the skin. It enters through your respiratory system. Another major concern was exposure to contaminated surfaces because the virus could live for a period of time away from the human, traveling via droplets from a cough or sneeze. The same thing applies to most of the infections we have coming through the grooming salons. The secret to avoid-
ing contamination is to take the same action as all the businesses that stayed open executed—clean, clean, clean! And when you get tired of cleaning, clean some more! This is a great practice to have in all our salons, not only for appearance to the public coming in, but also for building confidence in our clients that we understand the importance of sanitation and cleanliness.
Clients are going to look at our sanitation practices with a more critical eye having just been inundated with all the pandemic information. Expect people to be more critical, whether they speak out or not. They want their pets to be safe. Many have said that this crisis is going to change things forever. I don’t believe that. I believe, as a society, it will, until we get complacent and then it will happen again. I do hope, as a grooming community, we adopt some of these commonsense–type procedures as a part of our daily routine. No one is going to put it on the nightly news when a dog with a contagious disease walks into your salon, nor will they put restrictions on what you do if one does walk in (as of now). So, it is up to each one of us to do our best for the health and wellbeing of ourselves, our staff, our families, our customers and our furry clients. Take the time to educate yourself on correct cleaning/disinfecting procedures, educate staff with a reasonable standard of sanitation, set up protocols and, most importantly, follow the plan! Knowledge is power, so do not let the lessons we have learned from the pandemic go to waste. & Dr. Cliff Faver graduated with a BS in Biology/BA in Chemistry before getting a Veterinary degree in 1987. He is the past owner of Animal Health Services in Cave Creek, Arizona and now the US distributor for Iv San Bernard products, teaches the ISB Pet Aesthetician Certification program, and speaks internationally on hair and skin. His passion is to merge groomers and veterinarians to aid in helping and healing pets. He is also a member of AVMA, AAHA, AZVMA, Board member with Burbank Kennel Club, and has served on Novartis Lead Committee, Hill’s International Global Veterinary Board, and a Veterinary Management Group.
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Groomer to Groomer • Vol 39 Ed 8 • August 2020
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