# rescue dog fur/coat damage



## queenalexis (Feb 19, 2016)

HI all, my mom found a dog left for dead. we took him home and care for him. hes doing a lot better but his coat is matted, i think that the right term. it been pulled/yank off. i really want to fix his coat without going to a vet or dog hair groomer. i post a link for pictures.

http://imgbox.com/gallery/edit/5Z2kUi9aTP/KnOLzAtqoQ2G0rnQ


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## MysticRealm (May 30, 2007)

It's hard, especially on my phone to see what's happening but for safety/less stress reasons I would bring the dog to a groomer to have the tangles removed ASAP. If the matts are bad enough to be ripping the fir out of the skin it's going to be too dangerous and painful for you to attempt to remove it yourself.


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## gingerkid (Jul 11, 2012)

What Mystic said. Severe matts are really not anything to be taken lightly. Just ask Sibe and her rescue poodle AmazeBob.


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## sydneynicole (Apr 2, 2015)

Also...if you just found this dog it really should be seen by a vet. The vet may be able to take care of the mats at the same time.


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## queenalexis (Feb 19, 2016)

probelm is, we cant afford to see a vet. i been using a metal comb to get some of the matts out. anyone know an DIY matt fixing?


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

She needs a vet for vaccines and a checkup. If you cannot afford to take her then maybe she needs to go into rescue. Cute fuzzy dogs are in big demand, I'm sure a rescue would have room for her. Distemper and parvo kill dogs and rabies vaccine is the law in most places.


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## sydneynicole (Apr 2, 2015)

Agree, if you can't afford her then turn her over to a shelter. Check ups are a routine part of dog care/ownership.


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## Amaryllis (Dec 28, 2011)

queenalexis said:


> probelm is, we cant afford to see a vet. i been using a metal comb to get some of the matts out. anyone know an DIY matt fixing?


Matting causes severe pain and can even kill limbs, lead to skin breakage and infections to the point of maggots. If you cannot afford to take the dog to the vet, call a rescue and get him into a home with people who can take care of him. Seriously, look up Amazebobb. That poor dog lost 2 legs to matting because his owner couldn't afford to get him to the vet or a groomer.


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## Jaykrysten (Nov 17, 2015)

Amaryllis said:


> Seriously, look up Amazebobb. That poor dog lost 2 legs to matting because his owner couldn't afford to get him to the vet or a groomer.


Just looked at that story. What a sad life he had on the streets. At least he is thriving now.


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## queenalexis (Feb 19, 2016)

sadly i cant change my mom mind about it. im doing th best i can for it, reason i seek online help


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## Hiraeth (Aug 4, 2015)

queenalexis said:


> sadly i cant change my mom mind about it. im doing th best i can for it, reason i seek online help


The best you can do is to surrender the dog to someone who can care for it. It's not even about the mats - the dog needs a check up and vaccines.

Vets don't necessarily have to be super expensive. Call a couple offices near your home, explain the situation and see if they will work on price with you. I think that a vet would understand that situation and try to help you guys out.


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## Amaryllis (Dec 28, 2011)

Could you show your mom Amazabobb's page? Could you contact a rescue and have them talk to her about rabies, distemper and parvo?


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## Caro (Sep 10, 2012)

Have you taken the dog to a vet or shelter just to get scanned for a microchip at least? They likely won't charge you just for that.

Even though the dog is in poor condition with mats, it does not mean that the owner is neglectful or abandoned the dog. Depending on how long the dog was on the streets, matting can develop. Also, sometimes a dog is stolen from a good owner but if the thief can't flip it fast enough they dump the dog. 

My dog goes to the groomer every 6 weeks or so for a haircut. If she was lost or stolen right before she went to the groomer, it would only take a couple weeks on her own for her to be a matted mess! I would be heartbroken if no one scanned for her microchip because they thought I abandoned her.


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## Na-Tasha (Aug 13, 2014)

Depending on how severe the matting is, it may be best just to shave the dog completely. When I first got my dog, she was severely matted. I thought at first that I would just spend a while on her each day combing the mats out little by little and scissoring the bigger mats. I wanted to save her coat, especially since she's a double coated dog and shaving is a big no-no, so I did my best to work on it. However, I believe it was either the second day or the third day that I discovered a mat that connected her chest hairs to her elbow hairs and was twisted so tight, the skin was red and inflamed, on the verge of tearing. That was when I realized how serious the situation was. I checked her other elbow and it was similar, but not as bad. I checked some other large mats and some were twisted right to the skin. I made the decision to just shave her. As I shaved her down, I found other mats that had actually torn the skin. She ended up having a bacterial skin infection that the vet had originally missed due to being hidden under the mats. At the time, I thought I had made the correct decision by not going to the groomers and doing it myself at home, because I didn't want her to have to spend hours standing on a table being brushed and combed. I thought I could do it all myself slowly over the course of a week. It was a mistake I won't make again if I ever find myself with a severely matted dog. A groomer would've found those dangerous mats quickly and could have handled it professionally whether just by shaving only the mats out or a complete shave down. We would've found the bacterial infection sooner as well. I hope you're able to get all the mats out safely. Good luck with your dog.


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