[caradunne]

Despite constant brushing, dematting and the whole Tropiclean regime Izzy's fur is constantly matting. I use the Kendal cutting method, the Les Pouches de mat and green brushes and spray liberally with Tropiclean tangle remover after a Tropiclean shampoo and condition; I also spray liberally on mats to saturate them prior to removing them. I thorougly dematted her back leg last night to find this morning the fur is matting again. She has to go to the groomer on Wednesday and I know they will clip her short unless I can find a solution. Her hair has been like this for the last few months and ties in with beginning the Natural Instinct diet. Has anyone else found this? I am giving her the evening primrose oil capsule once a day and, as yet, no difference, but it has only been a couple of weeks. Her fur is different from Buzz and Yum Yums as it is not an undercoat coming through her fur. Most of her fur is like very fine dry cotton wool. As it has go longer it is looking lovely but matting madly. I have tried to take some pictures, but difficult to show the hair texture in the white fur --- HELP ---- any ideas welcome!!!!!

Izzy with her lovely coat now:

,

Close up of the hair texture:

,

,

 

[wilfiboy]

Cant really suggest anythind Cara can only empathise.....Izzy looks lovely... Mable is just constant I just get rid and then they're back, her hair is more of a wave and just matts everywhere, on her chest, side of her face/cheeks,neck feet... everywhere, I follow her round she tollerates it for so long then she moves and I follow, poor thing. Wilf is much easier being really curly although he has got a matt at the top of one leg which I need to tackle. Good luck x x

 

[JulesB]

Aw she is so cute. I had this problem with Betty before her last grooming and the groomer told me that once the hair has matted it becomes a bit damaged so will keep matting unless cut, which seems to make sense as the mats Betty had had weird texture to her fur once brushed outband matted again.

Sorry i can't be of much use but am sure others can offer a solution.

x

 

[JoJo]

Oh Cara .. I think you have tried it all ... I must admit Honey doesn’t suffer from any major matting and Oakley has just started to get a few matt balls, as I call them, but they are removed using just a comb... it is such a hard discussion to make but it sounds like you have tried everything, the cut may be the answer and it will grow back ...Izzy will be cool for this wonderful summer we are having..

I love a long coat but I have clipped them both to 1.5 inch all over and they looked really lovely, and it is so much more practical... if their coats does begin to matt badly I would get them cut short, as I am sure they wouldn’t want me pulling and tugging each at their coat...

Izzy's coat looks so soft .. I just want to stroke her

I am not sure about the NI diet maybe having an influence, but others may be able to help with this???

 

[Dylansmum]

Dylan has been a constant battle with matting and so I've just had him clipped short again. Can't remember Izzy's age, but suspect the change in her coat is more likely to be due to the adult coat. Dylan's started to get bad at about 8 months. I love the long, shaggy look, but it's just so much more comfortable and practical to keep it short and a lot less problem with grass seeds. I also find that once you get a matted area, it keeps on re-matting until you get it cut. I'm sure Izzy will enjoy a shorter coat for the summer and it will grow again soon x

 

[embee]

Just a thought but how often do you wash her and use products on her? It may be that you are putting too much stuff on her and upsetting the natural balance of oils etc in her coat.

If it were me I'd try just going lightly over her with a coarse comb once a day (I wouldn't use a slicker or les poochs if she has a thinner coat and doesn't appear to have a thick undercoat) and would stop using any products for a month to see what happens. Flo only gets bathed about once every 6-8 weeks and I rarely use products on her in between washes and her coat has a 'greasy/oily' feel and rarely matts. I found that her coat actually softened when I started using NI.

 

[caradunne]

I try to keep the washes to 3/4 week intervals as she gets so dirty. By the end of 3 weeks she is beige all over - you can't see that she has brown patches on her back! I had to wash her the other day as she was caked on both cheeks, ears, under ears, neck and shoulders with fox poo! I agree it would be better not to wash her so much. It is difficult as she is a wild child not a lap dog and just loves charging around the fields at top speed - searching for poo to roll in. Oh well, I just have to accept she will get clipped really short - boo hoo.

 

[kendal]

do you rub her coeat when you bring her out the bath or even after a wet walk? rubbing the coat makes in mat.

he coat looks like my Gypsys, very fine cotten like.

do you blowdry her or let her dry naturaly after a bath. i have notesed a big difference in my girls coates since i started blowdrying them, i used to let them dry naturaly but they matted badly.


they still mat (deltas legs were very bad) but i now combe them through when wet then blow dry them, then stop half way and brush them again. its so much easier to demat dogs at work with the standing drier but my one is more powerfull thwn the one at work so its half and half.


maybe on the parts you have dematted, wet it again to get rid of the fuzzyness and take a come through it to make it into the ringlets and leave it to dry like that.

how long do you leave her between grooms.?

 

[Dylansmum]

Oh well, I just have to accept she will get clipped really short - boo hoo.

They might not look the way you would prefer after a clip, but the compensation is that they feel gorgeous, are more comfortable and really low maintenance. And it grows real quick x

 

[caradunne]

Thanks for all your encouragement everyone, I know she will enjoy having no hair to be pestered for by me! I have just watched her little furry bottom walk down the garden and feel sad that its days are numbered - she will look like a Bedlington next week - I hope she stays white and not so short that she is pink!

Kendal thanks for the advice, I don't blow dry her because she hates the dryer, however I have just ordered an H frame for my craft table that will become her grooming table, and, a hair dryer stand! That will give me free hands and I will be able to blow dry her. I use a microfibre towel to blot off water and then let her run free in the garden to get dry. The groomer clipped her to one inch last time and wanted 8 weeks between appointments. If she had been clipped again after 6 weeks her hair would not have been so matted and I will try to get a six week appointment next time. Maybe once I have the table etc I will be brave enough to buy some clippers and just keep it shortish myself like Mandy does.

I will post a pic after the grooming next Wednesday - fingers crossed she doesn't have to clip off all her hair. xx

 

[lady amanda]

OH Cara! Fingers crossed for you and Izzy, Lady is still recovering from her scalping....tho it is making me used to the shorter look.

 

[Happyad]

Six weeks is the ideal gap before the next groom as it stops it becoming a mess that clip down is the only option.
Washing your dog more often is such an issue these days. Back when it was " don't wash your dog it'll ...." the products were very harsh and it would be like using fairy liquid on our own hair.
Loads of dog shampoos now are herbal an holistic. You can get soap free ones. How often do u wash your own hair??
If you want to enjoy your dog, clean ones are better to hug!
Kendal hit the nail on the head. Drying, if you want a long coat, after washing it needs to be fully dried.
If you sent kids out to play with long Damp hair it would get matted.
So all of you with summer puppies get them used to the hair dryer now. Come October it will be very useful.

And trawl the Internet and find a face style u like for your dog. I have to say it's a lot easier to review an follow a pic than it is a new owners description of requirements.
A