# Do you groom your dog before scheduled vet visits?



## LibertyME

All three dogs and the cat have their wellness exams tomorrow...
Ive been bathing and grooming for the last couple of days. 
I like to bring them in looking nice and smelling clean!
Is it just me?

(Emergency visits - are different...obviously they come in 'as is'!)


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## Oaklys Dad

Of course! Don't want them to report me to the ASPCA. :


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## Megora

*shakes head* Never. But we were at the vet this evening for his heartworm test and we had people marveling about how great his coat looks and guessing I must groom him a lot. I let them think that.  

I do groom him before dog class though.


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## lgnutah

I pretty much keep Brooks clean all the time, I mean, if he gets muddy I give him a bath, and I brush him regularly, so he generally is pretty decent looking.


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## Dexell1827

I'm with "Oaklys Dad"...gotta make a good impression!!


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## rhondas

My golden gets a full groom once a month. And 24 hours before an AAT visit he gets a wash and dry.
I clean his ears twice a week and brush his teeth daily.
If he gets dirty any time inbetween, I wash him down.

However, I do not groom him specifically for a vet visit.

Every time folks see him, they think he is freshly groomed.


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## MittaBear

Chester doesn't get a full grooming, but I do brush him and make sure he looks extra nice. I don't want him going to the vet looking shaggy!


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## jwemt81

You must have rubbed off on me a long time ago because I gave both of the boys baths, nail grinding, and trimming before they went in last week for their annual exams and shots! :


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## Dallas Gold

not always, because we seem to be there every day lately, but I always give them a time frame of when we plan to groom him just so they know we aren't totally slobs at home! We were there on Tuesday and he was overdue for a bath. Since we were there for an abdominal sonogram and that means that gooey jelly on his underside I took him in without grooming first (only a brushing) and explained we'd bathe him after the sonogram! We had another appointment today and he went in freshly bathed, smelling fresh and with a very fluffy coat.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom

Yep, I always make sure they look their best. Baths, nails, feet and ears trimmed before scheduled appts.


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## spruce

MittaBear said:


> Chester doesn't get a full grooming, but I do brush him and make sure he looks extra nice. I don't want him going to the vet looking shaggy!


same......


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## RedDogs

I try to... I think it's kind of rude to take the dogs in really messy, though my "Messy" and "dirty" is 100x better than some of the animals they handle!


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## CarolinaCasey

Yes! If there isn't time for a full bath and blow dry, I will make sure to brush!


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## janine

Yep...they need to look good. I try to brush them everyday (ok 5 times a week) but before the vet visit a bath is in order.


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## alijeanrn

I used to bathe before the vet, but not anymore. They both roll all over the floor when we are at the vet, then they don't smell clean anymore! Now I groom after a vet vistit. But I groom them regularly anyway so they never look too shaggy!


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## tp1999

That is the way I see it. I always brush and check my boys ears before they visit Dr. Bill.

is this like cleaning your house before the housecleaner comes?


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## Heidi36oh

Well the crew is going in next Thursday for all their shots, I been trying to get at least one bath in this week with no luck..lol, I will get it done this weekend and they will look and smell good for the vet


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## Megora

As I said yesterday, I don't worry about it. My guy is an indoor dog and sleeps in my bed (on my pillow!) at night, so of course I make sure he's clean and brushed out. But I only brush him once a week (before dog class) and bathe him at least once a month. And of course I trim everything every month too.

His coat is naturally thick, straight, shiny, and long where it should be long - so of course everyone is in awe. There was this guy last night who raved about his beautiful coat and then asked if he was a different kind of golden. Which humored me. :

My previous golden needed to be brushed and groomed before vet visits, but er... he was the one who always had tufts of fur dropping off everywhere or turning into mats (yes, even with him being brushed a couple times a week). :uhoh: I didn't want the vets thinking that my spoiled rotten baby boy was neglected.


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## Swampcollie

Because your dog can't talk your Veterinarian is trained to observe the animals condition. If you groom and bath the dog prior to visiting the Vet you remove a lot of information the Vet would otherwise have regarding the animals overall health. Coat quality, coat texture, amount of oils, smells etc, are all important bits of information that you alter through grooming. Your dog will be better served if you let the Vet see it as is, without the buff n shine job.


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## Katie and Paddy's Mum

I answered "yes" - but by groom I generally mean, that I give them a very thorough brushing and make sure they look their best. If this falls right around the time of a scheduled bath then great, if not - just a really good brushing. They're both always kept really clean and tidy. 

But yea, I like the vet to see their coats in all their glory!

Kim


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## LibertyME

Brilliant as usual Swampcollie!!
I mentioned this poll to my vet and he said, "ya know...we prefer them in their natural state...there is a lot of info we gather from the condition of the skin, coat and smells that we look for.." (all of the reasons you mentioned!)

