Treating Your Dog's Razor Burn After Grooming

I occasionally take my little Yorkie, Bea, in for a trim. We live in the South and the summers are very warm. I decided to have Bea cut shorter than normal so that she would be more comfortable in the heat. Bea went to a different groomer than we have used before. Both of my neighbors on either side of my house take their dogs to this particular groomer. Both neighbors have said that they really like this groomer.

When Bea came back home she looked really good. She was cut short but by no means shaved. I did note, however, that the groomer had shaved her bottom. No one else had ever done this, but nothing looked amiss at the time. A few hours later the trouble began.

Bea started to slink around the house with her tail tucked. I know that she doesn't like her belly shaved so I thought this might be the problem. When I checked her, I saw that her skin was red and irritated on her bottom and her little girl parts. At first I didn't put anything on it. I really didn't know what to put on it

That night was a pretty sleepless night for my husband, myself, and Mrs. Beasley. She kept jumping out of bed to lick herself and scratch. This irritated the area even more and by morning she was extremely red. I called the vets office and they told me to spray Benadryl on her to help reduce the itching and swelling. It helped to a certain degree, but did not resolve the problem.

I had read on the internet the cortisone crème could possibly help. I gently washed the area with some hydrogen peroxide, applied the cortisone, and then put a little baby onesie on her. Since she is rather small this worked perfectly. Still, anytime I took the onesie off, she would continue to lick the area that was affected. She started feeling much better. She no longer went around the house with her tail tucked.

The area wasn't quite back to normal. Although it was better, it still appeared to be pretty red. I thought maybe an antibiotic crème might be more successful. I again washed the area with a little hydrogen peroxide and put Neosporin on the spots. Put the onesie back on and left it on. The only time I took the onesie off is when she needed to go out to potty. It seemed that any time she licked the area it would irritate it. The logical thing was to make sure she couldn't get to it.

It took nearly a week for poor Bea to get back to normal. I have not yet talked to the groomer. I think that Bea has extra sensitive skin, but I will never allow a groomer to shave her so close in that area again. I will take no chances. After two sleepless nights and fighting with Bea to leave the area alone, I have learned a lesson. I never even knew about razor burn until this happened. If this ever happens to you, make sure that you let the groomer know what happened. I'm not sure if I will return to this groomer or not. I know that this can happen, and am not sure that it is because it's something that the groomer did or if Bea is just ultra sensitive.

If you intend to have your dog cut short because of matting or summer weather, be sure to discuss razor burns with your groomer in advance. I think even that early discussion will cause the groomer to be extra careful. If, after this discussion, your dog comes back with a razor burn, demand a refund and don't ever go there again. This is very painful for the dog. I don't want this to ever happen again.

Sources:
Personal Experience
http://www.practical-pet-care.com/archive.php?2005052611423411