Dogs Matting Hair

Mats occur frequently in many dog breeds with curly fine or double coats.

Dogs matting hair.

The more barbs in the hair shaft the more likely to mat says verplank. Why matted hair is unhealthy for your dog. Dangers of matted hair in dogs and cats. 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.

A dog s hair shafts are barbed much like a briar bush with some more barbed than others. Severe matting can cause discomfort or even damage to the underlying skin or joints depending on the location. 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. As new hairs grown in mats can occur very close to the skin.

The long haired dog sheds its hair into the coat causing small mats to form. Matting is dense or tangled clumps of hair in a pet s coat. Dogs with long silky hair like yorkies and shih tzu s can develop mats and tangles. You might think matted hair is no big deal.

And dogs that have double coats with a thick undercoat like golden retrievers and cocker spaniels can mat easily. While the effect of mild hair mats is usually minimal matting can lead to pain and skin infections similar to hot spots. Grooming and maintaining your dog s coat in top condition is therefore essential to the dog s health and well being. The extra fur needs to be adequately extracted via a brush or else matting will occur.

This shedding process is not like those breeds that leave hair all over your house. Dogs with hair that is soft curly or wavy like poodles golden doodles and bichons are vulnerable to matting. Mats can also result from dogs scratching themselves and getting their fur wet in rain or snow. 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.