# HUGE MAT...need help :(



## maddysmom (Mar 8, 2012)

Mika got spay Friday and she was doing exceptionally well until late last night. She started yelping out in pain, circling all night.
I tried to look at her incision which is when I noticed her whole side got matted down on this one side. It looks like whatever they used in surgery got in that area and matted her hair flat to her skin, ugh! 

They are pulling so tight that if she moves the tiniest bit she yelps out in a pain.

I don't know what to do  I didn't even think to groom her last night since she has been sleeping since Friday and can not play outside until she heals. 

Not one groomer is open today. I cut as much as I could off her side but the ones that are really bothering her I can not get without her attacking me. This is not like her. She usually is so sweet, so she must be in a lot pain from the pulling.
Is there anything I can do to help her?


----------



## wkomorow (Aug 26, 2011)

Do you have any cornstarch? Rub a little in and massage it a bit, it will loosen the mat, then work the mat out from the outside in. Use you fingers and then gently a comb. This is how I get mats out of Luck.


----------



## maddysmom (Mar 8, 2012)

She won't let me go near the area right now, ugh. I sprayed detangler from a distance but I have to be so careful not to get her incision wet. It's from behind her front leg to her rear leg about 3 inches wide.
Maybe if I take a puffer and puff the cornstarch into that area?


----------



## Sylie (Apr 4, 2011)

Are you positive that the mat is what is causing the pain? Under the circumstances, I would probably use a clipper #10 bade to just shave it off. Different people have a different definitions of what is a mat. To me it means hair that is so tightly bound that it is like felt. If you don't have a clipper, you can just run to a drug store and get one, even if it is intended for humans. Get the smallest one they have.


----------



## Sylie (Apr 4, 2011)

This probably happened because they didn't remove the loose hair when they shaved her belly for the surgery. Sometimes, mine get bad tangles after I trim them, if I don't get all the cut hair off their coats.


----------



## maddysmom (Mar 8, 2012)

Sylie said:


> Are you positive that the mat is what is causing the pain? Under the circumstances, I would probably use a clipper #10 bade to just shave it off. Different people have a different definitions of what is a mat. To me it means hair that is so tightly bound that it is like felt. If you don't have a clipper, you can just run to a drug store and get one, even if it is intended for humans. Get the smallest one they have.


Yes..it's one big piece of felt. She lets me touch the incision area, so it's not that. It's when I move my hand over to her side she starts to growl. 
I have clippers and they are super quiet. I was able to slice thru the top part of the matts which did loosen them a quite a bit but this one area is pulling so tight, as soon as she sees me going near that area, she starts growling and snapping at me.
Is that the only way to get rid of a mat...shaving? 
Right now she has one side shaved in chunks and the other side is long to the ground...I can't believe this.
Even if I could relieve the pull on it , I would be happy.


----------



## maddysmom (Mar 8, 2012)

Sylie said:


> This probably happened because they didn't remove the loose hair when they shaved her belly for the surgery. Sometimes, mine get bad tangles after I trim them, if I don't get all the cut hair off their coats.


Terrific..after asking them to go super careful on the area they shave for I.V, which they did...I got a worse problem. It looks like there is a sticky gel like product mixed in with the mat.


----------



## sherry (Jan 4, 2013)

Oh no! That's horrible! It does sound like shaving her is the only answer. So sorry!


----------



## Matilda's mommy (Jun 1, 2005)

Joanne if she won't let you get close you might need a couple people to hold her down while you shave her.


----------



## maddysmom (Mar 8, 2012)

Matilda's mommy said:


> Joanne if she won't let you get close you might need a couple people to hold her down while you shave her.


My neighbor just came to try hold her and she almost took her hand off.
Such a disaster! I'm going to have to wait and bring her to the vet tomorrow because at this point, her glaring teeth are scary me to death.
She's at a point where if I go close to her, she is snapping at me!


----------



## Sylie (Apr 4, 2011)

This is exactly the kind of situation I was talking about when I said that it is hard to be a good mommy. If she is in pain, you have to get that mat off. Can you get someone to help hold her down? She won't be traumatized, because once you get the job done, the pain will stop. Lately, Hope has gotten a glob of hair stuck between her permanent and retained lower canines. I notice that she is very uncomfortable. I wrestle her down on the sofa, on her back and hold her head still. As soon as I get the hair ball out, she jumps and prances for joy. Maybe have a really, really special treat when the operation is over....for yourself as well :wine:Lol...I thought that, just in case you didn't know how to hold Mika so that she couldn't move, I would hold Hope down, while I was waiting for Alan to get the camera, Hope dozed off.


