Lobbed Austin's ear off. Guilt! :(

[AustinsMumma]

I am beyond sadnesses
Ok, I may have slightly over exaggerated
I only noticed this morning that Austin's ear hair has become matted along the bottom ear line, on both ears
And I mean... matted
Don't know why I didn't notice it. Must be due to the crappy weather, bringing him in, towelling him down and not paying enough attention to the ears!! WORST MOTHER!!

So... I tried brushing them a few times today... worked a little bit... went out today and bought round 'safety' scissors
Tried trimming a big matt on the right ear just now
Erm.. he moved
Nicked his ear end
A bit of blood, not much... soon stopped
Now he has a red end and a matt dangling down that I DAREN'T touch!

So.. it's groomers time. First visit. Whenever I can get him in that is. I tell you what. All the attention I give to the rest of the body I never thought it would be the ends of his EARS that would stress me out so much
Now, Auz doesn't like me grooming him, and now I've sliced into his ear like a butcher I am VERY worried about a groomer being able to tackle him
Do you think he will behave? He's only 7 months old. He can't be a matty tramp for the next 10+ years?!

I think I'm going to cry again
J xx

[Clairejen]

Oh no, poor boy. He may be a bit sensitive about having his ears touched for a while... It probably looks a lot worse than it is, and I'm sure groomers have ways of dealing with nervous dogs. Don't beat yourself up about it, groomers nick dogs when trimming them too, the only difference is they use styptic pens to stop the bleeding.

[molsp]

OH NO! What a mistaka-to-maka. Is he still talking to you?

If so, in my opinion, the best thing to do is, of course, shift the blame. Mwah hah hah!

[AustinsMumma]

I am DISTRAUGHT!!!
I feel so sad
I can't believe I have let my baby become...
a tramp

Seriously!

[Oscar2011]

I think some of our doods do try the patience of the groomers, not just because of their behaviour, but because of their coat types. Our groomer who is very experienced says that Oscar has one of the worst coat types to deal with that she has ever come across , however she is a perfectionist and he always looks wonderful afterwards, even if it does take 5 hours .

The first time we left him their, we had a phone call within 3 minutes from the groomer in a frantic and frightened state, Oscar had cornered her, was growling and showing teeth. We had to turn the car around and go and rescue her . She was really unsure as to whether she would be able to go on, but she did, and she soon came to realise that his obedience and good behaviour (sitting still for 5 hours) more than made up for the initial scare. She has been grooming him ever since and loves him. .

I am sure that the little guy will be fine,

Good luck,

Oscar & hoomans.

[suebedo]

Oh dear . I know you feel really awful but there is no major damage done and I think you should try and get the rest of the matt out before Christmas - you're not going to get him into a groomer now unfortunately.

I'd pop down to pets at home and get a Matt breaker http://www.petsathome.com/shop/matt-bre ... NG_PRODUCT. While you're there, look for the stuff to stop bleeds in the first aid type area - it helps if you feel prepared even if you never have to use the stuff.

The only thing to watch out for is his ear where you've nicked it so that you don't open the wound up again. I think you'll find the Matt breaker gets through matts without having to resort to using the scissors in most cases. Be brave and give it another go.

[molsp]

Oh, don't get upset, honestly he will still love you. Dogs aren't like humans, they don't hold grudges.

Dogs know who love them and they love you right back regardless.

[MrsAdmin]

Practical advice:

If the ear continues to bleed then apply pressure between finger and thumb and dip the end in cornflour to staunch it, same as when cutting nail quicks.

Lots of lovely massage of the ears whilst feeding bits of sausages and Good Boying will overcome any reluctance to allow you to touch them. Do this ASAP and continue for at least a week.

Get a narrow tooth metal comb and work GENTLY through the ear hair a bit at a time so you aren't tugging at the hair. If in doubt then give your hair a good yank and see how much it hurts.

Grooming tip. To trim the hair at the end of the ears without cutting the ear, take the end hair between finger and thumb and twirl to a point, then trip straight across the very end of the point. Result - a flat trim on the ears.

He still loves you and you will doubtless do far worse to him in years to come, entirely accidentally, so have a cuddle and get over it together.

[molsp]

Oh I hope you and Austin are Ok.

You know It's all a learning curve. No-one is born with the ability to know it all perfectly. Thats why this forum is such a godsend. There are loads of knowledgeable/ level headed people who will give you good advice.

Most groomers are really good and take it up because they love dogs. And even if he looks like a muppet after his first groom - he won't be the first. i hope you don't think that I'm being flippant?

And ears are tricky, I haven't dealt with floppy ears before and I had to take Lola to the vet recently because I thought she had dried blood in her ears . It turned out to be wax, and it had built up because i hadn't been putting cleaning stuff in.

[dexysback]

Thats why i take dexter to grommers ,i try and trim most places but do get fritend when grooming ears and hes privete places.

[AustinsMumma]

Thanks all
I'm still very upset
I've booked him in at the vets for 9:45 as the cut itself looks 'clean', but the matt is hanging off it and I won't be able to brush it at all
I already have a matt breaker and that would not get through it, it's too 'dense'

OH is quite angry with me I think, I'm angry with MYSELF
oh well, lessons learned and all that

I'm hoping Mark the vet doesn't go psycho with me I've known him years through various pets
I am guessing he's going to think I'm a right berk, rightly so
I don't want to sit here looking at him and worrying all over christmas though. I was lucky to get him in rally considering it's xmas eve!

J xx

[AustinsMumma]

OMG the vets have kept him in!
Mark clipped the matt off and the cut started bleeding again
He said it was hardly anything (just a nick) but it's obv going to bleed if you try and brush etc
So he's being put under and having it glued and the matts clipped off both ears
I cried!! I feel so so guilty. The vet nurse said "It will heal, it will heal". So I cried more
£150, but he's doing it NOW (which I think is amazing for xmas eve) and he shouldn't be too long (*touch wood*)

He said his ears will be 'a bit bald' and he might look slightly stupid
At least we can start again now and I WILL brush the bluddy things every day. Every hour

J xx

[Masil]

Oh Jo I do feel for you. How lucky to get fitted into the vet on Christmas Eve. I'm sure Austin will be fine and back home soon. Let us know how he is later on if you get a chance. I think a large glass of wine (or two) is in order for you this evening xx