Like humans, dogs may get razor burn after a grooming session. It’s possible that the groomer made a mistake or that you opt to cut corners and trimmed your dog’s hair at home. Whatever it is, you should know how to treat clipper burn on dog to save your pooch from the discomfort.
What is a clipper burn?
While mistakes happen from time to time when grooming a dog, you have to be careful about clipper burn.
A clipper burn occurs when the blade used to groom the dog is already dull. What happens is that the dull blade pulls the fur or hair, causing the skin to become irritated. Over time, the clipper burn will be inflamed, reddish, and bumpy.
Aside from that, an overheating clipper can also cause clipper burn. It’s important to shut down the clipper and let it cool down after a few minutes of grooming. The clipper’s metal parts will absorb heat fast, which will then hurt your pooch’s skin.
The pressure of clipping the fur will also cause friction buildup between the clipper and the dog’s skin. It will result in burns and skin inflammation.
Lastly, clipping too close on the dog’s skin will also cause clipper burn. Worse, it can lead to cuts and bleeding.
Sometimes, clipper burns will take days to show up. For dogs with short fur, it will be easier to notice. Nonetheless, it will be painful just the same.
Instead of stirring a quarrel with the groomer or blaming yourself, you should focus on treating the clipper burn. Below, I discussed the steps you can take.
How to treat clipper burn on dog
Clipper burn is very uncomfortable for dogs. You will also notice the pooch licking the affected part, which can lead to bald patches and infections if not attended to right away. You should do the following to deal with clipper burn:
Check your dog’s skin
The first thing you should do is to check your dog’s skin. Look for signs of clipper burn like bumps and inflamed spots. This occurs hours after your dog got groomed. If it’s been days when the dog has been groomed, the burns would be very tender and painful.
Inspecting your dog’s skin will give you an idea about how worse the burns are. If the affected parts have fluid secretions or pus, you should bring your dog to the vet right away. Treating this at home might do more harm than help because skin irritation of this level is prone to further infections.
Clean the burns
If the burns are not worse and located only on a few spots, you can treat it at home. Clean the spots first by bathing your dog or simply spot cleaning. An oatmeal-based shampoo will help soothe the itch or pain of the burns.
After that, pat the burns dry before you proceed to the next step. I don’t recommend blow-drying your dog because it might irritate the skin even more.
Soothe the burns
Once your dog’s coat is dry, you can apply an Aloe vera gel to soothe the inflammation. Aloe vera also has antiseptic properties that will help neutralize infections. It will kill bacteria and fungi brewing on your dog’s skin.
I recommend that you call the vet before using any topical creams or products on your dog. This is the same if you’re planning to use Aloe vera straight from the leaf since it can be toxic to canines.
Most of the time, the vet prescribe products with hypochlorous acid. Although called an acid, this product is actually pH balanced and will not sting the swollen clipper burns of your dog.
For infected clipper burns, antibiotic ointments like Neosporin can be used. Still, you should seek the vet’s approval first, especially if your pooch has sensitive skin.
Lastly, never use topical creams with painkiller because it might stir further irritations.
Keep it safe
It’s important to protect the clipper burns. Your dog will surely try to lick the area after you applied a topical treatment. The simple solution here is putting a cone on your dog to stop it from grooming the affected area. Take note that a dog’s saliva reeks of various microorganisms that can infect the already inflamed clipper burns.
You may need to re-apply the ointment in the coming days until the clipper burns completely heal. If the burns become worse after your home remedy, it’s best to immediately bring the dog to the vet.
How to prevent clipper burn on your dog
As much as possible, you’d want to prevent clipper burns on your dog. It’s very uncomfortable and can be an avenue for various infections. You can do the following tips:
✔️Communicate with the groomer. If your dog suffered from clipper burns on its last visit to the groomer, you must talk to the person who handled your pooch. There’s no point in quarreling. Just state your concern so the groomer can correct what it did wrong.
✔️Sharpen your razor. If you’re trimming your dog’s fur at home, you should always sharpen your razor before each use. This will prevent pulling and snagging, which can lead to burns. If you need to replace your clipper, don’t hesitate to do so.
✔️Clean your clipper. Never use a dirty clipper on your dog. You should always wash and remove any stuck fur on it after each use. Otherwise, the clipper will snag and cause burns on your pet’s skin.
✔️Know your dog’s skin. Sometimes, no matter how sharp your clipper is, your dog can still develop razor burns. This is due to overly sensitive skin. You should talk to the vet about this to get proper advice about what to avoid and do.
✔️Moisturize your dog’s skin. Keeping your dog’s skin moisturized will reduce its susceptibility to clipper burns. A nourishing dog shampoo and proper diet are just some of the ways to keep your dog’s skin healthy and well-moisturized.
In this video, Dr. Peter Brown, tells us more about how to prevent clipper burns on your dog:
Should you look for another groomer?
Before you ditch and bad-mouth your dog’s groomer, it’s important to identify the root cause of clipper burns. While it’s usually due to the manner of grooming and the tools used, your dog’s skin may be the culprit.
Sometimes, dogs with extremely sensitive skin will react harshly, even on mild friction and hair-pulling. To other dogs, such experience will not trigger any adverse reactions.
It’s important to communicate with your dog’s veterinarian to point out the real reason behind the clipper burns. The vet can conduct tests to identify if your dog has skin problems. You should also talk to the groomer to raise the concern.
Professional and experienced groomers will know what to do once a client reported clipper burns. If the burns keep on happening, that’s the time you can consider switching to a new grooming shop for your dog.
Also, dogs may get razor burn , treat it right away.
Conclusion
Knowing how to treat clipper burn on dog will save your pooch from discomfort and possible infection. It’s also important to communicate with your dog’s groomer to work out a possible solution. The vet will also play an important role here, especially if the clipper burns turned out to be infected.
Did your dog sustain clipper burns before? How did you deal with it? Share your experience with us!