----------



## maddysmom (Mar 8, 2012)

Sylie said:


> This is exactly the kind of situation I was talking about when I said that it is hard to be a good mommy. If she is in pain, you have to get that mat off. Can you get someone to help hold her down? She won't be traumatized, because once you get the job done, the pain will stop. Lately, Hope has gotten a glob of hair stuck between her permanent and retained lower canines. I notice that she is very uncomfortable. I wrestle her down on the sofa, on her back and hold her head still. As soon as I get the hair ball out, she jumps and prances for joy. Maybe have a really, really special treat when the operation is over....for yourself as well :wine:Lol...I thought that, just in case you didn't know how to hold Mika so that she couldn't move, I would hold Hope down, while I was waiting for Alan to get the camera, Hope dozed off.


Are you holding her shoulder and neck down? How can I wrestle her without hurting her stitches. 
As right now, if I go closer than a foot away, she's snapping at me, full on glaring teeth. What's the best way of getting close to her without her attacking me..should I throw a towel over her head?


----------



## Sylie (Apr 4, 2011)

I have my fingers on each side of her neck and my thumb pinning down her shoulder. If you throw a towel over her and grab her by the back of the neck...through the towel,then get your hand around the front of her neck holding her so that she can't bite. This is just terrible, she must be in terrible pain to snap and growl at you. She may not bite though. Did your vet give you pain meds for after spay? You might try giving her a pill n some smelly cheese or something. It may calm her down enough. I wish I could come over and help. Another idea is to wear gloves. This is all stuff I learned from having to take care of a big bird in an emergency situation.


----------



## michellerobison (Dec 17, 2009)

I'm so sorry.. 
Maybe if you can wrap a towel around her head and part of her body to get it..I actually have to muzzle Sassy to trim her nails.. If you can immobilize her with a towel she should be comfortable, as much as she can be and hopefully will keep her from straining and just get some scissors and trim it if you can't get close with clippers, getting the hairs closest to the belly

I know what you mean about the long hair ball in their teeth, mine get that once in a while.. long hair from the ears in their food.


----------



## Polly's mom (Apr 29, 2013)

Give her pain meds


----------



## maddysmom (Mar 8, 2012)

Sylie said:


> I have my fingers on each side of her neck and my thumb pinning down her shoulder. If you throw a towel over her and grab her by the back of the neck...through the towel,then get your hand around the front of her neck holding her so that she can't bite. This is just terrible, she must be in terrible pain to snap and growl at you. She may not bite though. Did your vet give you pain meds for after spay? You might try giving her a pill n some smelly cheese or something. It may calm her down enough. I wish I could come over and help. Another idea is to wear gloves. This is all stuff I learned from having to take care of a big bird in an emergency situation.


SYLVIA...THANK YOU...IT WORKED! My neighbor who rescued a Maltese years ago was extremely vicious and after four homes returning her she was the only one that could handle her Lilly.
We followed your picture and we did use a towel over her head to grab her and then she pinned her down so I could cut. She was starting to bleed in one spot from the mat pulling.
You probably can not see how tight the mats were by this picture but your description of felt was exactly what it was. I cut more than I should have from being so nervous 
Mika is sleeping right now. She will not let me go anywhere near her  and still growls at me. I'll have to work on her trusting me again. The most important thing is she looks so much more comfortable right now.

Thank you sooo much for helping me! 😘 I couldn't and wouldn't have done it without you showing me your picture...forever grateful :thumbsup:


----------



## maddysmom (Mar 8, 2012)

Polly's mom said:


> Give her pain meds


Even the pain meds weren't taken the edge off...thank God Sylvia showed me how to pin her down...I was able to cut them :aktion033:


----------



## Polly's mom (Apr 29, 2013)

Wonderful news! That is what the spoiled Maltese family is about


----------



## maddysmom (Mar 8, 2012)

michellerobison said:


> I'm so sorry..
> Maybe if you can wrap a towel around her head and part of her body to get it..I actually have to muzzle Sassy to trim her nails.. If you can immobilize her with a towel she should be comfortable, as much as she can be and hopefully will keep her from straining and just get some scissors and trim it if you can't get close with clippers, getting the hairs closest to the belly
> 
> I know what you mean about the long hair ball in their teeth, mine get that once in a while.. long hair from the ears in their food.


Thanks Michelle...the towel trick did work. Muzzles are too long for her flat face otherwise I would have used one and not been so nervous. She got so vicious...more so than my neighbors rescue ever did which tells me she was in a lot of pain.

On to the next problem...either Mika or one of my other girls just peed a tiny bit of blood on the pad. Looks like a vet visit is in order first thing tomorrow morning after all.


----------



## maddysmom (Mar 8, 2012)

Polly's mom said:


> Wonderful news! That is what the spoiled Maltese family is about


Your not kidding..it was the first place I came for an answer today and I'm very grateful I did!


