What Causes Matted Hair On Dogs

If your itchy dog scratches herself often or bites at hot spots the fur becomes wet dirty and tangled.

What causes matted hair on dogs.

Matted hair is a painful condition most commonly seen in dogs and cats with long coats. Sometimes dogs that sit a lot will get matting on the spot that they are sitting on. Tangling occurs when long haired dogs are not brushed on a regular basis much like a human s long hair would tangle after a few days of no combing or brushing. Attempting to brush or comb out matted hair can cause severe pain for your pet because tugging on the hair pulls on nerve endings in the hair follicles where the hair grows.

When this happens the dog bites at its skin or tries to scratch causing the mat to grow in size and the hair to get even more tangled. Small mats or knots are easy to remove if the dog is brushed daily or several times a week. The condition is caused by tangled knots or mats which cause discomfort and even lead to health risks. Dogs who like to swim are more prone to getting mats because the moisture causes their hair to curl and it dries wrapped around itself.

Dogs also get matting tangles and knots from a lack of being regularly groomed. A severely matted dog is not a happy dog. The extra fur needs to be adequately extracted via a brush or else matting will occur. Mats often occur in areas of friction such as under the collar behind the ears in the armpits or on the lower legs where the legs rub together or where the dog comes into contact with grass.

If the dog has long fur the owner may notice an area of matted hair that appears to irritate the pet causing excessive grooming at the site. My dog was licking her paw all the time. Under the collar behind the ears in the armpits or on the lower legs are the most common areas. Needles to say this biting can discolor the hair and cause skin infections.

Matting often occurs in areas of friction. This condition in turn causes pain similar to someone pulling your hair. Mats can also result from dogs scratching themselves and getting. When the dog sheds the dead shedding fur can become tangled in the live coat.

Mats are more prevalent in long haired dogs and cats especially during shedding season. Earlier this month the dodo told the story of a amaze bobb a dog with an extreme case of matted hair. Matting is dense or tangled clumps of hair in a pet s coat. I got my dogs first aid kit out and found the blunt nosed scissors.

Pet hair that is severely tangled and becomes matted pulls tightly against your pet s skin. After close inspection i saw a tangled mass of matted hair that was hard and was bothering her. What causes matted hair in dogs. Matted hair in the paw can cause foot problems.

What causes matted hair in dogs.