Veterinarians recognize chronically matted hair and strangulating hair mats in dogs as a medical finding in animal neglect.
Chronically matted hair and strangulating hair mats in dogs are recognized by veterinarians as a medical finding in animal neglect.
Mats cut off the air flow in your dog's hair and can trap moisture, which can cause irritation and sores on your dog. Even mild matting can be painful, but in severe cases, matting can cut off circulation to your dog's skin and cause hematomas.
Mats in cat fur are not only unsightly, but they are also painful to your cat. They can lead to skin irritation and infection if they're not removed. De-matting a cat is typically not a fun experience for the feline or the human.
Even mild matting can cause your pet a great deal of pain. Matting can cut off blood supply to extremities and deny regular air circulation. Skin denied fresh air and stimulation from brushing becomes unhealthy.
Don't bathe your dog, as the mats will soak up water and become even tighter. Try using cornstarch to help loosen the fur. Rub it directly into the matted area.
Matting Affects Circulation
By trapping blood near the surface of the skin, matting may keep blood from flowing to the feet, ears and tail, which can cause severe wounds (like bed sores) or allow your pet to overheat in the summer or contract frostbite in the winter.
In general, mats are extremely uncomfortable for your pet and should be avoided. Owners should be aware of grooming needs based on hair type and breed of the animal.
Whether combing or shaving, many mats will leave a bald spot behind once removed. This is caused by the matted hair pulling at and damaging the skin. There can even be areas of redness, irritation and even bruising uncovered during the mat removal.
While some cuts are small enough that they will heal on their own, many wind up needing sutures to have the wound closed properly. Because of this, most mats need to be removed with specialized grooming clippers which let us get up under the mat and right against the skin without cutting into it.
Using clippers is a great way to get rid of tricky mats because of their varying attachment sizes and the different options you have for the length of your trim. Most grooming clippers are also designed to avoid nicks and cuts, again making them safer to use than scissors.
Smelling badly, having rashes or other skin conditions that might indicate poor hygiene, and having consistently unwashed or matted hair could all be signs of neglect.
Groomers can't just cut out the mats either since hat will be quite risky for your dog. They will only remove mats safely with clippers. While shaving out mats will remove a large amount of fur, clippers are the safest way to shave out tangled fur.
Never use scissors to try to cut mats out. For serious cases of matting, you should seek help from a professional groomer or your veterinarian. If the mats are only affecting your cat's fur, a professional groomer can remove them either by combing or by shaving them off with electric clippers.
Matted fur is more than just a cosmetic issue. Matting can lead to dry and flakey skin, resulting in air and moisture being prevented from reaching the skin. If left to worsen, the skin can even become irritated.
Use a dematting or wide-toothed comb.
Dematting combs use sharp razor blades to more easily cut through matted fur and should be available online or at your local pet supply store. These should only be used on matted areas, as the blade may cause thin or bald patches on normal fur.
Dry Skin & Matted Fur
Not to combat dry skin, but to remove pesky matted fur! To do this, use a syringe (the non-needle kind) to apply olive oil to the base of the matt as close to the skin as possible, gently rub it in, and then—poof! —a few days later, the mat just falls off.
Acute hair matting presents with a stiff prominent and impenetrable mass of matted hair and, in many cases, is associated with a foul smell.
If the mats are only affecting your cat's fur, a professional groomer can remove them either by combing or by shaving them off with electric clippers. If the mats are affecting the skin as well, veterinary care may be needed to remove them and care for any inflammation and irritation of the skin.
What's the Difference Between Mats and Tangles? All mats are knots and tangles, but not all knots and tangles are mats. Mats are, in essence, supercharged tangles, and they usually develop in natural, curly hair because this hair type is more prone to tangling in the first place.
As a general guideline, the mat should be at least 1.5 times the size of the frame to keep the frame from overpowering the artwork. Adjusting the size of the visible mat will dramatically change the appearance of your art, so it's important to have an understanding of the desired final look.
Matting hides hinges, corner pockets and art edges that are better kept out of sight. Matting provides a resting place for the eyes, and can create a visually pleasing separation between artwork and its surroundings. Matting can highlight secondary and tertiary colors, and other visual elements within your art.
They usually feel like clumps when you pat your dog. Sometimes the mats may lie close to the skin and the outer hair feels brushed out, but underneath it is like a twisted carpet of hair. The easiest way to tell if your pet is matted is to comb through the coat, all the way down to the skin.