horrible knots

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Please bear in mind when reading topics pertaining to health issues, that most of these questions were answered by helpful Maltese owners with no formal education in veterinary medicine. When in doubt seek a professionals advise.

Archived Message

horrible knots
by Nicole

ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
horrible knots Recently, my dog was nutered. Upon the healing time, I was told I could not bathe him for two weeks, until the stitches were out. I brushed him everyday, but he has these horrible knots I cannot get out. Cutting his hair is not an option. Does anyone have any suggestions?

DISCUSSION:

Sometime ago, someone in this group told us about Suave Detangler for Kids, (Safeway). I have used it since. I spray it on the knot and use a steel comb to gently comb out the knot. It works very well. If there are still stitches or anything on the skin tho, I would avoid using this or any other product, so as not to cause an irritation.
Robin K.

I use a spary conditioner or something called Cowboy Magic on the mat then I separate the mat with my fingers little by little. and brushing with a pin brush. It saves most the hair.
Kathy S.

We feel your pain... we have found that a "matting comb" works very well. It's basically a wide-spaced comb of notched one sided blades. You brush it through while carefully holding on to your little one's hair and presto! The knots can be combed through easily with a regular brush. No matter what, returning the hair to its original state will take a lot of work -- there's no easy way. So be patient!
Bert & Ish

I've also used a "mat comb" (both at work and home), and find them fairly easy to use with a little practice. Its the best thing for really bad matts, and leaves enough hair that you don't have a "hole". The "blades" have a rounded side to them that protects the skin. One other suggestion.. don't let the dog get wet when he/she has matts.. the moisture makes them tighter. I find a detangler solution (like Johnsons or Suave for kids) helps to prevent them from getting too bad and to get the smaller tangles out. For the truly horrific matts I use a scissor and cut the matt into more manageable pieces (we never let Puff get this bad.. but at work we often had to deal with severely matted pets). You have to be really careful doing this as so not to cut the dog.. I use my fingers to pull the matt apart and keep my fingers between the dog and scissors.. its hard to explain.. but more or less I cut through the matt at a right angle to the skin, rather than parallel to the skin if that makes sense.. when its small enough, I use the matt blade and a regular comb to work it the rest of the way out. Sometimes it takes a long time.. you have to work slow and be patient. Best advice I can give is try not to let them get that matted in the first place (not always as easy as it sounds!!)
Aimee