Medical Grooming for Dogs and Cats in Burnaby, BC
Medical grooming services are provided in a veterinary setting for pets who require medically supervised grooming or whose anxiety, pain, or coat condition makes routine grooming unsafe without veterinary oversight. At Deer Lake Animal Hospital in Burnaby, our medical grooming services are performed by our veterinary team, with sedation available for pets who need it. We are open Monday to Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.. Call (604) 563-6170 to discuss your pet's grooming needs and book an appointment.
Medicated Bath for Dogs and Cats
Medicated baths use veterinarian-selected shampoos for specific dermatological purposes, including flea and tick management, fungal skin conditions, bacterial skin infections, and seborrhea. The default use case for our medicated bath service is flea and tick management for dogs and cats. We select the appropriate shampoo based on your pet's skin condition and confirmed needs. Medicated baths are not general grooming services and are performed in a veterinary context with attention to skin response and your pet's comfort throughout.
Dematting Services
Severely matted coats cause pain, restrict movement, and create an environment for skin infections and parasites. Dematting involves carefully removing mats from the coat using specialized tools and techniques. For pets with minor matting, this can often be done during a routine grooming visit. For pets with significant or painful matting, or for those who react with fear or pain to handling, sedation is available to ensure the process is completed safely and without distress. We assess mat severity at the start of every appointment and discuss the appropriate approach with you.
Sedated Nail Trim
Some pets are so fearful or reactive during nail trims that the procedure cannot be completed safely without risk of injury to the pet, the handler, or both. For these patients, a light sedation allows us to complete a thorough, accurate nail trim safely and with minimal stress. Sedated nail trims are particularly appropriate for pets with a history of nail-trim trauma, severe handling anxiety, pain during manipulation of the paws, or aggression. We assess sedation suitability at a brief pre-procedure consultation and provide pre-sedation fasting instructions.
Sedated Shave
Sedated shaves are performed for pets whose coats are too matted, painful, or voluminous to be safely managed through conventional dematting techniques, or for pets who are too anxious or reactive to tolerate the process while awake. We shave the coat down to a manageable length using appropriate clippers, removing mats and overgrown coat thoroughly while your pet remains calm and comfortable under sedation. Post-procedure, we check the skin beneath the coat for any secondary issues that were hidden by the matting and advise on a maintenance grooming schedule going forward.
Sedated Bath and Full Grooming
For pets who experience severe anxiety, aggression, or extreme fear during bathing and grooming, a sedated full grooming appointment allows us to complete all necessary hygiene care, including bathing, drying, nail trimming, ear cleaning, and coat care, in a single session while your pet is calm. This approach is significantly less stressful for both the pet and the team than repeated attempts at awake grooming for highly reactive animals. We discuss the sedation protocol, fasting requirements, and what the appointment involves when you call to book.
FAQs
Book a medical grooming appointment for your dog or cat at Deer Lake Animal Hospital in Burnaby. Call (604) 563-6170 or book online. We are open Monday to Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m..