02/04/2021
I’m excited to be able to share these photos with you! They illustrate the importance of oral health care in our pets. You can clearly see in the photos that one of the skulls and teeth are in excellent condition - almost like it’s a very young dog. The other skull and teeth is in very poor condition as you can see. 
Now the interesting part is that both dogs are geriatric and were euthanized due to old age/health issues. The dog with the excellent oral health is actually almost 3 years older than the other. You can clearly see in these pictures that the actual bones on the skull of the poorly kept dog are severely decayed. You can only imagine the pain that this poor dog went through for most of its life.
As a groomer, our job is to clean and help owners upkeep the coat and toenails of your dog. When I am trimming or brushing faces it’s important that the dogs hold still, so most times we hold the dogs face in our hands while we trim especially. It’s for their safety and ours. I can only imagine how painful that would be to this poor animal whose bones were literally rotting away. 
Most dog groomers will see your pet more often than your veterinarian. It is very important to find a groomer that is confident enough and knowledgable enough to point out any health concerns that may require a vet visit for your pet. Oral health is always at the top of that list. It is very important to brush and maintain your dogs teeth just like we do for our human children.  if you are unsure of where to start or how to do it, please don’t hesitate to ask your groomer or of course your veterinarian.
📷 Special thank you to fellow groomer Jami Carroll for sharing these awesome photos with our grooming community!