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Archived Message

ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
by Ruby

Help! I'm travelling with our family maltese, and he's matting terribly. It seems this problem has increased over the past few months. And I'm seeking solutions (either dietary or product oriented) that will help. Anyone have any words of wisdom on the topic, or experience with this? Thanks!

DISCUSSION:

I am an owner of two Maltese. My first dog matted up badly. The groomer shaved all of the hair off of her except for her ears and her tail. (I specifically told her not to.) When her hair grew back, it was thick and wavy. The hair on her tail and ears was silkly like it was supposed to be. That lady ruined my dog's hair. So, my suggestion is not to get the dog's hair cut short. Try brushing the dog's hair every day for about ten minutes. If you can't get the mats out, start taking the dog to a good groomer about every two to three weeks for a bath. (just a bath) Once a month, have him groomed. This will definitely keep the dog's coat in good shape, but sometimes it is not financially possible. Just keep brushing. 582
-Meredith Brewer

Even though my maltese has a shorter cut, He gets combed and brushed daily. I spend about 10 minutes a day, combing, snipping stray hairs, etc. Regular bathing will also cut down on matting as dirty hair mats more easily. To cut down on the amount of time spent grooming, I recommend the shorter cut.
-April B.

Just curious, how old is your dog? I've heard that maltese will go through a coat change at about a year old. Lily is in a long coat and I never had a problem w/ matting until she turned one.Now it's a nightmare. I agree w/ April. Keep your dog bathed (once a week) a dirty coat does mat easier and condition-condition-condition! I love a long coated maltese and am going to keep Lily in one as long as I possibly can. I'm hoping that when she becomes two this "coat change" will be over!
-Cindy

Help! My 16 month old has thick mats close to his skin. These CANNOT be brushed out. We live in Colorado and fall is rapidly approaching. Should I have him clipped short now? (He spends all of his time in the house anyway in the winter.) Also he gets very upset when I try to cut out his mats...I'm afraid I'm going to accidently cut him. How do the groomers keep them still?
-Bev Speece

Bev, if your baby has mats close to the skin and there is no way of brushing them out I would definitely get him groomed. The longer you wait the worse they will get. I've heard of mats getting so bad that they cut off the circulation and dogs have had to have legs amputated because of this. The matted hair won't keep him any warmer in the winter because if they get bad and his circulation gets bad because of it he would actually be colder. Search around for a good groomer. To answer your question about how they get them to hold still. They have a table with a leash attached. The dogs really can't go anywhere and because of the height of the table they don't want to. It also seems that like children they always behave better for a stranger. That's the reason most groomers won't allow you to be present while they're grooming your dog. If your concerned about him getting cold after he's been groomed, buy him a little doggie sweater. They work great on my baby Max and they look adorable.
-Cindy