Dangers of Matting

Your dog will be happier and healthier without that matting!

Does your dog have matted hair?  This can be a major concern for your pet.  The way your dog can get matting is the hair tangling which makes knots, then the knots get tangled with other knots making mats in your dog’s fur.  Matting can become a serious problem for your dog for many reasons.  Mats pull on their skin and can be painful for your dog.  Bugs and bacteria can hide in the matted fur making it difficult to remove with regular washing and matted fur doesn’t actually dry properly.

Keep up with brushing your dog to prevent matting fur.

If your dog has matted fur, it makes it more difficult to groom and can cause grooming accidents to occur.  These mats in your dog’s fur can lead to hot spots for your pet and prevent the normal function of the coat, interfering with your dog’s ability to keep their body at the right temperature.  Your dog may try to pull at the matted area with their teeth or scratch at it with their paws causing skin irritation, cuts, and infection.  If there is a matted area around where your dog uses the restroom, the bacteria can continue to grow in the fur and make your dog very ill.

There are ways to prevent matting.  Your dog really needs help from you.  Dogs need to be brushed once a week at minimum.  You should start brushing them when their hair is 1/4” long.  There are different types of brushes to choose from.  You need to choose a brush that has strong teeth, is long enough to reach the undercoat of your dog and has the right density of the teeth of the brush for the type of hair your dog has.

Sometimes your dog doesn’t like to let you brush their hair, but we can help you. You can bring your dog in and we can show you how to properly brush your dog and what tools are the right choice for your unique pet.  If your dog is prone to matting, it is important to brush your dog’s coat daily. If you notice that your dogs fur is getting matted and you can’t get the mats out, you should not shave their fur.  The mats can go to the skin and be dangerous to shave off at the risk of cutting your dog’s skin.  You should schedule regular grooming appointments where you can let us give your dog a bath and brush-out and show you how to keep up with the brushing at home.