The invention is an apparatus for grooming an animal having a brush head, the brush head having a plurality of bristles, each bristle having a midpoint and an endpoint, where the bristles are in general perpendicular orientation to the brush head, a cleaning plate, in general parallel orientation to the brush head, the cleaning plate able to move from a contracted to an extended position, the cleaning plate further having material removed to allow the bristles to protrude through the cleaning plate when it is in the retracted position and a mechanism for extending and contracting the cleaning plate, wherein the cleaning plate has a bottom surface and the bottom surface does not extend past the bristle endpoint when the cleaning plate is in the extended position. In one embodiment, at least some bristles are wire, and in further embodiments the wire bristles have round coated tips.
