How Dirty Is Your Dog Before And After Professional Grooming?

Luxury mobile dog grooming firm Barkbus examined the bacteria and fungi levels on dogs before and after a clean-up to see precisely how efficient professional grooming is at getting rid of the dirt and grime and unfriendly organisms in a furry friend’s coat, mouth, and paws.

Barkbus conducted six total gram and stain culture swab tests across the fur, mouth, and paws of a dog before and after a professional groom. 

The study found that thorough grooming significantly reduces the number of bacteria in the average dog. The swab analysis was performed to determine the total number of colony-forming units and the types of germs (CFUs). The number of fungi, viruses, and both good and harmful bacteria present in a sample is measured in CFUs.

The dogs’ fur and mouths showed a significant difference between before and after grooming. 34.7 million CFUs on their coat decreased to just 10, while 6.1 million CFUs on the mouth on average, reduced to 140.

Meanwhile, paws didn’t have the same significant changes. Before grooming, dogs’ feet had an average of 6,500 CFUs, after grooming, that amount only decreased to 3,200 CFUs.  So when cleaning your dog, make sure you give extra attention to their paws.

Additionally, remember to take your dog for deep cleaning. Professional groomers not only do meticulous brushing, washing, trimming, and nail-cutting procedures, but because of their experience and their ability of a detailed examination of your dog, they are more likely to spot any problems. If ignored for an extended period of time, long nails can compel your dog to alter the way it walks, resulting in bone deformations and arthritis. Infections, mites, and other unpleasant conditions can also enter the body through unclean ears.

The study also compared the dog’s fur, mouth and paws to daily household items. The result? Dogs have more bacteria than the items tested. 

When compared to their humans’ headsets and kitchen surfaces, dogs were 14 to 18 times dirtier before getting groomed. However, following thorough grooming, the CFUs in the fur (10 CFUs), mouth (140 CFUs), and paws were essentially unnoticeable (3,200 CFUs).