# Severe matting after vacation--help!!



## cleooscar (May 28, 2008)

We just got back from vacation. Our 3 furbabies were staying with my sis-in-law. We asked her to brush the fluffs at least every other day (we paid her to dog sit at a market rate). Both Raine and Pasha's hair was not too bad with only a few minor mats. Napoleon, however, has severe mat all around his neck--about 2-3 inches wide band around the neck and a bit near his cheeks. She had left the collar on all day. I spent the past 2 evenings gently combing it but only got about 40% of it out. Napoleon was starting to undergo a coat change just before I left. His hair is pretty sturdy but the part that I'm having a tough time with is at the top of his neck and it's matted/tangled so badly.

I'm so tempted to cut it off but then he'll have a huge 2-3 inches bald spot right behind his head. I've used NS detangler, JP detangler and lightly diluted coat handler on it. Is there any suggestions? I'm so afraid of facing the last chunk of mat tonight. I haven't tried sawing it off with a scissor blade as I've read someone'd done that in the past as I didn't want to leave his hair in bald patches.

Help please!!


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## EmmasMommy (Jun 2, 2008)

Try "Cowboy Magic" Its what is used on manes and tails of horses.......and although I would reserve it for tough cases only be cause it has silicone in it........... it works everytime.. It comes in a gel tube, a liquid & a spray and I buy it at TSC -Tractor Supply- in the Equine section.


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## notori (Mar 21, 2005)

QUOTE (cleooscar @ Nov 3 2009, 02:28 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=846875


> We just got back from vacation. Our 3 furbabies were staying with my sis-in-law. We asked her to brush the fluffs at least every other day (we paid her to dog sit at a market rate). Both Raine and Pasha's hair was not too bad with only a few minor mats. Napoleon, however, has severe mat all around his neck--about 2-3 inches wide band around the neck and a bit near his cheeks. She had left the collar on all day. I spent the past 2 evenings gently combing it but only got about 40% of it out. Napoleon was starting to undergo a coat change just before I left. His hair is pretty sturdy but the part that I'm having a tough time with is at the top of his neck and it's matted/tangled so badly.
> 
> I'm so tempted to cut it off but then he'll have a huge 2-3 inches bald spot right behind his head. I've used NS detangler, JP detangler and lightly diluted coat handler on it. Is there any suggestions? I'm so afraid of facing the last chunk of mat tonight. I haven't tried sawing it off with a scissor blade as I've read someone'd done that in the past as I didn't want to leave his hair in bald patches.
> 
> Help please!![/B]


Cowboy Magic is your best bet, I used it for the last ten years and it does the job.
Char
Notori~Maltese


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## 08chrissy08 (Sep 19, 2008)

I was recently very sick and wasn't able to brush my two every day. Pixie came through ok, I was able to brush her out. Jazz however I just finally had shaved down. He was such a mess and was so miserable being dematted.

For Pixie I went and got cowboy magic. made a huge difference.


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## cleooscar (May 28, 2008)

I can't seem to find Cowboy Magic at any store here so I'll order online which should arrive by Friday/Saturday. Is there something else I can put on it in the meantime? I don't want it to get worse and will continue to comb it out bit by bit. I have some Fur Butter, perhaps I can try that? He'll only allow me to comb him an hour or so at a time.


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## Kutsmail1 (Dec 26, 2007)

I might have an idea for you. I had surgery two weeks ago leaving me without my dominant hand and arm for a while. The person assigned to brushing Zippy out failed to understand about layering to brush her out...mats mats mats. Her midline among other areas was a nightmare. I tried cowboy magic detangler and shine as well as the finishing spray. It works, but this was really severe. After spending a year growing her coat back out, I really wanted to save it.

I had some Paul Mitchell leave in conditioner for me. I diluted it to where it could be sprayed, but it should still look very blue. It will be a little slimy, but it worked so much faster. I had spent 2 days already, but this made it go faster. I would brush Zippy for a short time because this is a lot on them too which is why it took that long. Once you get the tangles all out, a good bath needs to be given. Then the appropriate conditioner.

