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It's taken 6 months of identifying possible suspects, controlling variables, and keeping meticulous notes, but I think I've finally determined that Peggy has an allergic reaction after being groomed.
It's been tricky to pinpoint, because the symptoms don't show up for almost 48 hours after each appointment. But first one eye will get goopy, then the other, and then sometimes back to the first. It starts out minor and then sometimes gets so bad that an eye will be crusted over in the morning. The discharge is greenish and resolves over the course of 1-2 weeks. It's sometimes accompanied by a runny nose (clear discharge, no colour).
My question: What can we do to fix this? At our last appointment, our groomer did a double eye flush, in case it's small hairs irritating her eyes. But Peggy shows no sign of discomfort other than blinking a little extra in the affected eye. No pawing or rubbing, except (understandably) when her eye was sealed closed.
Then again, she shows no others signs of contact allergy: No rash. No excessive scratching. But I tend to react to the fragrance with stuffy sinuses for a few days. Maybe she does, too?
I'm not sure if this is the correct terminology, but I believe the groomer said she uses soap-free products only? All hypoallergenic, designed for very sensitive dogs. From talking to her, it seems there's one product for the face, another for the body. Would that be correct?
Could Peggy be properly groomed with no products at all, even just for one appointment? So we can rule that trigger out? Or does the poodle coat absolutely require something?
I don't know enough about grooming to know quite how to tackle this.
Thanks for any help you can offer!
Robin
It's been tricky to pinpoint, because the symptoms don't show up for almost 48 hours after each appointment. But first one eye will get goopy, then the other, and then sometimes back to the first. It starts out minor and then sometimes gets so bad that an eye will be crusted over in the morning. The discharge is greenish and resolves over the course of 1-2 weeks. It's sometimes accompanied by a runny nose (clear discharge, no colour).
My question: What can we do to fix this? At our last appointment, our groomer did a double eye flush, in case it's small hairs irritating her eyes. But Peggy shows no sign of discomfort other than blinking a little extra in the affected eye. No pawing or rubbing, except (understandably) when her eye was sealed closed.
Then again, she shows no others signs of contact allergy: No rash. No excessive scratching. But I tend to react to the fragrance with stuffy sinuses for a few days. Maybe she does, too?
I'm not sure if this is the correct terminology, but I believe the groomer said she uses soap-free products only? All hypoallergenic, designed for very sensitive dogs. From talking to her, it seems there's one product for the face, another for the body. Would that be correct?
Could Peggy be properly groomed with no products at all, even just for one appointment? So we can rule that trigger out? Or does the poodle coat absolutely require something?
I don't know enough about grooming to know quite how to tackle this.
Thanks for any help you can offer!
Robin