How to Deal with Matted Fur
Do you have a long-haired pet that gets easily matted? Today, we will be covering preventative care, how to remove hair mats safely and pet fur after-care.
Mats can happen where the hair is longest – places like the tummy, rear, and behind arms and legs.
To begin, let’s cover matted fur prevention:
While you won’t have to follow the old wives tale of brushing hair nightly 100 times, brushing your pets fur regularly can help prevent matting. Depending on if it’s shedding season, or if your pet is more prone to shedding, you will want to brush more often. As well, some dogs benefit from regular trips to the groomer, which can also help with prevention.
Providing Omega – 3’s to your pet’s diet can help keep their fur healthy and smooth, which means easier brushing and less matting. Providing a balanced, homemade diet can help reduce mats as well.
Now, lets cover how to get rid of mats:
Firstly, one of my favorite natural household ingredients… coconut oil! Take some coconut oil and melt (make sure it’s not too hot!). Take the melted coconut oil on your fingers and gently massage the mat to loosen. Wait for about an hour to let the oil penetrate the hair mat.
After this, grab your grooming brush, and (very gently!) start brushing from the ends of the hair – you don’t want to start from the root of the hair, as this can be painful. You’ll want to hold the skin around the mat with your fingers, to reduce painful pulling of the skin. Use short strokes, and take breaks if your pet is not comfortable! And treats always help 🙂
If the mat is large or tough to remove, try to stay away from cutting it with scissors, and try using clippers instead. If you don’t want to have chunks of short hair, try using the same method as you did with the grooming brush. Clip ends in short strokes, until the mat is removed. If you don’t want to take your pet to the groomers, you can trim the longest areas of fur shorter, to reduce future matting in those areas.
When you have removed the mat, give one last brush through, and if it was a particularly tough mat to remove, rub some coconut oil into the affected area to soothe their skin.
Remember, a healthy balanced diet (with omega – 3’s) and regular brushing is key when preventing mats!
You can order my Omega – 3 supplement here:
Dr. Jones’ Ultimate Omega 3 Formula
For the large jar (180 capsules):