Mia is a Shih Tzu that I have been grooming since she’s been a puppy. She is now eight years old. About three years ago, her eyes started to become cloudy and swell and she was diagnosed by a veterinary eye specialist with Glaucoma. She was immediately given multiple eyes drops that had to be administered 4 times a day. It has been three years now and Mia has lost her vision but, because of the diligent care of her owner constantly getting her eye pressure checked and the medication adjusted if necessary, Mia now has stable eye pressure. She lives a great life and is happy!

The medication treatment causes her eyes to tear a lot and as a result she accumulates a lot of eye secretion in the corners of her eyes. This slowly moves downward on her face too. Shih Tzus have a flat face with very little space between their eyes and their noses so this extra moisture from the tearing in combination with hair growth can be problematic. The area needs to be cleaned every day and once a month I come to give her a complete grooming. One of the medications she receives for her eyes is a antibiotic. That over time can cause yeast infections in her ears (the antibiotic works systemically) so, her ears too must be cleaned daily. Her monthly grooming haircut is essential to her overall health.

Prior to the bath, I assess her eye area and see if I can scissor any of the hair from the corners of her eyes. Eventhough her owner does daily cleaning with a warm damp cloth and combs the area gently to remove any drop accumulation for air circulation, there is always some the medicine stuck around her eyes. Sometimes, it is so stuck that I must soften the area in the bath and then comb through the stuck on medication in the bath but, I generally always scissor the hair in the corners of her eyes prior to the bath so that when I do bathe her, I can really get the shampoo in that area to fully cleanse the area as well as facilitate a speedy drying. I am very fastidious and thorough about this. Really the hard part is rinsing that area to remove the debris and shampoo. I must take extra care about the water temperature and pressure. Since her nose is so close to the corners of her eyes and I do not want water to go into her nose and then into her lungs, I work patiently and slowly and direct the stream of water exactly.

It has been very fortunate that Mia has only known me as her groomer. She had six years of my voice, my smell, my grooming process before she became blind. I basically follow the same procedure each time I groom a dog so when she could no longer see, I don’t think she was ever afraid of being on the table. She knew what to expect. It is really remarkable that she sits so quietly and obediently while I work around her eyes. She is a valiant girl!!

Below is a video of her after her bath but before I gave her a haircut. I forgot to take some photos before the bath showcasing what her eyes look like prior to a grooming after a month of growth. I will take some next month and add to this post.