Tail Talk Grooming Chronicles with Hound Therapy

One Quick Shot: A Lifetime of Love- Why Shots Are Important for Pets Before Their First Grooming

• Shannon & Tanya • Episode 24

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Why Do Vaccinations Matter?

Vaccinations aren't just paperwork—they're the invisible shield protecting every pet that visits a grooming salon. Shannon and Tanya, professional groomers at Hound Therapy, discuss why these preventative measures matter so much in shared pet spaces.

The conversation begins with the basics: which vaccines dogs need before grooming appointments (DHPPV and rabies), why puppies should wait until they've completed their four-round vaccination series (usually around 4 months), and how these requirements protect not just your pet but every animal in the facility. The hosts share a sobering story about a client whose dog nearly died from leptospirosis despite regular veterinary care—simply because they hadn't received that specific vaccine while following a holistic approach.

Most compelling is Shannon's firsthand account of a canine flu outbreak that affected 15 dogs at their facility, despite strict vaccination policies. The culprit? A veterinary practice that didn't routinely offer the flu vaccine due to cost and shelf-life concerns. This revelation highlights why pet owners must actively advocate for comprehensive protection rather than assuming veterinarians provide everything needed. The discussion extends to zoonotic diseases like ringworm that transfer between animals and humans, adding another critical dimension to vaccination importance.

While acknowledging the value of holistic pet care approaches, the hosts emphasize that vaccines represent a non-negotiable foundation of responsible ownership. As they succinctly put it: "Vaccines may be expensive, but they're cheaper than the alternative." Ready to learn more about keeping your pet safe and healthy? Subscribe to Tail Talk Grooming Chronicles for expert advice delivered with compassion and a touch of humor.

To learn more about Hound Therapy visit:
https://www.HoundTherapy.com
Hound Therapy
3509 E Park Blvd.
Plano, TX
469-367-0009

Speaker 1:

Welcome to Tail Talk Grooming Chronicles with Hound Therapy, the podcast where we talk all things pet grooming, daycare academy and more. Hosted by Shannon and Tanya of Hound Therapy serving pet owners across North Texas, we're here to share expert tips, hilarious pet stories and the inside scoop on keeping your furry friends happy and healthy. Our motto humanity over vanity. And don't worry, we don't bite. Let's get started. Who let the dogs out?

Speaker 2:

Who let the dogs out Before the suds and snips. There's one crucial step that protects pets and groomers alike. Shannon and Tanya explain why vaccinations matter. Welcome back everyone. I'm Sofia Yvette, co-host and producer, back in the studio with Shannon and Tanya, professional groomers at Hound Therapy. How's it going today, ladies? It's good, sofia, thanks for being here today. Yeah, it's great to be back with you guys today. Now let's go ahead and get into it. Why are vaccinations so important before a pet's first grooming?

Speaker 3:

Well, I would say they're 100% good for all groomings. Most doggy daycares or veterinary you can get your dog groomed at several places. Most anywhere you go to get your dog groomed is going to require you to at least have a yearly shot of. You know the basics, which is the DHPPV, which is parvo distemper lepto. You've got a rabies vaccine. Some of the rabies vaccines can be three years. We always refer to whatever the vet labeled it, as these things are all very easily contagious from dog to dog. Now the first round of puppy shots it's four rounds. So when we say your first grooming should be in four months, it's because it usually takes about four months. It can be five before a puppy can get all their shots. It depends on when you got them and where you got them from.

Speaker 3:

I've seen some vets. It also requires on the weight of the puppy. Yeah and yeah, if they're really little, they don't want to. You know, give them too much too soon. So it's kind of like our flu shots is. You know it's putting the strain of whatever it is you're giving them into their body. I am a huge fan of holistic, where you can use it and you know, not pumping. You know your animals full of stuff. But I also don't want smallpox, so you know I go ahead and get vaccinated for that. It's been proven to work. These vaccines that are for your animals have been given for years and years and years. And you know, I think up until recently there has not been an outbreak of rabies in dogs, for sure in our area. But I heard someplace recently, I think.

Speaker 2:

Austin.

