Grooming to Maximize Health and Function with Meghan Terwilliger

“Humanity over vanity!” Grooming is much more important than just making sure your pet looks pretty or smells good. Grooming is vital to maximizing your pet’s overall health and well-being. No grooming or improper grooming can lead to pain, decreased mobility, skin and ear infections, issues with thermo-regulation, poor oral hygiene, and the list goes on. Most don’t realize that the groomer is in integral part of your pet’s care team. By bringing your pet to regular grooming appointments every 4-6 weeks, the groomer becomes a first line of defense – examining skin, coat, teeth, ears, and nails, finding things that may need attention long before your pet’s next scheduled veterinary appointment. As a certified fear-free groomer, Meghan does all this while making your pet’s experience as pleasant as possible, establishing trust, and changing their emotional response to grooming. She describes what a fear-free appointment might look like and how she works to make it a positive experience for your pet by inviting them to participate in the process. Meghan listens to what the dog is telling her, allowing her to work around any anxiety-producing issues. When your pet looks forward to grooming, it will more likely look forward to other experiences such as veterinary appointments. Finally, we get into the nitty gritty of salon safety, sanitary clips, senior comfort grooms, and the recommended frequency of bathing, brushing, and nail trims. By the way, Meghan bets your dog’s nail are too long!

Links mentioned in the show:
Check out Meghan's thriving grooming business at The Soggie Doggie.
Go to Fear Free Pets to learn more about this exciting shift in vet medicine.
For Meghan's "how to" on nail trim's, click nail trim video.
To see a puppy's first fear free groom, click here.
To learn more about Meghan, go to her Facebook and Instagram.
See Paw Mats to find the cushy, non-slip mats Meghan mentioned.
See the book Meghan's Creative Grooming work is featured in.

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