Dark spots, matting

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Archived Message

Dark spots, matting
by Crystal
ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
Dark spots, matting My baby, Flower, got dark big spots on her body in the summer. They have mostly went away but I wanted to know if that was common. Also, I wanted to grow her hair out but I dunno how to keep her hair from matting, any pointers? By the way this website is great!

DISCUSSION:

Dear crystal and flower! hi! I don't know about the spots but i do know about matting. my otto has hair to the floor. he gets some pesky matts sometimes where his front legs rub against his body. that's the only place. he has always been bathed with ivory shampoo and conditioner. his hairs never tangle at all. he gets brushed every day and the matts don't much of a chance to get started... when i took a survey of bathing products on this forum last month a lot of folks used pantene shampoo/conditioner or kids' tearless shampoo/conditioner. good luck growing flower's coat long - you will love it long!
valan

Always use a conditioner after shampooing. Another product that many of us use is a spray on de-tangler while brushing and combing.
April B.

Crystal, I am also working to get Diva into a long coat. It takes alot of work but the result is worth it I believe. keep her clean I wash every week,and brush every day,using a detangler. Never brush with out a spray, Pantene pro-v light spray conditioner is good and the price is right. When using a shampoo check to see the ph level, the best for our babys is a ph of 5. You can get this information by calling the 800 number on your shampoo bottle . There is much more, and reading here will teach you alot. As many others, the first place I go when I turn on the computer is Maltese only, we are so lucky to have this site. Thanks to all who make it so informative and fun.
Mary P

Hi, I have 2 maltese a boy "Moki" and girl "Jassi". Moki has excellent pigmentation and in summer his skin gets black spot on it under his hair. This is very common and is considered healthy. He has wonderful black points and his little sister has a pinkish little nose and does not get the black spots in summer. I think a good way to think about it is how some people tan and others don't but black spots are common in summer. for the matting we just have to brush them every night and take them to the groomers every 6-7 weeks.
Diana Marie

Me and my husband just recently got our computer , of course hooking uo to the internet a few days ago. It's nice to read about different suggestions and topics regarding Maltese dogs....I have a little boy 2 years old, with semi-long beautiful hair...Just wtiyying to say HELLO..... That's all for now.....
marisa

As mentioned, daily brushing (a wide tooth comb works better on the longer hair) keeps the mats down. Some spray-on, leave-in conditioner helps too. As to the brown spots, it depends. Puff has had brown "liver spots" since he was 5 (14 now). They get worse in the summer so my guess is it's from the sun. Next vet visit point them out to him, just to make sure its nothing else. My vet said that unless its a raised, thickened, irregular spot then its usually nothing to worry about.
Aimee