Rewind to about 6 years ago and I was a relatively new dog owner, with quite a challenge on my hands. My stunningly gorgeous Siberian husky named Splash shed an entire puppy’s worth of fur every single day. On top of this, we had dark hardwood floors, and needless to say my wife wasn’t too happy about it.
If any of you have ever had the pleasure of grooming a husky, you can relate to the pic below 🙂
At the time I had been using a basic grooming brush, which didn’t seem to be very effective at getting deep down into the undercoat huskies have.
After a quick run to PetSmart, I found one of the more popular metal comb style brushes, similar to the one pictured on the right. 
While the brush was extremely effective, I now had a new problem. As careful as I was, the sharp metal edges would frequently nick her in a sensitive area, and she yelped or nipped at me with displeasure.
As much as she usually enjoyed being brushed, the very site of this grooming tool brought anxiety, and grooming sessions were never enjoyable for either of us.
Then One Day I Felt It, And It Sent Shivers Down My Spine…
One day Splash was lying on the floor and I walked over to give her a belly rub. As I was running my hands along her stomach area, I felt a strange lump. I couldn’t remember feeling it before, and something definitely wasn’t right.
I took her to the vet as soon as possible. The vet recommended a biopsy to check for cancer. There it was, the C-word we all dread. She was so young I thought, how could this be happening?
My vet did the biopsy. As I began the waiting game, thoughts ran through my mind. How long had it been there? Why had I only noticed it now? Maybe this is one reason why she found grooming painful?
After a nervous couple of days, I got a phone call. The results were in, and I couldn’t hear them soon enough.
“The test came back benign,” she said. “No cancer!”
2 Problems That Inspired 1 Solution
Recently I had a lightbulb moment. What if there was a product that gently (and effectively) groomed a dog, but would also allow you to better feel their body and check for irregularities?
Most combs and brushes are good at removing hair, but are rough on a dog’s body. And of course, with a brush you have no sensation in your fingers, where you fight feel something abnormal on your dog’s body.
What if there was a product that made grooming as close to petting as possible. Of course I thought, all dogs like to be petted!
The grooming brush below was a result of this lightbulb moment. The silicone brushing tips are sturdy enough to grab loose hair, but soft enough to make the process enjoyable. By keeping each of the fingers independent like a glove, you’re better able to feel for lumps and bumps on your dog’s skin. (Of course we always recommend regular massages and inspections without the glove too)
Finally, cleanup is easy, as the rubbery surface keeps dog hair attached until you peel if off and discard. And like all of the products we sell on iHeartDogs.com, a portion of the sale goes to provide healthy meals for shelter dogs!
Gentle Touch Pet Grooming & Massaging Glove Available Here
In closing, if you take only take one thing from this article, please remember this: know your dog’s body, and regularly check for abnormalities. The earlier they are found the sooner you and your vet can get to work on a solution.