Paul Mitchell might be more readily available if you cant get the cowboy magic without ordering it. Just remember it is a different pH, so once you are done, wash it out.

good luck to you


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## cleooscar (May 28, 2008)

QUOTE (Kutsmail1 @ Nov 4 2009, 01:19 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=847146


> I might have an idea for you. I had surgery two weeks ago leaving me without my dominant hand and arm for a while. The person assigned to brushing Zippy out failed to understand about layering to brush her out...mats mats mats. Her midline among other areas was a nightmare. I tried cowboy magic detangler and shine as well as the finishing spray. It works, but this was really severe. After spending a year growing her coat back out, I really wanted to save it.
> 
> I had some Paul Mitchell leave in conditioner for me. I diluted it to where it could be sprayed, but it should still look very blue. It will be a little slimy, but it worked so much faster. I had spent 2 days already, but this made it go faster. I would brush Zippy for a short time because this is a lot on them too which is why it took that long. Once you get the tangles all out, a good bath needs to be given. Then the appropriate conditioner.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the suggestion. I'll give that a try. Last night I put some Fur Butter directly on the mat but it didn't help much. I found the diluted Coat Handler in a spray bottle worked somewhat but I think I need to add more conditioner (it's probably too diluted right now). I managed to get a bit more mats out last night but Napoleon was getting antsy and wouldn't sit still for more than 10-15 minutes at a time. I think these daily de-matting sessions are wearing on him. I gave him a bully stick to distract him but he got bored after a while. I did use scissors to slice off the big piece of mat into a couple of chunks and that helped a little. My big challenge now is that there are only 2 major clumps of mats left but they're pretty knotted--the worse ones of the lot. I'd like to save his hair if I can but these last 2 look pretty formidable. :w00t: 

Wish me luck!


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## Kutsmail1 (Dec 26, 2007)

QUOTE (cleooscar @ Nov 4 2009, 09:00 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=847217


> QUOTE (Kutsmail1 @ Nov 4 2009, 01:19 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=847146





> I might have an idea for you. I had surgery two weeks ago leaving me without my dominant hand and arm for a while. The person assigned to brushing Zippy out failed to understand about layering to brush her out...mats mats mats. Her midline among other areas was a nightmare. I tried cowboy magic detangler and shine as well as the finishing spray. It works, but this was really severe. After spending a year growing her coat back out, I really wanted to save it.
> 
> I had some Paul Mitchell leave in conditioner for me. I diluted it to where it could be sprayed, but it should still look very blue. It will be a little slimy, but it worked so much faster. I had spent 2 days already, but this made it go faster. I would brush Zippy for a short time because this is a lot on them too which is why it took that long. Once you get the tangles all out, a good bath needs to be given. Then the appropriate conditioner.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the suggestion. I'll give that a try. Last night I put some Fur Butter directly on the mat but it didn't help much. I found the diluted Coat Handler in a spray bottle worked somewhat but I think I need to add more conditioner (it's probably too diluted right now). I managed to get a bit more mats out last night but Napoleon was getting antsy and wouldn't sit still for more than 10-15 minutes at a time. I think these daily de-matting sessions are wearing on him. I gave him a bully stick to distract him but he got bored after a while. I did use scissors to slice off the big piece of mat into a couple of chunks and that helped a little. My big challenge now is that there are only 2 major clumps of mats left but they're pretty knotted--the worse ones of the lot. I'd like to save his hair if I can but these last 2 look pretty formidable. :w00t: 

Wish me luck!
[/B][/QUOTE]


I understand. there were times I felt like giving up. I started using a timer for both our sakes. We worked in 15 min increments, then took breaks. hope it is coming along for boyh of you.


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## cleooscar (May 28, 2008)

I'm so happy to report that after 10 hours of dematting, Houston, we have lift off!! :chili: Napoleon, bless his little heart, was such a trooper. He was getting less patient each day but we were all done by last Thursday. In the last 2 days we had these 2 huge and severely tangled mats at the back of his neck. I ended up using scissors to split the knots in half and then used my hand to slowly tease out the edges and then combed it out as much as I can. I then give him a 1/2 hour break then started again. The last day, I was down to the last stubborn chunk, I halved it again then repeated the hand teasing/combing. Then splitted 1 final time and repeated the process. There were a couple little chunks that I ended up cutting off but it blended in so nicely that he didn't have any ball spots. 

