Pet Grooming

Pet Grooming

Keeping your dog or cat clean and well-groomed adds immeasurably to their quality of life. Here at Hilliard Veterinary Hospital we provide complete grooming services for your pet. An in-hospital professional groomer is available to provide convenient full service dog and cat grooming for both medical and cosmetic needs. Karen Zacek has over 25 years’ experience in providing the finest grooming services available. Appointments are necessary and can be combined with a doctor’s visit if needed.

Having your pet professionally groomed accomplishes more than just making your pet’s coat look nice and shiny. A professional pet groomer will examine your pet’s ears, nails, skin and haircoat. These areas can become problems quickly and are usually not checked by the owner on a regular basis. The length of time between grooming depends on what breed of dog you have. As a general rule, we recommend every 8-10 weeks.

Grooming isn’t just a bath and a haircut. It’s having clean ears, trimmed hair around paw pads and nails, and clean anal sacs to keep your pet healthy and stay comfortable. Nails that are too long can lead to splayed toes, poor spinal alignment and arthritic joints. How often do you look in your pet’s ears? Ears that don’t get cleaned regularly are an invitation to infection and hearing loss. Many dog breeds require the hair which grows in the ear canal to be plucked out before flushing and swabbing the ear tissue. Poodles, Shih Tzus, Lhasas and many types of terriers are just a few of the breeds that need their ears plucked.

And here’s a very smelly topic to consider. Long ago, when dogs lived in the wild, they used their anal sacs to excrete a strong smelling fluid which marked their territory. Today, our domesticated canine companions no longer have to hunt to survive, so they sometimes need help with emptying those glands. The glands are located right under their tails, on either side of the anal opening and can become impacted or abscessed without regular emptying on their own. We include this service for the dogs we groom when necessary.

Ear cleaning, nail clipping and conditioning is included in the grooming fee. Extra charges are added for matted coats, medicated shampoos, flea treatments, overgrown coats, and “problem children” which require additional time. Pets found with parasitic infection will be required to be treated as part of their spa package. Our groomer can discuss any pet behavior issues so that your dog or cat can be groomed safely and thoroughly. We recommend that new puppies get groomed at 12-14 weeks of age to get the puppy used to having a bath, ears cleaned and their nails cut. So your dog doesn’t need a haircut? Having your dog clean and well-brushed helps keep shedding to a minimum. We have a great selection of shampoos and conditioners formulated specifically for each dog’s skin and coat.

What about cats?

They like to be clean too! Having your cat professionally groomed keeps the skin and coat healthy and greatly decreases the occurrence of problem hairballs.

Grooming also keeps your cat’s hair mat-free.

Ready for an appointment?

Call us at 614-876-5125

Booking schedules are normally reserved 2-3 weeks in advance. It is recommended that your next appointment be scheduled before you leave. Standing appointments are also available to suit your busy schedule.

Prior to grooming, all dogs must be current on their DHLPP booster, Rabies, and Bordetella vaccines. All cats should be current on their FVRCP Booster and a Rabies vaccine.