A grooming salon is warm, noisy and full of handling, restraint and excitement — a combination a healthy dog shrugs off and a dog with a heart condition may not. The groomer is not a vet and does not need her medical file, but they control the pace, the lifting and the stress level of the next hour, so the note you send has one job: turn her condition into specific instructions the groomer can actually follow at the table.
What the note should say about the condition
Name the condition using the words your vet used with you, and add the one practical sentence that matters most: what her heart limits. For most dogs that means exertion and stress need to stay low, she should not be allowed to struggle or overheat, and she may tire or become breathless sooner than she looks like she should. Keep the note to what changes the groomer's behaviour. A long medical history invites skimming, while three clear limits get remembered when the dryer is running and the salon is busy.
The handling instructions to spell out
Translate the condition into table rules. Ask for gentle, supported lifting rather than hauling her up by the front end, a non-slip surface so she is not scrambling for footing, and a session broken into short stages with rests rather than one long push to finish. Say that she should never be left tethered and unattended on the table or in a heated drying cage, and that if finishing everything means rushing, you would rather collect her with the tidy-up unfinished. Groomers respect that priority when it is stated; they cannot guess it while working to a schedule.
The signs that mean stop and phone you
Give the groomer a short, unmistakable stop list drawn from her condition: heavy or laboured panting that does not settle, persistent coughing, pale or bluish gums if they happen to notice them, wobbliness, or seeming faint or unusually distressed. Beside the list, write exactly what to do — stop the session, keep her cool and calm, phone you first and the vet if they cannot reach you. A groomer who has read that list in advance will act minutes sooner than one trying to decide whether a sign is serious, and with a heart condition those minutes are the whole point.
Agreeing it with the salon before the day
Send the note when you book, not when you drop her off, and ask the salon honestly whether they are set up for a dog who needs a slower appointment — some will suggest a quieter time of day or a particular groomer, which is exactly the conversation you want. Update the note whenever your vet updates you, and check at each visit that the salon still holds the current version rather than an old one. Her condition may change gradually, and a stale note can be worse than none because it inspires confidence it no longer deserves.
Written once and kept current, that short note protects her at every appointment, and a KinsLe Care Pass lets you hand the groomer that same information as temporary, clear access for the visit rather than loose paper that gets left behind.