So after a decade of washing dogs before wellness exams I learned something today! :doh: Dont go crazy grooming the dogs before a vet visit!

Now...if Lib decides to roll herself in a nice smelly pile of deer dung...she is going to get a bath -vet visit or not!!!




Swampcollie said:


> Because your dog can't talk your Veterinarian is trained to observe the animals condition. If you groom and bath the dog prior to visiting the Vet you remove a lot of information the Vet would otherwise have regarding the animals overall health. Coat quality, coat texture, amount of oils, smells etc, are all important bits of information that you alter through grooming. Your dog will be better served if you let the Vet see it as is, without the buff n shine job.


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## Deb_Bayne

jwemt81 said:


> , nail grinding :


Do you use the PediPaw? We bought one for the cats but they won't have anything to do with it, so they continue to get clipped.


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## fostermom

Deb_Bayne said:


> Do you use the PediPaw? We bought one for the cats but they won't have anything to do with it, so they continue to get clipped.


I think a lot of us use dremels.

I don't groom my dogs before my comes, but I do groom them before therapy dog visits or before I bring them into work with me.


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## Enzos_Mom

I voted no, but only because I keep Enzo clean pretty much all the time.


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## Ranger

Ranger gets brushed 2-5 times a week, nails done once a week, ears done once a month, and baths once a week in the summer so he's usually looking pretty dapper - if i do say so myself! I don't bathe him before a vet visit but I usually give him a quick brush and put on a fancy collar...because I'm like that. I like his tail to look nice and fluffy and his feathers to not look "stringy" when we go out in public. The only time I might not brush him is if he got brushed the day before. I ALWAYS clean his eyes before we go but it doesn't seem to matter. We get there and he's got big old eye goobers in both eyes. I even clean them again before we get out of the truck, but he has a special gene for eye goobers, I think.


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## honeysmum

I voted no Honey is brushed every day so I dont do anything extra.


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## MelMcGarry

I voted yes, but for Tucker that really just means a good brushing before we go. Can't have the boy looking rumpled!


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## Pudden

nah. The Pudden is very self-cleaning. Mama only brushes her maybe once a month, more when she's shedding. She just doesn't need more brushing than that. 

The Pudden somehow always looks well-groomed, unlike her old Mama, who looks like a crumpled leaf when she emerges from her bed in the morning.


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## Lisa_and_Willow.

I keep them clean and brush them most days anyway but I voted yes as I always give them a quick brush about 10 mins before we leave for the vets.


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## Selli-Belle

Nope, we all go to the vet as-is. However, spending five days a week at the dog wash means they get lots of grooming anyways. I don't mean to sound mean, but I have had people come in and bathe their dogs before they go in to have their dogs put to sleep-why in the world would anyone do that!


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## Sterling Archer

If he needed a bath, I would give him one.


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## Sterling Archer

If he needed a bath, I would give him one. He doesn't stink and he stays clean, so I haven't seen the need to groom or give him a bath before a vet visit so far.


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## Sterling Archer

If he needed a bath, I would give him one. He doesn't stink and he stays clean, so I haven't seen the need to groom or give him a bath before a vet visit so far.

Edit: Refresh/system issues.:doh::doh::doh::doh::doh:


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## IowaGold

I am so neurotic that the day my littlest one had elbow surgery, I had her at my clinic dremeling her nails an hour before we were supposed to be there!


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## bioteach

Nugget loves the shower - I'm lucky if he goes to the vet DRY!


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## AquaClaraCanines

I keep my dogs groomed all the time, though the vet often compliments the grooming job, I never groom them specially before the vet. All my dogs have short nails and clean ears and are routinely washed, and I keep the Borzoi in show condition all the time- gotta keep that glorious coat in top form!

The only exception is I bathe dogs the night before surgery since they can't be bathed for a few days/weeks after a surgery.


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## desi.n.nutro

Yes. BAHAHA You are all going to think I am silly but I light groom them before we go to the groomer too. I was standing in line once when I heard one groomer tell another that the dog was so bad she was going to charge the owner extra. I am so cheap that one single comment stuck with me forever. Don't judge.


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## GoldenSail

No, but literally after taking her for a long walk where she has been swimming and rolling in dirt I've had people asking me if I just bathed her and how well groomed she looks  This too even after weeks of doing this and no bath. The dirt just falls out on its own and she looks and feels clean. I am glad I have a rather easy coat to take care of! I do trim the feet and ears on occasion.

EDIT: even the CERF vet I took her to a couple months ago commented on how well groomed she was--and I hadn't bathed her in weeks


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