groomer cut off whiskers!

[fancyacoffee]

used a new dog groomer today i'm not impressed to say the least - my poor little yorkie now has hair that's about 2 mm long all over, a tail like a rats (!), some bald patches and small scratches on his tummy, but most alarming of all is that the hair on his face is incredibly short and his whiskers have gone. am i right in thinking that this should never be done due to the dog feeling disorientated? i will be complaining tomorrow but just wanted to get general thoughts on the whiskers. thanks all x

[Slippersandacuppa]

Poor little mite!

I haven't studied whisker biology but I always ask for my dogs' to be left on. In a previous life, friends used to cut their horses' whiskers off to compete and I felt really sorry for them - must feel so strange.

Good luck complaining!

[Floggingmolly]

Oh God, yes . Dogs use their whiskers as a sensory device.
Interfering with them can mess with their spatial awareness and make them feel very confused. They tend to bump into things as they can't gauge the size and shape of nearby objects as easily.
The groomer is a bloody fool .
Poor little bugger! They will grow back, btw

[gsd1]

Breeds like poodles have their faces and whiskers shaved and some owners clip the whiskers on show dogs faces to leave a cleaner finish. I also have had the misfortune of having to deal with dogs in the most horrible states of neglect and have had to fully shave off the full coat including their faces, they have never suffered any ill effects.
It's horrible when a groom doesn't turn out well but remember it is hair and it will grow.

[pigsDOfly]

It would never occur to me to tell a groomer not to cut off the whiskers if I was having my dog trimmed, I had no idea they would do that. Seems an odd thing to do without asking if that's what you want.

Sounds as if they've done a pretty awful job all round.

Yes, a strong complaint and a refund sounds in order; not necessarily for the whiskers, which will grow back, but the scratches are definitely not acceptable. Poor little thing.

[pigsDOfly]

Oh just realised you posted this yesterday. How did you get on with the complaint?

[fancyacoffee]

So I've received lots of apologies from the whole company - doggy had lots of sympathy and hugs. They're not charging me (obvs!) and are 'having serious words' with the groomer - I think they'll sack her. No harm done and glad I've saved other dogs from the same fate. My doggy is absolutely fine if a little ratty looking 😀

[MeMySonAndl]

I have had Yorkies for almost 20 years, my last 2 (rescues) came to me shaved with no whiskers. They never seemed disorientated, in fact I thought that that whisker thing was a cats' thing, lots of dogs are shaved without a problem

Having said that.... 2mm hair for a Yorkie, who has no undercoat is a CRIME. He should be freezing to death (make sure you get him a --babygro- a nice jumper to wear over the next couple of weeks.

And that goes without saying that considering the amount the groomers charge and the enormous waiting lists, I would be fuming if they didn't do a much better job that I could do myself.

[MidniteScribbler]

Many show dog breeds have their whiskers removed. They aren't removed on mine, although we often tidy up any ones that grow a bit crooked. There's no impact on the dog with having them removed.