News

Lyme Disease UK urges public to Wake Up To Lyme as symptoms overlap with COVID-19

Be tick aware

After a year of COVID-19 related lockdowns, and the approaching warmer temperatures, many of us are eager to get back outside. On the path to normality, we will need to continue to observe the guidelines that protect us from coronavirus and support the NHS, but also Wake Up to Lyme.

The symptoms of acute Lyme disease can overlap with COVID-19 symptoms, with fatigue, fever and exhaustion being common in both cases. Yet it is largely unknown, and very often untreated or misdiagnosed.

As we return to parks and private gardens, both being places ticks are active, it’s important to be aware of how to prevent tick bites, know what to do if we are bitten and help prevent further cases of Lyme disease this summer.

Many animals can have Lyme disease and show no signs or symptoms.

Dogs are most frequently infected but Lyme can also occur in horses, but Lyme can also occur in horses, cattle, and cats - and people.

The most common signs include swollen joints, lethargy fever, loss of appetite, painful loss of appetite, painful or swollen joints, and intermittent lameness. Left intermittent lameness. Left untreated it can lead to damage untreated it can lead to damage in the kidneys, nervous system, in the kidneys, nervous system, and heart.

To prevent ticks use tick To prevent ticks use tick collars, tablets or spot-on collars, tablets or spot-on products; try to avoid long grass; products; try to avoid long grass; and regularly check your pet for and regularly check your pet for ticks.

Vets are experts in this Vets are experts in this field and are ideally placed for field and are ideally placed for providing advice to pet owners. providing advice to pet owners.

UK registered charity, Lyme Disease UK, will be carrying out their fifth

‘Wake Up to Lyme’ campaign ‘Wake Up to Lyme’ campaign this May, International this May, International Lyme Awareness Month. Lyme Awareness Month. Lyme Disease UK is a Lyme Disease UK is a volunteer-led charity volunteer-led charity that offers support for that offers support for Lyme disease patients and Lyme disease patients and their loved ones. their loved ones. In 2016, the Big Tick Project In 2016, the Big Tick Project discovered that a third of dogs discovered that a third of dogs checked in a study had ticks checked in a study had ticks attached which their owners did attached which their owners did not know about. not know about. The #WakeUpToLyme The #WakeUpToLyme awareness campaign aims to awareness campaign aims to reduce the number of new reduce the number of new infections and educate people infections and educate people on how to enjoy the outdoors on how to enjoy the outdoors safely. safely.

Tables & Baths

Groomer Sarah Colquitt shares her experiences of tables and baths. Sarah is a lover of all animals, an experienced dog and cat groomer and owner of Puss ‘N’ Pooch salon

Sarah feels her table was well worth the additional investment

Setting up your salon can be exciting, daunting and a rather hefty investment too. So much to think about, how, when and where. But alongside those major decisions like choosing the right location also comes the decisions of choosing the right equipment for your needs and your budget.

There are many items to purchase and your budget will likely end up needing to stretch further than you initially estimated, so it’s natural to try and find discounts and deals for all your equipment needs. However, the one area where you really shouldn’t be skimping on the spend is the two pieces of most vital equipment to any groomer - your table and bath! These will be the two biggest investments you make in terms of equipment and much as it may be tempting to watch your wallet it’s best to spend wisely so your items will last you for many grooming years ahead.

Many of us will find we are influenced by where we trained and their set-up as it’s what we’re used to but it’s still well worth looking at the market thoroughly and seeing what choices are available and at what price point. Attending shows such as Crufts and other Expos is a very good idea for actually seeing the item prior to purchase and getting a feel for its features and actual size. Dimensions online are one thing but seeing the item will really assist you with your comparisons.

There are so many options out there nowadays and I’m sure many groomers who set up years ago wish they could purchase again from such an array of tables and baths on the market today. There are more suppliers too but with this larger choice comes far more decisions to make, it can be quite unnerving for a new groomer.

X-Frame, Z-Frame, Portable, Folding, Rotating Tabletops, Hydraulic or Electric and that’s before you look at the various sizes, materials and whether you want a single grooming arm or a H-Bar. Ultimately before flicking through the many options, it’s best

to know what you require and your salons business plan will assist you with these decisions. If you’re only planning to groom smaller breeds then this reduces the options you need to look at and will also bring the costings down too. However, if you’re planning on grooming large breeds your decision will initially be led by table size.

Primarily a groomer needs to protect their back if they wish to have longevity in this career so the choices you make on these purchases will have the most impact. A mobile groomer planning on visiting homes needs a foldable table or portable one, however these will limit the ability to adjust the height and the weight they can hold. Fundamentally any table needs to be sturdy, versatile and practical, it’s no good buying a heavy duty table if you’re unable to frequently load it in and out of your vehicle. However, the drawback of the lighter tables is that they aren’t necessarily as sturdy, in an ideal world we’d like every dog to stand like an angel but this just isn’t the case. A lot of the foldable tables offer a selection of notches offering a few different heights. These tables are definitely worth viewing at shows before making the decision. Online suppliers that aren’t specifically grooming specialists offer flimsy and poor products that may seem like a bargain but often are not fit for purpose and need sending back, therefore costing you more on the return’s postage too.

Hydraulic tables use a gas filled pump to lower and lift, I have had a large hydraulic table for 15 years now. I was tempted to invest in an electric model but after working in other salons over the years I found the cables that feed the electric supply a trip hazard, especially if you’re not used to them, they also limit where they can be placed in the salon. Hence why many salons have electric tables against walls, I’m used to be able to turn 360 degrees around my table and find it very restricting and uninspiring facing a wall to groom. Hydraulics can be a little jerky with their movement so this can cause concerns for nervous dogs, however with the majority it’s as simple as wrapping a reassuring arm around the pooch whilst the table is moving.

Electric tables offer a smoother and quieter manoeuvre however in regards to placement you also have to make sure you account for enough space at the end of the table to allow for its movement. There is also the potential of motor failure and the cost of either sending it away for repair or replacing a motor can be quite a hit to your finances even if you have a maintenance fund at the ready.

Baths are predominately made in two material types; stainless steel and polyethylene and are either a fixed height free-standing item or with an electric motor. The same principles apply as with choosing a table, look at what you’re intending to be offering. If you’re not planning on grooming the larger and giant breeds then you don’t necessarily need to invest in an electric bath, however as there is such a variety of heights between the toy to medium breeds this can still lead to a lot of bending and leaning. A lot of baths now offer an internal shelf for placing the smaller breeds onto to raise them up to you. Overall, I would recommend for the sake of protecting your back and if funds allow, investing in an electric bath is the way to go. Mine has been going strong for 15 years now with no motor failure and the handset for adjusting the height has only needed replacing once. A lot of the newer models now have a foot pedal for height adjustment therefore removing the need for a separate piece, however a separate handset makes the cost of repair/ replacement far more economical.