My pet “Lucky” is a Shih Tzu pure breed. She often had her hair all tangled up on her body in to big hairballs stucked in her lil body, is there a way to untangle these hairs?
Sonny
Angono, Philippines
Ungroomed dog and cat hair can suffer from tangled areas. The tangles can consolidate into mats that cover significant portions of the body. Long-haired individuals are particularly prone to mats. Mats are especially common behind the ears and on the chest.
Mats are painful. The tangled areas pull on the skin in an uncomfortable way.
The best way to deal with mats is to prevent them. Fortunately, most mats can be prevented with regular brushing. Some animals may require daily brushing in order to keep the mats at bay.
Very small mats sometimes can be combed out. However, mats of any significant size are best removed rather than combed (combing large mats is unjustifiably painful for the pet). I do not recommend the use of scissors to remove mats because it is far to easy to accidentally cut through skin rather than hair. Instead, the mats should be clipped out. Veterinarians and groomers can perform this task, or you can buy clippers from a pet store. Improperly used clippers can burn irritate the skin, so make sure you know how to use them before you apply them to your pet.
