Matts Tangles Knots... UGH!

Does anyone have any secret cure??

I really neeed one at the moment! Ollie's WHOLE underbelly is a big mass of knots and ickyness. I brush him everyday but it doesn't seem to help at all. He's getting them everywhere, on his stomach and on his front legs and back.

Is there a way to stop this, completely? He gets brushed so much but it just isn't working.

He yelps and crys when I try to brush them out. He has become very skittish while being handled.

Ollie doesn't even have his full coat yet and already it's a huge issue!

Any help would be greatly, greatly appreciated! :flwr:

I look forward to the responses you'll receive Emily, as it's an ongoing issue with Tucker too. Though it has gotten better. The ones on Tucker's underbelly that get really close to the skin, I end up cutting as they cannot be seen at all and to work them out is to tug on his skin. Tucker used to run when he saw the grooming basket. He squirms terribly to this day whenever he's groomed, especially having his face or ears washed.

Wow, I wonder what is causing him to get so matted. I brush Sonny twice daily on the days I don't work, and once on the days I go to work. Sometimes I will miss a brushing for a day, but it doesn't seem to matter. His coat is very long & luxurious, but it doesn't seem to get matted.

What kind of a harness are you using, if any? When we first got Sonny I bought a leather harness for him & it was a disaster... knots under his arms. So now I use either a collar & lead for walks (he doesn't pull) and a Puppia harness in the car.

To remove little knots, I use a cat slicker, daily. The only time I've ever had to cut a knot out of his fur was when he had an ulcerated anal gland & he was chewing on it all day while I was at work. A Mars tool will also remove knots, but despite what they say about "only removing dead hair" it does in fact cut the hair. They are a handly tool to have around & use sparingly, but are quite expensive.

Still.... I'd be trying to find out what the source of the matting is first, as it does seem excessive for a youngster.

BTW My Sonny adores his grooming session. He is quite the hedenist, and lays there with his eyes half closed, rolling onto his back so his tummy can get a go. Beau is also starting to enjoy his grooming, and is now less inclined to want to eat his brush.

Olle wants to eat the brush and is very squirmish when I am 'studying' his matts. His hair is very fine and smooth and I think that's why it's matting so easily.

I first found matts after our trip away, only 2 days, so he wasnt brushed during that time. That was all it took, they multiplied like crazy.

His harness is a Puppia and doesn't even really touch the part of him that matts.

Emily, does he wear his harness all day? That might be causing him to knot on his belly too. We only put the harnesses on when we walk them. When we leave them on, they knot from the rubbing. He also might be pee'ing on himself and the stickyness might cause knotting.

Emily,

You could try a "detangler spray" on the mats before trying to comb them out.

If the knot is really thick, you might try cutting through the knot (lengthwise) and then
very gently, brush the parts of the knot.

Just be sure to cut from closest to the skin, outwards...so you don't knick him.

Our Charley used to get matted frequently, as he had a very thick coat....no matter how much you brush them, it can and does happen.

Good luck with them.

No Molly, Ollie only wears his harness for walking too! He has his collar on 24/7 but knots aren't an issue around his neck. I've noticed he seems to know more where he grooms himself! Like I noticed him licking his leg feathering and a knot formed in that exact place. Most of the other knots are around his bum

Thanks Zippy! Ollie totally freaks out when he sees scissors, natural instinct? :S It managed to cut one matt off once but that was when he wasn't looking. He turns into a total wiggle worm when scissors are in view.

I had this problem when the boys were little, their hair was so fine and wispy that the slightest roll around would result in a small matt.
The only solution for me was to cut them out as it hurt too much and took too long for me to work on them and I did not want to put them off grooming for life.
I must admit even now though for a seriuos matt cut out or examination of something important I use two people, I do the work while either my mum or brother massage the dogs ears and talk to them to distract them from what I am doing.

Emily,

When you have a wiggle worm, you need to get someone to hold him down for you....it becomes a two-person job.

Also, when they "groom" themselves, I think their tongues help tangle the fur....you're probably right on, about that.....you're such a good mom to Ollie.

What kind of brush are you using ?

I use a hard pin brush & a wide then fine tooth comb.

For the furry family members we have the following brushes:

Wide metal comb
Flea comb
Pure boar bristle brush
Plastic pin brush

Emily,

When Chester used to get the mats i'd use my slicker brush and tease it out bit by bit, it took a while but it got it out 95% of the time, the other times i had no choice but to cut them out.

Do you have a slicker brush?

Codys coat is awful for matting. I could spend an hour or so in the evening picking out the tangles in her ears and still have to do it all over again the next day, i don't know how she knots so quickly and they're not small ones either. Her back legs are just as bad but her tail is an absolute nightmare, not helped by the fact that she hates anyone at it

Reading back on what i've written I can see that it was of absolutely no help to anyone, just me having a moan

I've started using "The Stuff" (a grooming spray) on both of mine and found it really helps. Jana had said that on bad mats you really soak the mat and The Stuff will help untangle it. Haven't needed to do that yet. I bought mine at petedge.com. Supposedly after bathing you mist them with this spray and it helps repel dirt and thus reduce tangles. The pups are getting a bath on Sunday and I plan on using. Will let you know what I think. But using it between baths has been great.

Murphy would recommend 'Avon Leave In conditioner'

He uses it after every shower, in place his Mummy used to find tangles, he knows it's a human thing but has had no ill effects from using it

He still gets a few knots but not compared to what he used to get

Holly's coat has been very very profuse from as soon as it grew out, and until I found a groomer that both Holly and I liked, it was miserable. Now, I keep Holly in shortish clip- that means trimmed all over, with the main trouble spots like under the ears cut very short- but plenty of length on the leathers themselves. Then I use a doggy detangling conditioner on the area and apply it regularly, and it really makes a difference.

Amber is booked in for grooming on Wednesday because she has nasty knots under her ears- I was able to pull some of it and cut a little more, but still there... plus I think wearing the jacket puppia harness just as her adult coat is coming through has contributed to the little knots under her arms. The groomer is great so hopefully poor little Amber will be more comfortable, and then it'll be easier for me to keep her comfy... she's more pliable than Holly, so grooming her has always been a bit easier.

Ste said:

Reading back on what i've written I can see that it was of absolutely no help to anyone, just me having a moan

Click to expand...

LOL had to laugh at that, hey, most of us can relate. We've all moaned about it a time or two. *cheers* Misery loves company.

King only gets knots behind his ears if I neglect to brush him(which is hardly ever) and under his tail....but I have a mat remover made by Four Paws...it has blades that cuts the mat right out...