Dogs Matting Hair

Severe matting can cause discomfort or even damage to the underlying skin or joints depending on the location.

Dogs matting hair.

The long haired dog sheds its hair into the coat causing small mats to form. While the effect of mild hair mats is usually minimal matting can lead to pain and skin infections similar to hot spots. Mats are more prevalent in long haired dogs and cats especially during shedding season. As new hairs grown in mats can occur very close to the skin.

A dog s hair shafts are barbed much like a briar bush with some more barbed than others. Dangers of matted hair in dogs and cats. Grooming and maintaining your dog s coat in top condition is therefore essential to the dog s health and well being. Dogs with hair that is soft curly or wavy like poodles golden doodles and bichons are vulnerable to matting.

The extra fur needs to be adequately extracted via a brush or else matting will occur. Some dogs are more prone to mats such as the poodle bichon frise cocker spaniel and any dog with a long coat or who is a heavy shedder verplank says. Matting or tangling of a dog s hair prevents it from properly carrying out these functions by exposing parts and the skin encouraging the growth of bacteria etc. Matting is dense or tangled clumps of hair in a pet s coat.

This shedding process is not like those breeds that leave hair all over your house. Mats occur frequently in many dog breeds with curly fine or double coats. Why matted hair is unhealthy for your dog. You might think matted hair is no big deal.

Mats can also result from dogs scratching themselves and getting their fur wet in rain or snow. Dog fur often becomes tangled and knotted around itself without frequent brushing which is called matting. And dogs that have double coats with a thick undercoat like golden retrievers and cocker spaniels can mat easily. In extreme cases the dog s coat will become what groomers call pelted when matting is very tight to the skin preventing proper air flow.