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Pain at the table
When grumpy means hurting
Angela Dinsmoor
June 20, 2026
In this week’s issue, here’s what we are sniffing out
The day I met Panda, and the words her owner used that I hear all the time
Why a dog who's fine at home can fall apart on the grooming table
What to tell your groomer, and what to ask for, when your senior dog hurts
Panda’s story
When I met Panda, her owner told me almost in passing that she's been grumpy lately -- snapping at their other dog, not wanting to be touched on her back end, refusing walks. She told me she's never been like this before.
And then she said, "I guess that's what happens when they get old."
In rare cases that's true... some dogs really do get a little grumpy as they age. But it's not the norm -- at least it's not what I think is usually at the root of the behavior. The root is pain.
We talked in a previous issue about subtle signs of pain you might notice at home - the skin twitching, the head turn, the dog who suddenly doesn't want to sit anymore. Pain at the grooming table is its own conversation. Because what a painful dog looks like in an appointment is not always what owners expect, and when nobody connects the dots, a dog in pain gets labeled a bad dog.
The grooming appointment asks things of an old dog’s body that daily life at home doesn't. Standing still for extended periods. High pitched dryers. Touch in sore areas. A dog who is managing okay on the couch may not be managing okay on the table - and the table will bring that to the surface quickly. When your groomer calls and says your dog was uncomfortable, kept trying to sit down, or snapped for work on the hind end, that's not a complaint from your groomer. That's a data point to take to your vet.
"She was difficult at the groomer" in an old dog is often literally "she was painful at the groomer." Those are two entirely different conversations.
A senior dog pushed through a grooming appointment she can't handle comes home feeling worse. Not just physically - but in her relationship to the whole experience. She learns that the salon is a place she doesn't like. That's hard to undo at that point in life - it creates anxiety for grooms going forward.
A few things that genuinely help:
Tell your groomer before the appointment if your dog has shown any signs of discomfort at home. Even small things. It changes how the appointment gets approached.
Ask whether your dog can be positioned in a way that's easier on her body. Groomers who work well with seniors have options, and they'd like to use them -- but they can only help if they know what they're working with.
If your dog is on pain management, talk to your vet about timing it before the appointment. It makes a real difference.
Your dog doesn't have to white-knuckle her way through a groom. She deserves to come home feeling better than she arrived.
🐶 Sniffing Out Senior Dog News 📰
🐾 "Please don't pet him." One owner's very relatable problem. A senior Chihuahua owner asked Reddit this week whether she was wrong for telling strangers not to touch her 10-year-old dog. He's shy, tiny, and his body language is clear -- but people keep reaching for him anyway, and he shakes every time. The response was overwhelmingly in her corner. If you have a senior dog who doesn't love strangers, "he doesn't like being petted" is a complete sentence. You don't owe anyone an apology for saying it. Read more at TwistedSifter
🔬 Ralph advanced aging science from his couch. A senior dog named Ralph developed dementia in his later years and became part of a research effort studying cognitive decline in dogs. After his death, the data from his participation is helping scientists better understand aging in ways that could benefit both dogs and humans. This is exactly what participating in canine aging research looks like -- and why it matters. Good boy, Ralph. Read more at DogTime
Senior Dog Meme of the Week
