My Dog has Razor Rash/Clipper Burn! What to do; Prevention and Treatment

Clipper burn or razor rash is not really that uncommon. It usually manifests itself with red, raw skin, with or without bumps. It may cause the dog to aggitate it by licking and/or scratching. (More on that in a moment.) It is caused by clipping the dog closely and the skin, whether it is just not used to such a close shave or because it has very sensitive skin and cannot take such a close "shave", does not necessarily mean the fault on the one who did the clippering. Let me explain.

When a vet needs to work on a dog, she often must shave the dog to be able to work on him (we will use "him" to represent the dog in this article, likewise the one weilding the clippers will be referred to as "her".). It is important for sanitary and other reasons to do this. Depending on the dogs sensitivity and where the clippering was done on him, there could be some clipper rash. This would be unavoidable due to the need for a close shave for the procedure being done.

What about when the dog comes home from the groomer's and has clipper burn?  Some signs of irritation would be excessive scratching or licking of a particular area, including rubbing his face on the carpet. This is probably also caused by using a clipper blade that shaves too close. The grooming industry does have certain "rules" as to which blade length is used on different parts of the body. Please keep in mind that there is NOTHING in place that requires groomers to adhere, or even know, about these common practices, so good communication with your groomer is very important. If you take your dog home and find clipper burn (it doesn't always show right away so the groomer may not even know about it), call your groomer IMMEDIATELY. I say this becacuse if you wait until the next time that you go in, your groomer may not know what blade she used on your dog in that particular spot and you want her memory to be fresh so that she can make a note in your chart to avoid this in the future. Even though she may be used to using the same blade in that body part for each dog, it may be not only that your dog is more sensitive, but there are sometimes, though rare, reasons for a temporary change in blades in use that day-shop stuff that I won't bore you with here. Rest assured that if you call immediately upon finding the problem and remind her when you go in next time to check the notes, she will be happy to make the adjustment for your dog. If she doesn't, its definitely time to look for another groomer.

If your dog has watery eyes and the hair on the face is constantly wet, the redness you see there after a grooming was probably already there, that redness is caused by the constant irratation of always being wet by the eyes. Take a small towel and laying over the top of the eyes and muzzle, use your thumb and forefinger to GENTLY dry that area. Keeping that area dry will be a big help against the irritation.

If your dog has already been licking an area, it is already irritated and the skin may also be red as well.  Sometimes, but not always, when a dog has licked an area constantly, the hair may have even changed color, usually with a reddish tint.  Clippering him will only allow him to continue irritating the area, only at skin level now. Be sure to take care of that cause and kindly let your groomer know. Since some skin problems are contagious, you may have to take them to the vet first, so as not to infect other animals at the shop. Conversely, it may just be a foxtail or other debris that has worked its way under the skin, and may be easy to remove if it hasn't burrowed too far in. Another good reason to visit your groomer. They often find these sorts of things, and worse, that owners miss.

I do feel it beneficial to make a couple of other points right here. First of all, for the above reasons and others, it is good to use the same groomer if possible. This is easier for your dog, as he won't be with a total stranger each time and will therefore have less stress during his experience. Every groomer is an individual and so is every dog, therefore, the body language and handling from each groomer is just a little different to the dog. Also, it gives the chance for the groomer to get to know your pet and his likes and dislikes. Familiarity goes a long way in making a grooming experience the best it can be for your beloved pet. If you take your dog to a grooming shop with multiple groomers, ask who did the final grooming and ask for them each time you go. If that person does quit grooming, ask for the name of another, but by all means, remember that even the familiar surroundings of the same grooming shop is soothing for your dog.

Poodle cheeks are a common place for clipper rash. If you want the hair nice and short around the muzzle, but your poodle can't take it so close on the cheeks, again, talk to your groomer. They can easily switch from a longer blade on the cheeks to a shorter one for the muzzle without it looking silly (within reason, of course).

When discovering Clipper Burn after bringing your dog home from the vet's, you need to call the vet to ascertain what, if anything you can do about it. The vet is in the best position to tell you what to put on it. You don't want to put something on that might react with a medication, or infect a surgical area.

If you have brought the dog home from the groomer, before noticing the "rash", it is a good idea to call the groomer before applying anything, just in case the groomer noticed, but forgot to tell you that it was there before you brought the dog in. In that case, you need to take the dog to the vet to ascertain the cause of the rash. If it is clipper burn, and you have now talked to your groomer so that they can make the appropriate notations in his chart, you can simply treat it as you would any simple rash. The main thing is to sooth it and also very important is to prevent the dog from further irritating it by rubbing, scratching or licking. This is important because the further irritation from your dog, can cause it to bleed and scab, causing your dog to further irritate it and possibly end up with an infection. Some people use petroleum jelly, (Vasoline), Bag Balm, or a three-in-one antibiotic ointment (Neosporin). I cannot prescribe any of these for your particular dog, but I personally like the last two. Make sure that your dog has no allergies to any of the products that you use first. Your vet may also have some recommendations as well.

If your dog is particularly interested in aggitating his rash, you can also use an Elizabethan Collar. These are those plastic cone shaped things that vets put on dogs to keep them from ripping out stitches after a surgery or suturing a wound. They can be a bit pricey though. You can easily make one with a bit of imagination.   Cutting an empty, plastic milk jug or 2 liter soda bottle can be just the answer for a smaller dog.  Make sure to tape over the edge that goes next to the neck with duct tape or something similar.  Also, you'll want to have something to use to attach the E. Collar to the dog's regular collar to keep it on.  The "professional" ones just have plastic tab type extensions that loop around the dog's collar and back into the E. Collar.  A piece of twine, or cord should also work.  Avoid attaching to any of the choke collar types for safety reasons and a better fit.  Do not forget that the E. Collar needs to extend past the dog's nose to be effective!  Keep the cone's flare wide so the dog doesn't end up with tunnel vision and whatever length you use, be sure that the dog can easily get his mouth into his dishes to eat and drink!!!

With a little care and good communication, rashes can be avoided or minimized.