Warning! - The Dangers Of Drying Boxes

[Guest Honeyhound]

 

One of my newest friends is Nancy (Mom to Maggie) in ROCKPORT, Massachusetts. Nancy and I have been getting to know each other by messaging and last night she told me how she tragically lost her first grey, Riva.

 

With Nancy's kind permission she has allowed me to blog the details of Riva's tragic death as a warning to other Grey lovers.

 

 

 

 

"Before Maggie there was Riva and I want tell you how we tragically lost her last summer.

 

My husband was away for a few days and I decided to take Riva to a groomer for just a good shampoo. I dropped her off at 8am and waited to get a call that she was done, so I could pick her up.

 

I didn't get a call until 1pm and the groomer simply stated that Riva was ready. I went to pick her up and when I went in to get her she was lying on the floor in a pool of sweat, panting rapidly and when I looked into her eyes I knew she was gone.

 

I asked the groomer what was going on and she said Maggie must be a lttle overheated. I asked for help and had to pour Riva into the backseat of my car. She bled on the way and when I arrrived at vet tech the vet met me at the door and took one look at her and said she was gone.

 

She had a temp of 108.7, the vets tried everything but with no success. I was told that the groomer had put Riva in what was refered to as a drying box, which completely encloses the dog in plexiglass and pours heat in to rapidly dry a dog. You can imagine what a horror it was for us to discover Riva has basically roasted to death from the inside out. It was an outrage and the groomer has never apologized then or now, and has never taken responsibility for this tragedy.

 

Our friend that works for that law firm took the case pro bono and we are suing the groomer and her business. Until this happened we had never heard of drying boxes for dogs nor had any of the hundreds of people we have sinced talked about this.

 

We have had local press do stories on this and it has raised the public awareness that is far reaching. The most important issue is the awareness, but we want an Apology from the groomer and our expenses reimbursed and a donation to be made in Riva's name to greyhound rescue. We are in the process of settling this mess and just want it to be over.

 

In the meantime we have testified before a senate subcommitee to pass a bill requiring that drying boxes be outlawed and that groomers be licensed. If we can pass this legislation and it looks very positive, we will be the first in the country to do so. The bill will be called Riva's bill, so that will become something positive out of such a tragedy. I wanted to share this with you, so that you can share it with dog owners and anyone that is interested.

 

Drying boxes are used worldwide by some groomers, if you talk to the average groomer most will say they wouldn't even consider using one because they realize that they are almost a form of animal abuse and can easily turn into a situation like the one I experienced. Let's keep on protecting our grey friends anyway we can.

 

I feel this a story that needs to be told".

 

 

 

 

[Hawthorn]

What a dreadful tragedy. Poor Riva . Sincere condolences to Riva's owner. Thank you for bringing this to our attention and good luck with the lawsuit and change in legislation.

[silverfish]

That's such a terrible tragedy. And so avoidable.

 

I took my first dog Jim to a groomer one time, but I stayed with him. They weren't great at the bathing part but they did the job OK, and then they put him in a drying cage. I had grave reservations, and watched him very carefully. He was NOT happy. As I watched, he became more and more stressed - I don't think he was overheating at that stage, but he was so stressed he was hyperventilating. I told the girl to take him out and she was reluctant - she said he was fine - but she did it and I took him home wet. I'm so glad I did.

 

I'm so sorry to read about Riva. So sad.

[Guest IrskasMom]

I never heard of Drying Boxes . I dont think they exist in the US. This is a horrible way to loose your

Doggie. Just awful . Lots of Hugs to Maggie's Mom.

 

I have to correct myself , Nancy lives in the US. So obyiously they do exist here but I never heard of

it ...... needless to say , my Dog would never go in one of those Boxes. I am so sorry Nancy.

Edited July 9, 2007 by IrskasMom

[silverfish]

I'll post this here too - a link re heatstroke in dogs

 

Click

 

There are a couple of good articles written by vets, one is self-help measures both prevention and treatment, the other more aimed at vets.

[maryz]

OMG! What a horrible and tragic story. That poor dog! My heart goes out to her owner and I hope that the legislation

will get passed to prevent this from ever happening again. That groomer should be put out of business. By the way, I, too,

have never heard of these boxes.

 

[Burpdog]

My sister lost two of her dogs (non greys) to this 15 years ago due to the idiocy of two workers at a vet's office. It was one of the most horrible phone calls--and she lived with it and watched two out of 3 die. The third was never right after that.

 

I don't let a groomer due my dogs.

[Jiffer]

I never heard of Drying Boxes . I dont think they exist in the US. This is a horrible way to loose your

Doggie. Just awful . Lots of Hugs to Maggie's Mom.

 

I have to correct myself , Nancy lives in the US. So obyiously they do exist here but I never heard of

it ...... needless to say , my Dog would never go in one of those Boxes. I am so sorry Nancy.

 

I don't know about the US, but we have them in Canada. My SIL works for the Petsmart Groomshop and yes they do put dogs into these crates and a dryer dries them off. It has always made me concerned. I won't have anyone but me or DH groom our dogs.

