Le Pet Care Fact # 3:
GROOMING IN WINTER - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MATTING
MATTING
What is a matt? A matt is a group of hair / fur that become densely tangled together in a pet’s coat. If the coat is not properly / frequently brushed, the hair can become embedded together due to a variety of circumstances – ie seasonal shedding, swimming / moisture, dirt, static electricity and is mostly prevalent in longer-coated dogs. Matts can form in the outer coat as well as in some dogs, the secondary thick undercoat can become matted.
*Featured image shows just how bad matts can become. The coat literally comes off like a sheep
CONSEQUENCES OF MATTING
Severe matting can be very painful to your dog as the tangled areas of hair tend to pull tight and in result pull on the dog’s skin – in absolute extreme cases the matt can cover almost the entire coat and as a result have an effect almost like a straight-jacket on the dog, preventing limb motion altogether. Matting can also cut off blood supply and prevent regular air circulation through the coat, which is necessary for a healthy coat.
EFFECTS OF WINTER ON MATTING
Winter, besides been nastily cold on all of us, unfortunately comes with very dry air around us which leads to lots and lots of static electricity. Just like us humans, dogs and cat’s coats are susceptible to this excess of static electricity in the air and on certain items such as jerseys, carpets, bedding etc. If your dog wears a jersey during the winter and has a longer coat, there is a high risk of matting developing if the coat is not being brushed out on a regular basis.
TREATING MATTS
In the grooming industry, there is a technique used to remove matts called “de-matting” which uses special tools to literally pull the matt out from the skin. Which as you can imagine, is very painful to the dog. We at Le Pawtique, do not believe in that standard and will only work with matts that are minimal and can be opened first and then brushed gently out. If we deem a matt, too tightly knotted to be opened then we will shave the matts out, sometimes having to shave the entire coat down but will do so only after consultation with the pet’s owner. We will not de-matt any matt that will cause harm to your pet and will not compromise our standards as a professional grooming parlour to do so.
PREVENT MATTING
So how can we prevent matting? The answer is very simple – lots of brushing on a regular basis. Longer coated and double-coated dogs will need regular brushing on a 4 - 6 weekly interval by a grooming specialist, such as Le Pawtique and at least three times a week at home. Brushing also aerates the coat and skin and helps keep it healthy and free from skin conditions caused by matting. On some shorter coated dogs, a seasonal de-shedding is also necessary to remove the dead loose hairs from their coat (and your home).
HOW CAN LE PAWTIQUE HELP?
At Le Pawtique, we offer such services to all our dogs being groomed. For the short-haired and double-coated breeds we offer extra de-shedding where we use a specialized tool called a FurminatorTM to take off all the loose excess hair. We also offer a value-added service of been added to our Very Important Pet (VIP) programme where we book regular grooming appointments for you on 2 – 6 weekly intervals. On this programme we offer 10% discount on the grooming charge (15% for three or more poochies) as well as the first fifteen minutes of de-shedding for free.