The Pitfalls of a Matted Dog

Many dogs do not like being brushed and for this reason their owners do not brush them. Sometimes trying to find the time for brushing in our busy schedules can be difficult. If you have a dog that gets knotted and you do not brush them or give them a hair cut on a regular basis this is what can happen.

FACT: When you have a dog with matts in his fur, the matts will not come out without brushing or clipping.

• Each time you bathe your dog with knots in his fur, when he dries, the knots become tighter. It is similar to loosely knotting a piece of leather, getting it wet, then letting it dry. The knot becomes tighter and close to impossible to get out. At this point a dog hair cut is in order.

• After a period of time the knots become so tight that the hair is actually ripped from the skin a few hairs at a time.

• When a dog becomes matted all over and you bathe him, the soap is very difficult to rinse out. If soap is accidentally left behind it can irritate his skin. Scratching these areas can cause further irritation along with cuts and scrapes from his nails.

• If he has a wound from scratching all sorts of things can then happen.

• The area can get infected or flies can lay eggs in the wound.

• When a dog is matted to the skin it is difficult if not impossible to see the skin and any problems that may be occurring.

• Severe matts between the toes and on the pads of the feet can cause lameness. Just imagine if you had a rock in your shoe that you could not remove.

• Matts under the armpits and between the back legs can hinder the range of motion your dog has with his legs.

• Around his mouth and lips, matts can create a wonderful breeding ground for all kinds of bacteria and yeast.

• Severe matts on his ears can create excess weight, especially when wet, and can contribute to chronic ear infections.

The best advise:

A dog hair cut. Groom your dog on a regular basis, weather you take him to a shop and have him groomed, or you groom him at home.

For those of you who have dogs that do not like to be brushed, try giving them a clipper haircut every 4-6 weeks. Usually this amount of time can prevent too many knots from forming. If however you find your dog getting knotted in a shorter period of time, shorten the time between grooming.

Katherine Durr has been a professional dog groomer for over 17 years and is the author of “How to Groom your Mutt”. Visit her website at Doggie Dews

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