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Chapter 10 Management of Hospitalized and Boarding Pets 179

have to convert pounds into kilograms. Refer to the
Foundation Skills section in Chapter 1 if you need a
refresher. Record both the weight and BCS in the
patient’s file.

Learning Exercise

As you go about your daily life, pay attention
to the pets around you. Evaluate their BCS and
record where and when you saw these pets, do FIGURE 10.10 Baby scale.
at least five. Dog parks and pet stores are great
places to see a number of pets in one place.
fluff. Select the bristle based on length of hair coat;
plastic bristle brush for short hair, metal bristle brush for
medium to long hair, and wire for double coated dogs.
Curry combs with short metal or rubber teeth are also
In‐hospital Grooming available for dogs and work well on short and medium
length hair. Grooming rakes and mat splitters are also
available. The rakes are equivalent to a wide‐tooth comb
Grooming by an assistant is limited, focused only on with a rake‐like handle. Mat splitters have a blade incor-
improving the well‐being of the hospitalized patient, not porated into a handle and does just what the name
necessarily on its appearance. Basic patient care includes implies. Extreme care must be used with this tool.
keeping a patient clean and mat free. Urine, feces, vom- Starting at the rear of the animal work forward. When
itus, blood, and medication may soil the coat. Remove brushing out the legs, brush the lateral side of the leg
wet debris from fur with warm water on a wash cloth. If it nearest you and then brush the medial aspect of the
is really messy you may need to place the pet in the wash opposite leg. Small mats are easily teased out with a
tub and give a partial or complete bath. Only do so with comb or rake. Grasp the clump close to the skin and
permission from the veterinarian. If the patient has had starting at the bottom of the mat work up towards the
surgery the suture line cannot get wet, so a spot clean skin. Bracing your fingers against the skin will reduce the
may be your only option. A very sick patient should not amount of pulling on the hair which is painful. Dilute
be bathed until well enough to stand. Getting wet and and spray a bit of conditioner on the mat to help the
cold will only acerbate their symptoms. If that is the case, comb go through it easier. Larger mats are more difficult
waiting for the debris to dry and brushing it out is the to deal with. If they are loose, use a mat splitter to sepa-
best option. Blood is often very hard to remove with just rate into smaller parts then tease out each part with a
soap and water so hydrogen peroxide on a cotton ball comb. If the mat is dense and pad‐like it will have to be
can be used to break down the blood cells. Then the area clipped out with a clipper.
can be cleaned with soap and water on a cloth.

Clipping Hair or Fur
Combing and Brushing
Clipping hair is always done with an electric or battery‐
Combing is necessary to remove mats, plant materials, operated clipper and never with a scissors! Clipping away
and foreign substances from the coat before bathing. hair or mats with a scissors is a cut to the skin waiting to
Any patient scheduled for a therapeutic bath or dipping happen! Clippers can gouge the skin if held wrongly and
is expected to be combed and de‐matted first. Medicinal although just as painful they usually don’t require sutures
soaps and dips cannot penetrate a hair coat that is like a scissor cut. Figure 10.11 shows how the blade end
matted. of the clipper is held flat against the skin to prevent
Combs and brushes come in many sizes, shapes, and gouging the patient.
materials. A strong comb with widely spaced teeth is used To clip mats, use the #5 or #10 blade to just remove
to tease apart mats and coarse tangles. Flea and lice the matted parts (see Figure 4.13 showing clipper head
combs have teeth that are very close together and are sizes). Usually the mat is not tight against the body. Lift
used to remove flea dirt, lice, and nits. Brushes have the mat until you can see the individual hairs, position
either bent wire teeth called a slicker, or stiff metal or the clipper blade close to the skin, and move the clipper
plastic bristles which are used to remove loose hair through the hair. If the clipper binds up as you are going
before the bath and after the bath to give the coat a final into the mat, try to reposition the clipper to just cut the