Speaker 3:

Maybe it was from a bat, I believe had three cases of rabies in a dog, which is for me that's a huge amount. You can get rabies from a lot of different skunks and bats, things that are out if you live out in the country, but if your dog is vaccinated for them, the likelihood of them getting that or contracting it are pretty slim. It's important for us here that your animals are on it when they're young and when they're little, especially if you're traveling around, if you're going anywhere. But we don't want our animals that are elderly, who may not be able to continue on with their shots, we don't want them exposed to the viruses that you know these animals carry from being out and about. And I hear a lot of people say well, my, my animal never goes anywhere. You know we don't do anything. Completely a myth, yeah, I mean, people come over. You know a lot of that, parvo, it's, it's from, you know, pcs, and if they've stepped in it somewhere, if they went to a dog park they came in and your dog likes it, then it's just highly, highly contagious. So we, we don't want, and we understand that Some dogs reach a certain age and they can't handle it anymore or they've got an immune system problem. Those dogs here. We do them straight through so that they're not here very often, but we keep our surfaces as clean as we possibly can. We don't have any surfaces in our facility that would harbor any type of disease as well. So a lot of people you know, look at it. If you've got wood kennels, if you've got, you know, cages that are not easily wiped out, if you've got a tile, the little square tiles, those are all places where diseases can can lay in wait and grow, especially if it gets warm or hot. And you know, another dog comes by, steps in it licks his paw and now that dog is sick.

Speaker 3:

I actually have a client that's here that their dog had lepto. I haven't heard of a dog having lepto in a very, very long time. They were going to a holistic vet and they were being seen by the vet. They thought they were doing everything that they should have done, but they were also venturing out to dog parks on a weekly excursion just to let their dog run and they really thought that their dog was protected and it wasn't at all. I ended up coming down with this. They really couldn't tell which is very, very sick, dehydrated, couldn't eat. They went to a different vet because their current vet didn't really have. You know, they try to holistic things as let's try this, let's try that. By the time she went to a regular MD vet and I'm not saying that holistic vets aren't MDs, because they can be but she went to a just a normal Western doctor that believes in vaccines and they were able to give them fluids and they were able to determine that this was lepto and they were able to get the dog back from it. But but he almost died. And that's just from. It's not even really lack of knowledge, it's just hey, they didn't have it.

Speaker 3:

There's two things that are very, very similar kennel cough and and the canine flu. Most people, most vets and boarding facilities, will require you to have that every six months. That it's an inner nasal, it's just some wet drops that go on your nose. It's not even a shot, but what it does is it boosts that immune system and it helps you from. They're both very similar. They're viral and they're they're spread through diseases like sneezing. It's through the mucus, from sneezing or licking, you know, chewing on something that is saliva. All of those things is how that's transmitted. Dogs are kind of like children. They're gross. They share everything? Yes, they do, they do so, and there's two shots. Right, there's a shot as well. So there's two things that you can do to prevent that from happening, and we've had that happen here before, where somebody has gone someplace else and everybody in here has Bordetella, bordetella, bordetella. We require it every six months because we feel like that booster does it. It's a good immune booster, as do most vets and most boarding facilities. Some will require it every year with their regular vaccines, but we do it on a regular basis.

Speaker 3:

That said, we had an outbreak here. It was years ago and it was not kennel cough. There was 15 dogs that were affected. We know exactly when it came in, we know who brought it in and it took two weeks because there's an incubation period. Long story short is that I ended up taking my dog to the vet and we did eye swabs, nasal swabs, ear swabs, and we ran everything for a ton of money. Later we were able to determine that it was, in fact, not kennel cough, but it was the flu, and you know.

Speaker 3:

My question to the vet was you know, I've done everything I can do to make sure that every animal that comes in here is safe. I've done what I can do, you know, per recommendations of giving these shots and you know, giving these these intranasal things and making sure that my animal can go places and not get sick. And here she is sick with 15 other dogs and you know this is a problem for me. I'm going to need somebody to reason this for me, and the reason was it's they present themselves very, very similarly. Yeah, and they both got a cough, they both got sneezing. They can both kill your dog, depending on the immune system. It's usually for older dogs. Younger dogs fight these things off much quicker, but they're also the biggest carriers because you know they're into everything and you know they just they're at the vet more often and they go more places.

