Getting reported for matted fur?

PWCorgi

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#1
I just got back from a friend's apartment and she has a little insertrandomsmalldogbreed-pooish dog with some pretty matted fur. It's bad under the armpits and down the legs, etc. She knows the dog needs to see a groomer, he jumps around like nothing but it can't be comfortable, but she said she's worried about getting reported for dog abuse because of the fur being so matted? I was just wondering if this is something she should be worried about?

I told her I'd pay for the dog to be groomed, but she's worried about taking him in. I thought maybe she could say she just found the dog or something, but most places want rabies and vaccine records from my experience.
 

Beanie

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#2
Even if she is reported, if she's addressing the problem I don't think she has much to worry about. What she needs to do is, if the dog mats a lot, either inspect the dog daily and learn to remove mats herself, or take the dog to regularly be groomed so it never becomes a serious issue.
IMO though it would have to be REALLY matted to be the kind of thing she'd get reported for...
 

Paige

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#3
She won't get reported if the dog is getting the problem sorted out. At least not here. The SPCA picks up our strays here and releases the dogs with severe matting to their owners to get groomed if they want them back. They then do a single follow up to make sure the dog is OK and that's it.
 

Saeleofu

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#4
I've seen some really matted dogs come in, and they don't get reported. Granted, any one dog is never matted every time, it's usually that the dog always looks good, and they let them go too long once, and they're fine again the next time they come in. Sure, we mention they need groomed, and 99% of the time the owner agrees, and tells us about something that happened that made them miss a groomer's appointment.

Taking the dog to a groomer to get the mats taken care of should not be reported. If she's really that worried about it, she can buy herself a set of clippers and do it herself, but honestly, the groomer isn't going to report a matted dog, because when the give the dog back, it's not going to be matted.

On that note, I have heard of a puli getting reported for mats, when really it had gorgeous cords LMFAO
 

Lolas Dad

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#5
I think the only time she should be concerned abut being reported is when the dog is matted so bad that they have to shave the entire dog down and the mat that came off the dog was like one big fur coat.

If she does not want to take the dog in to be groomed now it will eventually get the way I described above. After she gets the dog from the groomer she can prevent mats from coming back by a daily combing.

With Lola I find it embarrassing to have her with even the slightest mat on her ear hair so she gets combed about every other day.
 

vanillasugar

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#6
Where I work we've only ever reported a dog once. The dog was more matted than any dog we'd ever seen, and there was feces and other things in the mats. Under the mats there were festering and oozing wounds on the skin. Then on top of that, the dog had serious health issues that weren't being treated or even acknowledged. Her ears were also the worst any of us had ever seen, her teeth were rotting out of her mouth, she had 5-6 very large mammary lumps.

We took pictures, documented everything, and the HS pretty much said that since the dog had been brought in to be groomed there was nothing they could do.

Dogs get matted. Groomers understand that. It's when there are other serious issues involved that it comes into question. And I can tell you that there are a LOT of people out there who don't give a hoot if their dog gets matted. They get the dog groomed every three months and don't touch a brush in between. The dog comes in, gets shaved to the skin, and repeat.
 

dogsarebetter

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#7
we have reported a dog before. it was so matted that it had raw oozing skin under the mats because the skin couldnt get air. this dog had maggots, and mats were over the eyes, and one of the eyes was horribly infected because of that. the whole back end of the dog was covered in poop because its butt hole was matted where he had to poop AND pee into mats.
the police did do something, although the dog was at the groomers. it turned into a neglect case because of the dogs skin/maggots/eye infection
 

PWCorgi

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#8
Thanks for the responses guys.

Like I said, the mats are pretty bad, but nothing like some that were mentioned above. This dog's mats are the armpits and down the legs/feet (probably behind the ears but I didn't check), but the rest of him didn't seem really matted and it didn't seem to inhibit him in any way (he was still a royal butthead, lol). He will have to be shaved to the fur, but hopefully she'll keep up after this. She takes the dog to college with her out of state, so I'm guessing she probably forgot or just got busy?

Anywho, thanks again!
 

FoxyWench

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#9
tell her not to worry about being reported.
even if she ddi have a report filed on her all aspca will do is look to see if the problem has been remidied...
since the report woudl be filed by the groomer she took him to, then yes, the problem has been remidied...
if theres any skin sores she might have to provide a proof hes seen the vet too, but im talking like bad sores and wounds under those mats which it doesnt sound like hes That bad.

around here they will generally check up again after about 6 months to make sure the dog hasnt slipped back into that condition too....

the longer she leaves it though, obviously, the higher the risk of it getting worse.
 

smkie

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#10
SHe should however be concerned about how painful those mats are. That skin can be corckscrewed up into the mat where it dies which results in sores. And that is just one thing that can go wrong. I hope you can get your friend to get her dog cleaned up. EVen if it is taking them off a few at a time with a pair of scissors. I have done for more cats and dogs than I can count and they are all grateful they are free from the pain of them.
 

smkie

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#12
Exactly. I am sorry i am such a beast about this. WHo cares if the chance of it is to be reported. THe fact is the dog is matted. Ok, it's not that bad yet. So get it done. I use a very sharp pair of fine detail scissors. I take my time sometimes days with a relaxed animal and some treats. Use kind words, gentle hands. Know to let the animal go and not force an ounce of this. They get tired too and need breaks. Starting an easy one so the dog doesn't get scared. ONce they know what is going on they are so glad to have it gone. i have never had one not go still in my hands and let me finish. THat poor cat anus was so scared it winked as I clipped the matted dung away. Also I always bathe first to help get some space between the mat and the skin. Cat that did not know me at all, didn't move a muscle. IT's much easier if the animal does know you. Just get it done and everyone will be happy.
 
