A Small Dog

How to Cook a Mat

Posted on 15. Nov, 2008 by Jeff K. in Small Dog Grooming

For all of you home cooks out there, here is a recipe for matted fur. Take one pinch of long, fine hair and rub vigorously until well tangled. Add a scant measure of skin oil. Fold in either dust, soil, pollen or other fine particles to taste. Do not brush or comb the fur. Wait about one week and presto, you have a mat. Repeat as necessary to create a fully entangled coat.

Mats are the bane of a dog groomer’s existence, and they are not a very good deal for your dog either. In order to detangle a mat on your dog’s coat, a groomer usually has to resort to brute force. The groomer can use a de-matting tool that looks like a comb, but has very long, teeth with razor edges. She uses this tool to slice through the entangled fur, cutting apart individual strands of hair. She may also use a slicker brush and detangling spray. The spray is nothing more than a specialized soap that lubricates the problem area so the tines of the slicker brush have an easier time raking through the tangles. As a last resort, the groomer can use one blade of her scissors to slice through clumps of the mat. In all cases, the de-matting action tugs and pulls on your dog’s coat. It is not painful, but it is annoying. Imagine how you would feel if someone grabbed tufts of your hair and yanked. If your dog is very matted, the process of tugging and slicing may take an hour.

Matted fur can also create a health risk for your dog. We saw an example of this risk yesterday at Kelsey’s Dog House. We groomed a Soft-coated Wheaton Terrier whose fur was extremely matted. After the dog’s bath, while it was still wet, we could see his skin underneath the fur. The inside of his hind legs were spotted with angry red rashes. All of these rashes were underneath matted fur. Severe mats, being nearly solid masses of dirty fur, prevent the underlying skin from breathing. Bacteria can grow underneath these stagnant patches and cause anything from minor skin irritations like we saw yesterday, to abscesses in the skin.

The Wheaton’s fur was so matted that all our groomer could do was shave the coat. It was a shame too, because it was apparent that with regular brushing to avoid mats, the dog would have had a beautiful coat. The good news is, by removing the mats with a complete shave, the rashes on the dog’s skin would heal quickly. In a few weeks, the Wheaton’s coat would grow back in.

Let’s face it. No one enjoys brushing a dog. It is just another chore among the many chores on our list. It seems of minor importance; and, if a dog resists brushing, that task usually drops off our list. For some dogs, infrequent brushing can lead to matted fur. Matted fur equals an unpleasant experience at the grooming shop. Matted fur can also equal ugly skin problems. From my perspective, if you own a dog with fur that is prone to matting, then frequent brushing is a top-of-the-list item, along with feeding and walking your dog.

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