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My dog is distressed after grooming. Should I be worried about him?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Shih Tzu | Male | 12 lbs

My dog came back from the groomer with signs of trauma. He's crying, up all night barking, very depressed, running off for no reason. Should I be worried? The grooming process includes bath, hair cut, nail trim,ear cleaning and anal expression. They also nicked his toe nail

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Destini R. Holloway, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on February 26th, 2018

Thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Poor Sunny. It does appear that he is upset from his grooming session. These are symptoms of anxiety and potentially pain. If he keeps this up for more than 12 hrs, then I would get concerned and recommend taking him in to your vet for a thorough exam. His nicked toe may be the source of the pain. If he is painful, then your vet can prescribed pet friendly pain medication for him to hopefully subside his anxiety. In the meantime you can do a thorough examination yourself at home, to see you can locate any bleeding areas or trauma to his skin. You can also just give him a warm water Epsom salt bath to help ease any tenderness he may be having. I hope that Sunny feels better soon and hopefully you can find a groomer that Sunny will be happy with in the future. Best of luck. Take care.

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