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#13
get her groomed, then buy her a comb and tell her to take care of her dog next time

oh, and you have to be careful doing it yourself, lots of people don't realize the skin can grow into the mat and they end up cutting the animal rather than the hair. Like someone said, make sure there is space between the hair and the skin before you cut.
 

ACooper

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#14
oh, and you have to be careful doing it yourself, lots of people don't realize the skin can grow into the mat and they end up cutting the animal rather than the hair. Like someone said, make sure there is space between the hair and the skin before you cut.
^THAT!

I've seen rescue shows (animal cops, etc) where dogs were brought in with mats and PROFESSIONAL groomers had trouble shaving them without leaving little nicks and cuts.

If she's never used clippers on a dog before, I would NOT recommend her start learning on a matted dog :eek:

(no, not a groomer here trying to make it out like brain surgery.........just using common sense LOL)
 

Doberluv

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#15
That is so true....with scissors, you have to be soooooo careful. I had a Himilayan cat once that would get a few mats and they were awful. Even my clippers I used on my horse wouldn't work. I took that cat to the groomers several times. I haven't had any long haired dogs or cats since and I don't know if I'd want to mess with that. Anyhow, she should take the dog to the groomers and watch very carefully how it's done, then get herself some adequate clippers and do it herself next time and in the meantime be very disciplined about going through the fur and brushing ever day. It is so much easier to keep on top of it than to let it build up. And it's amazing how fast those mats can form. That's why so far, I've been sticking to short haired dogs. Well, that's not the whole reason why. I just happen to like breeds that happen to have short hair....except for Poodles, which I am thinking about all the time for my next dog, if I get a next dog. LOL.

At any rate, I hope she gets this dog taken care of asap. I know it can be miserable for them. She shouldn't worry about being reported if they're not extreme and she's taking care of it.
 

Saintgirl

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#16
get her groomed, then buy her a comb and tell her to take care of her dog next time

oh, and you have to be careful doing it yourself, lots of people don't realize the skin can grow into the mat and they end up cutting the animal rather than the hair. Like someone said, make sure there is space between the hair and the skin before you cut.
THIS!!!

The worst time for a person to learn to groom their dog is when they have a dog covered in matts. No it is not brain surgery, but it does require an experienced hand. The matted fur pulls the skin taunt or even into the matting depending on the severity making the skin very easy to cut or nick. Also, most home job clippers do not have the power to easily cut through the compromised fur making it pull even more. On top of all of this you now will have a dog that may become stressed during grooming making it a much bigger ordeal than it should be for the dog. It isn't the dogs fault that the owner allowed the coat to get into this condition so the dog shouldn't be the one to suffer.

Please tell your friend to swallow her pride and get her dog groomed. As a groomer we see all kinds, and matting in the pits and legs is not a new story to us. But it is uncomfortable for the dog, I compare it to wearing a pony tail that has a piece of hair pulling. Tell your friend to ask for tips from her groomer on how to keep the coat in matt free condition, a recommended style that will make maintenance easier, etc. I offer free sanitary cleanings and facetrims between grooms and know many other groomers in my area do the same, this gives me a chance to check the condition of the coat and offer any advise I can to the owners or rebook a little earier than anticipated if we should.
 

xpaeanx

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#17
Get the dog groomed, dont' worry about being reported.

you're addressing the problem, so there's not much anyone can do about it. And If you wait the matts will just get worse
 

PWCorgi

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#18
I talked to her earlier and told her what you guys said. I got a text a while ago that said she has an appointment for the 8th. So the dog is getting groomed.

I think it's better that she wait and have it groomed than try it herself and possibly hurt the dog. It's a small dog and not exactly the most pleasant creature so I doubt it's just going to lay there and let her work out the mats.

Thanks again!
 
T

tessa_s212

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#19
I had a friend that would let the dog get VERY VERY VERY horribly matted.. to the point where it could probably be taken away it was that bad. (The dog HAD to be sedated for grooming, and the owner just could not afford that amount of money every so often.) The groomer worked with it enough now taht it doesn't need to be sedated, so the bill isn't that large, so now it finally gets groomed regularly.

Honestly, most groomers/vet places are just not going to be report happy. So long as you took it to the groomer, there isn't anything they can really do to you. As someone that works for a vet, we've seen FAR worse neglect than just mats, and we haven't/can't report because they finally took them to teh vet, so it won't hold up in court.
 

Amanda885

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#20
aw, poor doggie. I doubt she would get reported, but i dont know for a fact. She is fixing the problem, but she should make sure it doesnt happen again and she takes care of its hair better. I hope that everything will work out just fine.

could she just shave the dog herself? or would she just be more comfortable taking it to a groomer? good luck!
 

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