[sadiesue]

we have problems grooming our bichon do to her enlarged heart. she is 11 yrs. old, adopted her 2yrs ago.diagnosed with the heart problem 1yr. ago. she was abused by her previous owner,and is snappy when you try to do any type of grooming with out being sedated.do to heart conditions are unable to sedate her. any ideas?

[Meghan&Pedro]

She has obviously had bad experiences with grooming in the past - I would want to work through this slowly - not sedate her!

You could start out by getting out the grooming brushes, bringing them NEAR her (but not touch her) and then praising her with physical praise or food ( if she's food oriented) if she allows the brushes. Start as slowly as you need to, and don't go any more quickly than she's prepared for.

Gradually work up to touching her with the brushes, and then praising her again.

After a few weeks of this (or however quickly she comes around to it - might be a week might be a few months!) then you can move on to a single brush stroke - make a huge deal out if it like it's the most exciting thing in the world when she allows it!

[Jessica&Crew]

How does the sedation work with her heart problem?

You may want to go to the website:

http://www.smallpawsrescue.com and e-mail Robin Presnall, the founder of the Bischon rescue group. She'll have in depth info for ou, I'm sure, as she has helped countless Bichons in the past with various heath related problems.

[Shanette Peters]

Originally Posted by sadiesue

we have problems grooming our bichon do to her enlarged heart. she is 11 yrs. old, adopted her 2yrs ago.diagnosed with the heart problem 1yr. ago. she was abused by her previous owner,and is snappy when you try to do any type of grooming with out being sedated.do to heart conditions are unable to sedate her. any ideas?

check with either pet supply online like jbpet, groomstar, there's others, they should have something you can use to help hold the dog as you groom. I've used something that wrapped around the dogs middle and around the neck, that held a dog in the air (a dog that had bad hips) to do the legs and feet then the dog was at ease. get the assistance of a second person. go slow and if you make it a little bit every day it won't be as stressful as a long grooming session in one sitting. I also agree with Meghan&Pedro praise her for small efforts. have patience!