How dangerous are dog groomers’ drying cages?

We know how heartbreaking it is to lose a dog in a tragic accident, but is it necessary to make massive changes in the dog grooming business when one dog dies accidentally?

Especially if no one can be certain that a drying cage was the cause?

A man in New York took his two-year-old Puggle (Pug-Beagle mix) to a daycare and spa for a bath. When the dog came out of the drying cage, she was having a hard time breathing. The groomer called the owner who took her to a veterinarian, but it was too late.

According to the veterinarian, the dog died of heat stroke, but exactly how it happened “was hard to verify.” He couldn’t cite the drying cage as the cause of the breathing problems. Dogs such as Pugs, Puggles, and Bulldogs with short snouts which make it harder for them to breathe, are more susceptible to heat stroke.

The owner, however, is convinced the dog was killed by the drying cage and he is doing everything he can to have them banned.

Millions of dogs, including my own, have been put in drying cages as part of grooming. In fact many veterinarians use them.

My groomer uses low heat on the Poodles and forced air on my short haired dogs. She sets the timer and it takes only a few minutes to dry the dogs. She has been grooming dogs for 32 years and has never had a problem with a dog in a drying cage.

According to the manager of the spa, the dog resisted being groomed which may have caused her to overheat. She was in the drying cage with no heat for less than five minutes. He has never had a drying cage problem before.

The dog owner continues his mission with a website to support a New York state law that would ban drying cages and regulate groomers.

Stories about grooming accidents frighten dog owners. But most stories admit that there are “a small number of dogs” involved in the accidents. Some stories insist that dog grooming accidents are on the rise, which shouldn’t be a surprise since the number of dogs being groomed is on the rise. 

Of course one dog is one too many if the accident is preventable.

Licensing groomers might be a good idea. All it takes in most places is a razor and a business license. But are laws and regulations going to stop all accidents?

Have they ever?

Comments

[SmartDogs]

OK, I'll play devil's advocate here. If MILLIONS of dogs receive the benefit of being groomed - something that's a benefit to their health and well being -and only one - ONE. One. ONE is EVER maybe, possibly made sick or killed by the drying cage I think it would be criminal to outlaw them.

I mean SRSLY - how many dogs and humans are killed by cars each year? Shall we outlaw them next?

Risk and stress are a HEALTHY part of life. The people who think we should eliminate them are psychopaths. Ban THEM.

[jackie]

soemone is looking for his 15 minutes ..

[Chris]

It is unfortunate that this occurred, but I agree that trying to ban these dryers is nonsense. It is sad, and like I mentioned unfortunate but this seems like a freak accident. I mean would you ban hair dryers if someone cooked themselves with it?

[BunGirl]

Having worked in a grooming shop, I think this story is completely ludicrous. We used drying cages like the one you show above. There is NO HEATING ELEMENT. None. It's just two big fans on the sides of the cage. We also used hand-held forced air dryers to fluff almost all of our dogs. (yes, even the poodles) Never once did we have any dog have any health issue with the dryers. In fact, the older dogs or dogs with health issues often spent an hour or more in the drying cage because it was LESS stressful on them than any other method of drying. Several of them would take a nap in there. The ones who were regulars would hop right up into the cage without any trouble at all. My (former) boss has been in the grooming business over 25 years and never had a single dryer-related incident.

I dare say there are far more incidences of groomers being hurt by dogs than of dogs being hurt by grooming dryers.

[Marion]

I don't think this guy will get very far. There must have been something else going on with the dog. My dogs have been in drying cages, and love them, even if they don't care for grooming much.I think it's very relaxing to them. And I checked with my groomer...there are only fans in her dryer with no heat.

[Three Dog Blogger]

The overheating from stress sounds more likely.

I tried to clip Faye's fur the other day and she was panting like a loon because she hates the noise. It is very easy for them to get very hot and bothered when they are stressed out.

I can't imagine trying to get her in to a drier though.

[Mr. Puggle]

What a sad story. Thanks for getting the word out. I will put something on my blog too. www.mrpuggle.com

[jan's funny farm]

We don't get professionally groomed so we don't know anything about a drying cage, but we think it sad that this little dog died.

[utenzi]

I don't see any problem with drying cages but I think forced heat + active brushing results in much better grooming for poodles. It can get quite hot though.

[Tony]

I agree with the 1st comment, about car accidents. It's sad this little dog died but banning is a bit extreme

[Dixie the Poodle]

Now I'm a bit skared to go to the groomers nekst tym

[Jimmy]

My Abigail is English Bulldog/pug mix and I'm always careful about not letting her get overheated. She stays in the a/c 24/7, and the only time I would consider using a dryer on her is in the cold of winter. The rest of the time.......
I wash my dogs and then put them in the back of my pickup truck and carry them for a slow ride around the neighborhood until they dry off. I'm sure someone will accuse me of being unsafe.....were they kenneled?......were they wearing a seatbelt?....blah blah blah!!!!

It's like banning guns because someone was murdered with one. Let's ban baseball bats,Hockey sticks, golf clubs and pocket knives while we're at it?
He should settle for just making people aware of the dangers of drying cages for dogs like pugs and bullies who have breathing problems that were bred into them.
Common sense has told me not to put my dog in a heated cage because of her inbred breathing problems and the breeds likelyhood to suffer from heatstroke!
Good link....http://www.bulldoginformation.com/bulldogs-heat-stroke.html

I'm sorry the little puglet died. I'm sure it was a freak accident, but the groomer as well as the dog owner should have been aware of the breathing/heatstroke problems with this breed.

[Saintlover]

Sad story. Heat stroke is a terrible thing for a dog to die from. I can't see how it can occur in only five minutes. There had to be something else going on with the dog. They use circulated air not hairdryers like we do. Hmmmm

[Fuzzy Logic]

There was a spa here that closed because the groomer left two pugs in the drying cage for over 5 hours. She forgot about them. Of course, they died.

I wonder how often things like this happen.. and I don't blame the drying cages. I blame irresponsible or inexperienced groomers.

What it boils down to is that we, as dog owners, need to really look at who we can trust with our dogs. Pet services are fast on the rise and people are losing their traditional jobs. They figure "oh I'll be a pet sitter or a dog walker or groomer" not fully understanding the liabilty, risk or responsiblity that comes with it.

[karen]

really sad, that more care wasnt taken with the dog, i use groomers that dont use these horrid machines,,,,,,,

[BunGirl]

For the person who anonymously left a comment about this story on my blog:

I must report that your lovely note has been removed. It had nothing to do with what you commented on. It included no factual information only ridiculous assumptions and name calling, and had no value whatsoever. If you care to reply in a mature and civil manner, I'd be happy to respond.

[Dana]

Bungirl, I suggest you read the recent story about the little boy's toy poodle that DIED from being "fried to death" before you preach that heat is never used in a drying cage. The stupid little biotch that worked at the groomer left the poor animal unattended and told no one he was in there. He was left in the drying cage for over an hour and died a horrible death. The little boy is now heartbroken that his dog is gone and thankfully the stupid twit that caused this horrible thing to happen is facing animal cruelty charges. Here is the sad story..........

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,539289,00.html?test=latestnews

[Tyler Wiest]

Yeah I don't think that the drying Dog Crateg was the only reason that caused it, If those things are used every day then why don't they cause more harm? Only a few cases can be meer quincidents and should not be used as the reasoning behind a law to out band them. Maybe regulations but not bans.

PuppyHideOut Dog Crate Blog