I gave him a nice bath and took some new pics that I'll post later. He didn't look that much worse for wear. And, I think he loved getting so much treats while being dematted.  

Thanks to all of you for your suggestions and encouragements. I asked my sis-in-law not to leave the collar on again next time--she really didn't know and I didn't specify on my instruction sheet. Oh well.


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## almitra (Apr 24, 2009)

Yay! Success at last!!!!
Congratulations...and I bet you're glad THAT'S over with for now, huh?


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## bailey02 (May 1, 2009)

Did you use the cowboy majic?


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## cleooscar (May 28, 2008)

QUOTE (bailey02 @ Nov 11 2009, 10:36 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=849943


> Did you use the cowboy majic?[/B]


No, I couldn't get any nearby and ordering online was going to take too long and I didn't want to wait for fear that the mat would get worse. So I did what Kutsmail1 suggested and made my conditioning spray solution a lot thicker (NS Remoisturizer). I'd spray it on and work it in with my fingers then comb. Between the conditioning spray, the combing, the splitting with scissors and also by hand, it somehow worked. Yes, I'm so relieved it's over!! :biggrin: 

I still plan to get the Cowboy Magic for just in case (and will bring it to my sis-in-law if we ask her to dogsit again). The lady at our pet food store said that a horse supply store nearby may carry it so I'll have to check that out.


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## nekkidfish (Aug 25, 2009)

I Googled Cowboy Magic, and see that they have a number of products. Can you guys tell me which product you use for mats?

Thanks bunches! Jules


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## cleooscar (May 28, 2008)

Here's a thread on Cowboy Magic http://spoiledmaltese.com/forum/index.php?...hl=cowboy+magic

The one I'm looking for is the Detangler & Shine.


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## nekkidfish (Aug 25, 2009)

QUOTE (cleooscar @ Nov 11 2009, 01:39 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=850055


> Here's a thread on Cowboy Magic http://spoiledmaltese.com/forum/index.php?...hl=cowboy+magic
> 
> The one I'm looking for is the Detangler & Shine.[/B]


Wonderful!! I did do a search and found that the feed store that I go to carries their product, but I'm not sure which one. Hopefully if they don't currently sell the detangler, I can get them to order it.


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## cleooscar (May 28, 2008)

QUOTE (NekkidFish @ Nov 11 2009, 07:07 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=850097


> QUOTE (cleooscar @ Nov 11 2009, 01:39 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=850055





> Here's a thread on Cowboy Magic http://spoiledmaltese.com/forum/index.php?...hl=cowboy+magic
> 
> The one I'm looking for is the Detangler & Shine.[/B]


Wonderful!! I did do a search and found that the feed store that I go to carries their product, but I'm not sure which one. Hopefully if they don't currently sell the detangler, I can get them to order it.
[/B][/QUOTE]

Yesterday I was at the Royal Winter Fair here in Toronto (a very fancy fair, quite nice with many stores). They have a section dedicated to horses and there's this store Greenhawk which apparently is a huge equestrian supply chain. Sure enough they have Cowboy Magic too. The price wasn't cheap but then if I order it online and add shipping it'd be comparable. So I bought a tube of the Detangler & Shine. I hope it's the right gel kind that everybody talked about as I haven't even opened it yet. Wish I had gotten this last week, it'd probably save a lot of time and efforts.