 

Godspeed Riva! What a horrible thing to have happen

[Guest rosebudd]

I am glad I read this I take Leo to pet smart here in the US so I will have to call and ask about that. Very scary stuff.

[Hubcitypam]

Petco and Petsmarts use drying cages, as well as other groomers. It enables them to do more dogs as opposed to hand drying. The dog is put in a steel kennel like the ones at the vet's office and a hose blowing hot air is hung on the front. The steel can hold the heat very well.

 

The very first thing I do when I call a new groomer for Poodle is ask if they use drying cages. Even if they say no, I still ask to look before I leave when dropping him off.

[Guest WhenIGiveIn]

I am so sorry to hear about Riva

 

I for one have never heard of drying boxes where the dog is enclosed with heated air drying them. THe types of drying cages that others have mentioned are used all the time but are safe for dogs that are not "smooshed faced". They air is not hot just warm not to freeze the dog and the front on the cage is open with only a 6x6 fan in the front of the cage. Something very similar to this is what is used at Petcos and Petsmarts.

 

As for the expeirience and quality of your groomers that is something that is not truley regulated. I am a groomer and I worked in shops for many years and still groom at home for a few special dogs. The groomers at petcos and petsmarts are required to go through "groom school" and the saftey practices are closely monitored at the big chain stores because of liability. HOWEVER please keep in mind that these type of stores have a pretty high turnover. In general if you would like to used a groomer hang out and watch them with your dog. Or just pop in and out before you make and appointment to observe the going ons.

 

[Guest luckydog]

I have a friend who's cat was severely burned by one of those drying boxes. They accused *her* of burning her cat! Needless to say, she never went back to that groomer.

[Guest MtnBiker]

Wow, that's a horrible story. I hope that Riva's bill is passed, and that some good eventually comes of such a tragic incident.

[celbee]

Thank you for posting this. We don't take our two to groomers, but this would be important to know if we ever did.

 

Hugs to the dog-mom.

Please thank her for using her sadness to work on legislation to prevent this from happening to other pets.

 

Carol

 

 

[Guest simile]

Everyday we see article after article about animals and kids being left in vehicles during the summer, and how fast they heat up, and people think it's a good idea to stick a dog in a box or cage and blow warm air in with no air circ out the back (at least from what I can see in the picture and description)? Brain surgery, anyone?

 

I think I'll stick with our local do it yourself Dawg Wash. $24 and 25 minutes later, and I have two shiny pups with clean coats, clipped nails, cleaned ears, and I don't have to wash towels!

[Guest Snowy8]

Oh how horrible...thank you for the information!

[zimsmom]

I don't use groomers but my neighbor with two little fluffy white dogs does all the time so I will let her know. Also I live in Mass & would be happy to write my representative about passing the legislature. Does anybody know what the bill is called, what #bill & when this is going to be voted on. There are a lot of Mass people on this board & I'm sure they would help in any way they could.

Patty with smelly Zim

[Guest SoulsMom]

I don't use groomers but my neighbor with two little fluffy white dogs does all the time so I will let her know. Also I live in Mass & would be happy to write my representative about passing the legislature. Does anybody know what the bill is called, what #bill & when this is going to be voted on. There are a lot of Mass people on this board & I'm sure they would help in any way they could.

Patty with smelly Zim

 

 

Me too, just let me know who to harass

 

Thanks for posting this Maggie. Soul sends Honey a hug!

[Guest ellieb]

OMG this is horrifying! That poor, poor family. I would be devastated and angry. I hope they pass legislation to outlaw these drying boxes. I have not heard of them, but I have never taken a dog to the groomer.

[Guest CindiLuvsGreys]

That poor dog! Doesn't anyone have common sense any more???

[Guest GunnyGirl]

We can't condemn all groomers for the actions of a few idiots. I groomed professionally for 3 years and never heard of such a "drying box". We did, however, use what WhenIGiveIn described. Our cages were totally open wire (except for the bottom) and all pets observed constantly. They were rarely used on short haired dogs and only used to start drying the fluffy ones that needed to be clipped or scissored, as those types of coats need to be brushed out as they are dried...you can't do a professional job on those coats if they are curly or kinky or wavey. Even on long-to-medium haired breeds (aussies for instance), there is a right way to brush out a coat and a reaallly wrong way.

 

If you have a breed that requires a certain type of style, most owners do not know how to do those types of clips. Believe it or not, you have to understand the proper use of scissors, brushes, angles, hair types, lines, and even the clippers...there is a right and wrong way to use them. And if you get really fussy, a groomer can even accentuate or de-emphasize certain body types.

 

Grooming is much more than bathing, ear-cleaning and nail-clipping. Sadly, though, it's not always regulated and the ones to suffer are our pets.

[Guest paulamariez]

Oh my God! That is one of the most horrible stories I've ever heard. That poor precious dog! I've got tears in my eyes just reading that! I've never even heard of theses "drying boxes". I'm glad I do my own grooming on my hounds. I'm happy to hear that something good may come out of this in the long run. It's the only consolation anyone can have in this situation. Those poor owners, too. I would just be kicking myself for taking her to the groomers, even though it wasn't the owners fault by any means. I'm a self-blamer when it comes to my dogs and anything happening to them.