Pet groomer’s TikToks share industry secrets owners need to know
Vanessa De Prophetis has been a pet groomer in Ontario, Canada for years and started sharing the ins and outs of her profession on TikTok in April.
Her uploads vary from grooming tips — start brushing from the bottom of the dog’s legs and move up — to advice on how to train your dogs to being crate-friendly and understanding the bond groomers share with pets.
“When you take your dog to the same groomer for years, we create a bond with your dog,” De Prophetis says in one TikTok. “We learn what they like and dislike, we know where every bump and mole is, we notice changes in your dog and often times can make life-saving discoveries.”
“I never thought about that before,” one person replied.
“We have patients at the clinic I work at where groomers noticed something the owner didn’t,” another added.
In addition to explaining that the dog and groomer relationship goes much deeper than people realize, De Prophetis revealed that there’s also a sad side to pet grooming.
According to her most viral TikTok, which clocks in at more than 2.5 million views, there’s such a thing as an “end of life” groom.
It typically happens in one of two ways. Either the owner specifically requests it, understanding how old their dog is; or the groomer notices that it’s become too much of a struggle to care for the dog and then has to tell the owner that this is it.
Both moved people to tears in the comments as they realized dog groomers have an emotionally intensive aspect to their jobs.
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♬ original sound – salem
“When you ask us to give your pet an end-of-life groom, we always say yes but we want to say no,” De Prophetis says in the TikTok. “[It’s] not a spa day for your pet … it is physically exhausting for them.”
“I wish more people understood this,” a TikTok follower commented. “I’ve had to do it and cried the whole time. It’s too much for them.”
De Prophetis told BuzzFeed that there are a lot of difficulties owners don’t think about when it comes to their pets and pet groomers. One of the things is trusting that the groomer knows what he or she is talking about when it comes to pet health — even if they aren’t a vet.
“Most times, people will not seek the proper care I advise and will continue to bring their pets in for grooming,” she said. “If you cannot afford the vet, please don’t get the pet. It is mentally exhausting for us to see your pet time and time again with the same health problems that are just getting worse.”
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