because the health of the coat drops off significantly with age, consistent grooming becomes that much more important.
Work with Your Groomer to Find the Best Plan for Your Pet
There is no question that grooming a senior pet comes with risks. But so does not getting them groomed.
Instead of giving up on grooming altogether, the best thing you can do for your aging pet is to find a way to maximize grooming benefits while reducing the risks. Here are some tips that can help ease the grooming burden for older pets.
Shorter More Frequent Visits
Older pets can struggle with the stress and physical demands of grooming sessions. One way to reduce the toll of those demands is to have them groomed more frequently for shorter periods.
Instead of asking your groomer to bathe, brush, trim, cut nails, and do a sanitary cut all at once, work with them to split up the tasks into shorter sessions. By doing less at each grooming appointment and scheduling the appointments more often, you can assure your pet stays well-groomed without having to put in the work all in one extended period.
Simpler Cuts
Once your dog gets to a certain age, looks become less important than function. Instead of grooming your poodle for the show ring, consider opting for a simpler cut. Shaving the coat to a uniform length is a much quicker process than sculpting a fancy show cut, which means less standing and less stress.
You can work with your groomer to decide what the simplest and most functional cut for your senior would be. Sanitary grooms can be used to help with incontinence and the coat length can be tailored to keep your dog more comfortable throughout the seasons.
Don’t Stop Grooming But Do Change Your Expectations
The answer to the question ‘Should senior pets still get groomed?’ is a simple one: Yes, but you do need to change your expectations.
Senior dogs and cats can struggle with grooming due to issues associated with painful joints, heart problems, and anxiety caused by failing senses. But without grooming, your pet will be forced to live with painful, matted fur made worse by incontinence and temperature control problems aggravated by an unhealthy coat.
Aging pets need to be groomed, but the goal of that grooming–and the goal during the grooming session–is different than with a younger animal. With seniors, it’s all about keeping them comfortable. This means sessions should be kept short and simple, but done more frequently so the coat stays at a functional length and in good condition.
By Carrie Hyde, The Spaw Pet Life Coach | April 17, 2022 | Written for The Spaw by Sara Seitz, Professional Freelance Writer and Novelist with Pen and Post
Carrie Hyde is the founder, owner, and Pet Life Coach of The Spaw in Tustin, CA. Carrie’s extensive experience and understanding of pet nutrition and coaching enabled her to create The Spawdcast, a podcast dedicated to educating pet parents and pet industry professionals on ALL the options available to their pets. Her mission is to open pet-owner’s eyes to the questions they may not even know to ask, to shine a light on the many myths that have been part of pet care for decades and to offer whole solutions for their pets. Carrie Hyde is a certified pet nutritionist with the goal of helping pet parents & pet professionals with a new understanding of how to care for pets in a “whole and natural” way.