Speaker 3:

So, long story short, it was for sure the flu. They gave me the exact same stuff that they give you if she'd had cow cough, but she for the first time, and you would think I would know better. I had switched vets and the vet that I went to I went for her yearly shots did not give her the flu vaccine and I called them and I said you know what happened, what's going on? And she said oh well, we don't offer that Some vets. Still to this day they don't. It's a costly vaccine and it's, I believe, that it's got a shorter shelf life than most. So if they don't use it or they can't sell it, they're not going to give it and it doesn't make it cost effective for them to carry it. So you need to ask specifically. You've got to advocate for your dog.

Speaker 2:

I mean you have to if you think something looks wrong, if you've got allergies, you know.

Speaker 3:

yeah, you know, keep them on a heartworm. You know these are all things. We give these, we recommend them. It's not so that we can make more money, because we get nothing out of it, but it's not so vets can just say, oh yeah, we want to charge more and it has nothing to do with that. It's a very proven fact that without these, these dogs come up sick and when they become sick then they can pass that on.

Speaker 3:

You know we've all experienced this whole covid. You know era, and it's should have hopefully brought some things home for people that you know diseases are spread and when they're not, when they don't have a vaccine, history has taught us the same thing. It affects everybody and it can go worldwide and it's no different than dogs. So if you are going all towards holistic and we're no longer going to vaccinate these animals and I'm not spitting the extra to get my dog roomed Well, if your dog is around other dogs and whether they're next to another dog here or not, we do dogs, that's what we do. This is out, this is out of your house, so they are being exposed. If people come over, they're being exposed. If you've got a cat that comes from your neighbor's yard to your yard. Your dog is being exposed. There's human to animal.

Speaker 3:

Squirrels, raccoons, possums, anything, any animal, All of those things, snakes, these are all things they have. They have a thousand different things they can give your animal, based on where it's going and what it's doing to prevent it and keep it safe and healthy. I'm just going to touch really quick. There are also human and animal transmitted diseases. So you know, we can give dogs some things and dogs can give us some things. One of those most common things is ringworm and I just like to get cats get those more often than dogs. They're just out and about.

Speaker 2:

I've had it.

Speaker 3:

It's not fun, it itches. My son has had it. He had it in his head and he still has a scar there from 30 years ago. It's a real life. You know transmittable disease that animals can give humans, and there's many, many more. So the more reason to protect your animals. You know you don't want fleas in your house. Keep them on flea intake preventative Mosquitoes. Keep them on. You know any kind of repellent from bugs. Don't keep them infested. If they eat certain things they can get worms. We have heartworm medicine. We've got tapeworm medicine. We have all of these things because dogs get them. They've been proven and they've died from them before. And what we don't want to do is expose animals who cannot have them, because there are a handful of animals who just can't tolerate them, due to whatever kind of a Medical old yeah, can't tolerate them due to whatever kind of a yeah, several situations that they just, you know they're not able to do that.

Speaker 3:

So we do our best to protect everybody the best way that we can, and for sure, ourselves. And my dog comes to work with me every day. So I definitely don't want my dog to get sick and then bring it home to my cat and then you know it's it's just, it's not ideal. So I guess the takeaway here is just be aware, do the homework. There's a lot of things that you can cut out. Yes, you can do really good foods. You can make a lot of stuff yourself. Not doing your shots is not a great way to save money, and vaccines may be expensive, but it's cheaper than the alternative.

Speaker 2:

So we hope that answers some of your questions the alternative. So we hope that answers some of your questions Most definitely, and thank you so much for breaking that down for us on how to keep the pets safe today and the benefits of one clear shot. I can tell it really does lead to a lifetime of love and safety. We'll catch you next time. Thanks, have a great day.

Speaker 1:

Safety, we'll catch you next time. Thanks, have a great day. That's a wrap for this episode of Tail Talk with Hound Therapy. Ready to book your pet's next groom daycare stay or grooming academy tour? Call us at 469-367-0009. That's 469-367-0009. Zero, zero, nine. That's four, six, nine, three, six, seven, zero, zero, zero, nine to schedule an appointment or visit us online at wwwhoundtherapycom, serving north texas with expert pet care. Until next time, keep those tails wagging.