Terrible knots in hair

Click here to visit the most complete Maltese site on the WWW

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

Terrible knots in hair
by Sonja
ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
Terrible knots in hairMy maltese Tim always had a beautiful puppy coat, no tangles at all. Before winter we had him trimmed a little. Ever since then he started matting so badly, I was not able to detangle his coat anymore. I have set an appointment with the lady who did the trimming before to completely cut his hair and start all over again. I do not really mind because I like the puppy cut better anyway, but after this procedure he will barely have hair. Am I doing the right thing? Somebody told me that a maltese should only be trimmed a little, otherwise his hair would matt. I groomed and still try to groom Tim every day, but no luck with the matts. Please give me some advise!

DISCUSSION:

Depending on how bad it is, they may not need to cut it all off. Most good groomers can pull or cut out matts pretty well, but if they are really bad it may be too painful and a full clip down may be necessary. It could be that the dry heat of winter has made the coat coarser and tangle more, and you may want to try some conditioners or spray on detangler to make brushing easier. Ask the groomer to show you how to manage smaller mats before they get to this point again. With the right tools and daily care, you should be able to keep him in a puppy cut or longer if you prefer. Good luck!
Aimee

I have the exact same problem. Bee Bee had beautiful hair but ever since his last hair cut approximately 6wks ago he has matted terribly. I am constantly grooming him but I had absolutely no control over the mats, evertime I look he has another one. I am so upset about this. I have tried conditioners, etc. Now I will probably have to have him shaved, which I am not happy about, but I don't know what to do. Is there a special shampoo and/or conditioner that we should use on a maltese?
Bernadette

Dear Sonja: Is Tim at that adolescent age where his adullt hair is coming in? That phase of hair growth matts a lot more than normal.Did you try a spray de-tangler? Will Tim let you try separating the matts? Sometimes you an save the coat by minimizing the damage. Sometimes you just have to cut the matts out. It leaves a little hole is the "fall" of the coat, but it blends in pretty quickly. (Thank goodness they're not show dogs!) Summer is soon, so a puppy cut is cool and easy. Maybe Tim will be better off with 1 inch hair and just cut the matted parts out? Good Luck!
valan

Well lets see, befor you get your babys hair cut, i would try sum condishiner [you mite try some for humuns] it will take a few trys to.and you mite want to try cuting the mated hair out [and keep useing condishiner to]and brushing as much as you can,and let it grow out a little and then go get your babys hair don. well best of luck to you.
Melissa

Sonja, my Peanut is one year old and is, according to everyone that posts here, growing his adult coat. I have noticed his hair tangling alot more over the passed few months and use to be at my wits end with the battle, I even told the family, only pet him in smooth strokes instead of ruffling his hair. Anyway, there was a post here about three weeks back that suggested using a VO5 hot oil treatment. I thought I'd give it a go since I have tried just about everything else and now have quite an array of hair conditioners, whats one more [ggg]. Wow what a difference, his hair so smooth and the tangles have been minimal from what they were before. If this person who suggested this reads this post, Peanut sends his barks of thanks cause now his mom can brush his hair without alot of trouble battling the tangles. Also Sonja, it doesn't leave an oily residue on the hair if you were wondering.
Eva

Please try not to cut the mats out, first take a pair of scissors and slice through the mat, make sure you hold the hair at the body so you are not causing pain when you brush the matted hair. My sister is a groomer and this is the one mayor tip she gave me. Quigley hasn't had this problem yet, but friends have sat it was a lift saver for them. Good Luck!
Gloria

Eva,I am about to purchase a Maltese Puppy very soon. Just curious, how often would you suggest the V05 Hot Oil Treatment? Do you think it is a good way to maintain the coat even if it has no problems? Thanks in advance. You may e mail me or post a reply.
Mark

Quite a few months ago someone posted that Suave Kids Detangler was good. It is. Use shampoo and conditioner, then the kids detangler. Use a comb and brush while your baby is wet, the matts come out easier. When "slicing" matts, please be very careful, theie skin pulls up with the hair and you can cut the dog too. Use small sissors, work underneath a very small part of the matt, up close to their skin, then cut outward, never across. Keep repeating this being very cautious of their skin. It is hardly ever neccessary to practically skin a dog. With work you can get the matts out, and then brush, brush, brush! They do seem to matt before your eyes, so its a constant thing to work on.
Robin K.

I have found a very handy tool for removing knots is a seam ripper like a seamstress uses. It has two prongs, a long one and a short one and in the middle is a sharp area. When the ripper is run thru the knot a few times, the knot comes out without leaving a hole in the hair. I like this a lot better than scissors. Just be careful and always pull it away from your baby so your won't stick them.
Shirley

Two words: Puppy Coat! :-( clover is going through the same thing. I brush him thoughly at least once a day, and once a week we take him to the groomers to get a full-blow brush out. At least the grooer gave us a deal :-) It probly won't last forever, so jsut hang in there! ~Karen ans the C-Dog
Clover (and Karen)

Eva, I would like to know more about using VO5 Oil, how to use it? Do I need to put the oil tube into hot water for a couple minutes and put it on to my maltese when she's all wet? Thanks!
Ada

Hi!I use a plastic comb with thick metal teeth that rotate so it detangles as you comb. Ziggy likes this more than the brush. I comb him almost every day and brush him maybe 2x/month. He is essentially tangle free and the only time he's been to the groomer, he got a discount (that I didn't even have to ask for) for being so clean and well-groomed. I think I got the comb at Petco.
melanie and ziggy

Shirley suggested a seam ripper and awhile back someone mentioned a letter opener. I went searching through the house for something similar and found a real mat-buster. When we bought large rolls of plastic to install a vapor barrier a cutter came with it. My husband says Lowe's also sells them separately. The bottom prong is much longer than the seam cutter and letter opener and there is more blade surface too. It works really well and doesn't leave noticeable holes in the coat. Be careful around those ears!
Starr