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## Snowbody (Jan 3, 2009)

QUOTE (cleooscar @ Nov 10 2009, 03:28 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=849646


> I'm so happy to report that after 10 hours of dematting, Houston, we have lift off!! :chili: Napoleon, bless his little heart, was such a trooper. He was getting less patient each day but we were all done by last Thursday. In the last 2 days we had these 2 huge and severely tangled mats at the back of his neck. I ended up using scissors to split the knots in half and then used my hand to slowly tease out the edges and then combed it out as much as I can. I then give him a 1/2 hour break then started again. The last day, I was down to the last stubborn chunk, I halved it again then repeated the hand teasing/combing. Then splitted 1 final time and repeated the process. There were a couple little chunks that I ended up cutting off but it blended in so nicely that he didn't have any ball spots.
> 
> I gave him a nice bath and took some new pics that I'll post later. He didn't look that much worse for wear. And, I think he loved getting so much treats while being dematted.
> 
> Thanks to all of you for your suggestions and encouragements. I asked my sis-in-law not to leave the collar on again next time--she really didn't know and I didn't specify on my instruction sheet. Oh well.[/B]


When you said that you used a scissors to spilt the knots in half i thought I'd pass this on. Went to a groomer the other day and she passed on a tip she learned. She said that when the mats are really bad and you keep working them out, you can use a letter opener. The kind that are kind of rectangular and have a pointy tip end that when you slip in the envelop it pushes it towards a razor. It really worked great for me. You kind of finesse it into smaller knots and gently pull it through and it splits the knots. It made things a lot easier and the pointy part easily goes in. Hard to describe here but I'm sure you've seen them. They're very often given away free by companies but cheap on the internet.


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## cleooscar (May 28, 2008)

QUOTE (Snowbody @ Nov 19 2009, 10:43 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=853143


> When you said that you used a scissors to spilt the knots in half i thought I'd pass this on. Went to a groomer the other day and she passed on a tip she learned. She said that when the mats are really bad and you keep working them out, you can use a letter opener. The kind that are kind of rectangular and have a pointy tip end that when you slip in the envelop it pushes it towards a razor. It really worked great for me. You kind of finesse it into smaller knots and gently pull it through and it splits the knots. It made things a lot easier and the pointy part easily goes in. Hard to describe here but I'm sure you've seen them. They're very often given away free by companies but cheap on the internet.[/B]


I'll have to look for that. I was having a hard time wedging the scissor tip into the tangled mats and the comb tooth was too weak to split the mat up. Raine's breeder showed me a comb that has a thin blade she got from a dog show. I don't know if I have a steady enough hand to use something like that and I don't even know where to get one (I wonder if it will chop things up too much). Hopefully, he doesn't get super matted again so I won't need it.


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## squeak (Nov 26, 2009)

A seam ripper is great for breaking mats apart. 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000SKZPX...WT0FQNZZVSRSK1C
They are inexpensive and you have great control. I've used them for years when I had four long haired cats.


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## silverhaven (Sep 6, 2009)

QUOTE (cleooscar @ Nov 13 2009, 02:30 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=850849


> Yesterday I was at the Royal Winter Fair here in Toronto (a very fancy fair, quite nice with many stores). They have a section dedicated to horses and there's this store Greenhawk which apparently is a huge equestrian supply chain. Sure enough they have Cowboy Magic too. The price wasn't cheap but then if I order it online and add shipping it'd be comparable. So I bought a tube of the Detangler & Shine. I hope it's the right gel kind that everybody talked about as I haven't even opened it yet. Wish I had gotten this last week, it'd probably save a lot of time and efforts. [/B]


Oh, nice to hear about Greenhawk, thanks  I have one in Ottawa close to me too. I can pick some up for future ref.


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## cleooscar (May 28, 2008)

QUOTE (squeak @ Dec 3 2009, 07:46 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=857994


> A seam ripper is great for breaking mats apart.
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000SKZPX...WT0FQNZZVSRSK1C
> They are inexpensive and you have great control. I've used them for years when I had four long haired cats.[/B]



What a great idea? I have one at home already--never even occured to me to use it. I'll try that next time, although hopefully, there's no next time. :biggrin:


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## thach8 (Nov 28, 2007)

QUOTE (squeak @ Dec 3 2009, 07:46 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=857994


> A seam ripper is great for breaking mats apart.
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000SKZPX...WT0FQNZZVSRSK1C
> They are inexpensive and you have great control. I've used them for years when I had four long haired cats.[/B]


What a great idea!
I will be using that in the future for Diamond's difficult underarm mats.

Thanks for the tip Cleooscar about Greenhawk. I may need to invest in some Cowboy magic too (seems like something useful to have on hand).


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