old age...mine and hers
 .Abby is getting old (14) and cant stand up for very long. She also is uncomfortable being maneuvered around, even when laying down. Part of why I'm scissoring her is because shaving with a clippers seems to stress her even more. Also..winter, in Alaska...she needs SOME fur, but her incontinence issues make long hair problematic (we did shave her belly, but since she sometimes pees in her sleep, and them rolls over...) A couple of hours into this, and she and I BOTH *hurt*...and are miserable  . Ive been having a lot of swollen joint issues recently, and grooming the dogs is getting really painful for me as well. We were pretty much reduced to both of us curled up on her bed crying...well, I was crying, she looked like she would if she could.This will likely only get harder as time goes on, and I hate the idea of trusting a stranger to groom my dogs...especially my fragile old girl. Mostly just a vent...but any helpful suggestions welcome. |
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| Towards the end with Pooh Bear, it would take 2-3 days (sometimes more) of clipping to get him done. I hated stressing him out by rolling him over and me getting on the floor to do this, hurt me too. That was the only way it could be done. I would just cut what was available to see without moving him too much. I always had the scissors within sight for a quick clip whenever it was possible, in the areas that could be seen. |
| Only possible solution: deep breath and 15 minutes max a day. And instead of growing it out, then trimming/shaving it back to the desired length every so often, simply trim a little every couple of weeks or so. Take the tips off, basically, to just keep it at the length you want without getting to a point where you have to do a major overhaul. Keep sections that mat more easily or get smelly more easily shorter than the rest. Heck, this is not a beauty contest. This is all about comfort: yours and hers. Went through this with Belle, well, except for the incontinent part. Add in she got really opinionated the older she got, and no longer felt she had to subject herself to such indignities as grooming. She wasn't nasty about it. She just got as squirmy as an 8 week old puppy, except I wasn't about to try to restrain a 14 year old, which, believe me, she knew  I figured she'd feel more comfortable on the floor than on a table (which is where my 15 min rule max came in - she;d be OK snoozing on a blanket while I worked on her; my back, not so much!) That was fine, except if she wasn't in the mood I'd have to chase her around the house   It's a major adjustment, yes. You're resourceful. You'll figure out what works for the two of you. Kristine |
| Only possible solution: deep breath and 15 minutes max a day. And instead of growing it out, then trimming/shaving it back to the desired length every so often, simply trim a little every couple of weeks or so. Take the tips off, basically, to just keep it at the length you want without getting to a point where you have to do a major overhaul. Keep sections that mat more easily or get smelly more easily shorter than the rest. Heck, this is not a beauty contest. This is all about comfort: yours and hers. Went through this with Belle, well, except for the incontinent part. Add in she got really opinionated the older she got, and no longer felt she had to subject herself to such indignities as grooming. She wasn't nasty about it. She just got as squirmy as an 8 week old puppy, except I wasn't about to try to restrain a 14 year old, which, believe me, she knew I figured she'd feel more comfortable on the floor than on a table (which is where my 15 min rule max came in - she;d be OK snoozing on a blanket while I worked on her; my back, not so much!) That was fine, except if she wasn't in the mood I'd have to chase her around the house It's a major adjustment, yes. You're resourceful. You'll figure out what works for the two of you. Kristine |
| Ooops, sorry about duplicate. Forum behaving oddly for me today. KB |
Yup...this (trimming a little at a time) has been my usual solution for Abby for the past year or so...but we just came off of 3 long lot-of-town art shows in a row  and as a result shes gotten quite grown out  . My sainted dog sitter actually gave her 2 baths while we were gone (bless her!) but trimming was a bit beyond her comfort zone .She has a vet check up appt. this afternoon (a recheck following this summer's doggy-mastectomy) and I wanted the vet to be able to feel her all over more easily...therefore the "rush" trim. Drying my tears and "man"-ing up now I promise! |
| It's hard...for you both. Short sessions, and stopping before her tolerance level is reached. He's not hairy, but 14.5 yr old basset Harley is getting there in age issues and grooming/cares. He just is NOT that patient for anything now. |
| Just a suggestion.... based on all 3 sets of my clippers biting the dust, and borrowing a friends... Andis cheap clippers, about 150 bucks here, with a ceramic blade. SO quiet, stays cool, cuts really smooth... been using oster for years and never knew what I was missing. |
| Ah, yes. I had an Oster for years. Got an Andis last year, feel the same way. Love that baby.Mine does get hot with a regular 10 blade, but it is so light and so fast that I can live with that. Holds off the heat much better with the longer blades, ceramic and otherwise. Kristine |
| Do the Andis use your "legacy" Oster blades? My Oster Golden A5 (not turbo) is 20 years old and still works fine, but the body of the clippers has always gotten very very warm, and I wouldn't be against changing brands. But the blades add up to a lot of money. |
| Yes you can put the oster blades on the andis clippers, but honestly, I think the switch to andis ceramic was a real eye opener for me. Well worth a whole new investment in my opinion. |
oh bless. We are not very mobile, me or hubby. Getting on floor really hurts my knees. Summer hates being groomed. I keep a pair of round ended scissors in front room and one in kitchen. When I see a matt or knot I just snip it off. We have a brush grooming session about every 14 days. Got a large coffee table and we sit on chairs and she sits on table. Dry your tears you are doing your best and your pup  loves you for caring xx |
I know exactly where you're coming from ...me and my boy used to so love bonding over a trim (so much so he'd often be snoring  ) but now he wrigglesIt's hard when they get old and wriggly, but you're not inn a parade and little and often as said above is deffo the way to go |
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