Grooming an Elderly Dog

As your dog grows older his/her grooming needs will change.

Where as before he/she may not have minded being groomed, it may now be tiring and painful.

Arthritis is one of the leading reasons for an elderly dog to feel sore when it comes home from being groomed.

I also tell my customers that grooming is like going to the gym to work out.

Lets face it, most dogs spend 70-80% of their days sleeping.

When they come in to be groomed, they have to stand for awhile to be bathed, brushed, and dried.

They must also stand on the grooming table for awhile while being clipped.

The groomer must left their feet and arms numerous times in order to clip and scissor the feet, legs and body.

 This is like a workout for a dog that normally sleeps most of the day away waiting for you to get home from work.

 This can be very tiring for older dogs. 

There are many groomers out there that refuse to work on dogs that are over 10 years old.

It is very important that when making an appointment for your dog, you must let the groomer know  how old your dog is, and find out if the groomer is experienced with grooming older dogs.

You want to make sure that the groomer has the extra time to work with an elderly dog.

You also want to make sure that you make an appointment when you are available to pick up your dog the minute that it is ready to go home.

I always try to get my elderly dogs back home as soon as possible, but the owners must also understand that I will not rush their dog through a grooming.

A groomer should work at the elderly dogs pace.

If the dog needs to lay down for a while,then the grooming must stop till the dog is ready to be groomed again.

It is also important to have your dog groomed in a cut that is comfortable for their age.

You may have kept your dog in a long full cut all of its life, but as he/she has gotten older, they no longer like to be brushed and combed, and the longer cut means that they have to stand too long on the grooming table.

Talk to the groomer about doing a shorter clip that will still leave some hair but not be so much work for your dog.

As the owner of an elderly dog you must also understand that there may be times that the groomer can not do everything that is usually done during the grooming.

Maybe it upsets your dog too much to have their ears plucked and cleaned.

The last thing a groomer wants, is for your pet to have a heart attack because they are trying to pluck and clean ears, or clip nails when the dog does not want it done.

If your dog suffers from arthritis, call your Vet and ask if it would be okay to give him/her a baby aspirin before you bring your dog in for grooming.

When you find a groomer that will groom your elderly dog, you may be asked to sign an 'Elderly Pet Release' form.

It may look something like this:

      Grooming a Senior, or Special Needs Pet, can be very stressful to the pet. We here at My Furry Friends work very hard to make the grooming experience as comfortable as possible. In order to accomplish this, we groom for the pets comfort and cleanliness. We will only groom what your Senior pet will allow us to do comfortably. The cut will be in a style that will cause the least amount of stress as possible.


      Because many Senior, and Special Needs Pets have pre-existing health issues, their risk of an jury during grooming is greater. Grooming a Senior, or Special Needs Pet can also expose hidden medical issues and, or aggravate current medical issues during and, or after the grooming. All care possible will be taken in the grooming of your pet. My Furry Friends also holds the right to groom your pet only as far as the pets comfort will allow. If your pets shows any discomfort during the grooming, the grooming will stop and you will be asked to pick up your pet immediately.


     The safety and comfort of your pet is our number one concern. We ask that all Senior and Special Needs Pets are picked up immediately, or no later then 30 minutes after we have called to inform you that your pet is ready to go home.

Your elderly dog has been with you for a long time and deserves extra special care in the golden years of his/her life.

Take the time to call around and find  groomer that will give your dog that extra special care.

Just a Note from Your Groomer, MFF