My Bichon Molly will be 16 in October. She is partially blind, I think she can see distance but not close up. Because of this, she no longer will let the groomer groom her, especially around her head and face. Her hair is getting very long and her eyes are getting sticky black gunk in and around them. She has had a heart murmur since birth so I'm not sure if giving her something to make her relax would be a good idea. Wondering if anyone else may be experiencing the same thing. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
You could ask your vet to do a health clip under a light sedative. She would be under supervision if anything did start to go wrong. It won't be as pretty as a groomer would do, but would be more hygenic. Personally, I would keep a wide toothed comb and a pair of hair scissors by my chair, and snip as much as she will allow while she is lying relaxed on my knee. Don't go straight for the bits that alarm her, just try to sneak a snip at a time. You could try loosening the eye goo by bathing her eyes with cotton wool pads and lukewarm saline. Small teaspoon of cooking salt to a cup of boiled cooled water.
Hi Carole, The vet told me to give her 1/2 a tablet of Melatonin (or a whole tablet if the 1/2 didn't work) along with 25mg of Gabapentin before she is groomed. She has NEVER been on meds her entire 151/2 years,not sure I want to start experimenting at this stage of her life! I started doing the "little clippings" as you suggested and have been able to snip off some of the longer hair around her eyes. I haven't tried the warm water saline to loosen the gook, I've just tried warm water on a face cloth like I've always done, but she nips at the facecloth. I will try the saline solution on a cotton pad and is if that works any better. Thank you for your advice!!!