----------



## maggie's mommy (Mar 12, 2006)

Whew! What an ordeal. So glad you were able to give her relief. She will probably be giving you kisses when she wakes up from her nap.


----------



## Matilda's mommy (Jun 1, 2005)

:w00t: now that was a serious matt. It makes me upset the vet didn't shave her further from the incision 

So glad your neighbor was close by to help Joanne 


Mika is exhausted and so are you, so glad everything turned out ok.

When you go to the vets I'd share your story, they really need to shave further.

I wish I could give you a big hug Joanne :wub:


----------



## Sylie (Apr 4, 2011)

I am so grateful that I was able to help you with precious Mika. I am blessed with the ability to see an emergency situation and know what to do. It is my gift. She will be fine soon, she was scared, but she will know that you were a good mommy who took care of her and made her all better. I am so happy. Mika will love you more than ever....tomorrow.


----------



## lydiatug (Feb 21, 2012)

How traumatic for her and for you! So glad Sylvia was able to help you give her some relief...she'll be ok, I promise. Just be like you normally are with her, don't hang on to the "feel bads" or it will transfer to her. You have to be confident and act like she can still trust you and nothing traumatic happened. Hugs!!!


----------



## maddysmom (Mar 8, 2012)

maggie's mommy said:


> Whew! What an ordeal. So glad you were able to give her relief. She will probably be giving you kisses when she wakes up from her nap.


Thank you Pat. I can not begin to tell you how relieved I am knowing Mika will be alright. Her crying out in pain was literally killing me. I really hope your right about the kisses...


----------



## maddysmom (Mar 8, 2012)

Matilda's mommy said:


> :w00t: now that was a serious matt. It makes me upset the vet didn't shave her further from the incision
> 
> So glad your neighbor was close by to help Joanne
> 
> ...


Paula dear..l could use one of your hugs right now.
My neighbor is great. The first neighbor ran fast when she tried to bite her. This second neighbor went through this with her rescue maltese so she was calm as can be... I am the nervous wreck and I'm the one with the scissors, lol.

To the vets defense, she did shave her belly pretty clean, maybe they laid her on her side because it wasn't on both. It felt gummy like something was in it and now she has huge holes left on the side of her once beautiful coat. That's for another day for me to tackle, right now I can sit and breathe.


----------



## wkomorow (Aug 26, 2011)

Glad you were able to get it clipped off. I don't think I have ever seen one that size.


----------



## maddysmom (Mar 8, 2012)

Sylie said:


> I am so grateful that I was able to help you with precious Mika. I am blessed with the ability to see an emergency situation and know what to do. It is my gift. She will be fine soon, she was scared, but she will know that you were a good mommy who took care of her and made her all better. I am so happy. Mika will love you more than ever....tomorrow.


 You know Sylvia..l used to be so good under pressure. Now that my daughter is on her own and I can relax in life, I dont handle emergencies like I used too. I used to be calm and focused...now Im a nervous nelly.

I hope by tomorrow she will forget this. As of right now, she still does not trust me. Your right...she was very scared. The glare in her eyes and the snapping is something I will not forget.
We love you Awntie Sylvia...we couldn't have done this without your pictures and direction. 
Give Hope a big kiss from Mika and I for being such a great model.


----------



## mdbflorida (Feb 28, 2013)

Joanne, I am just now seeing this. So glad you were able to take care of it and she will be okay.


----------



## maddysmom (Mar 8, 2012)

lydiatug said:


> How traumatic for her and for you! So glad Sylvia was able to help you give her some relief...she'll be ok, I promise. Just be like you normally are with her, don't hang on to the "feel bads" or it will transfer to her. You have to be confident and act like she can still trust you and nothing traumatic happened. Hugs!!!


I was thinking the same thing about her sensing my feelings. I'm not so much feeling bad as I am fear from her biting me. I'm petrified of dogs. So, when I reach down at her I'm actually scared to death :blush:


----------



## maddysmom (Mar 8, 2012)

wkomorow said:


> Glad you were able to get it clipped off. I don't think I have ever seen one that size.


Walter...it was the length of her side going up 3 inches. Now what to do with her hair~I refuse to cut it all off...it was so beautiful


----------



## maddysmom (Mar 8, 2012)

mdbflorida said:


> Joanne, I am just now seeing this. So glad you were able to take care of it and she will be okay.


Thanks Mags!


----------



## Sylie (Apr 4, 2011)

maddysmom said:


> You know Sylvia..l used to be so good under pressure. Now that my daughter is on her own and I can relax in life, I dont handle emergencies like I used too. I used to be calm and focused...now Im a nervous nelly.
> 
> I hope by tomorrow she will forget this. As of right now, she still does not trust me. Your right...she was very scared. The glare in her eyes and the snapping is something I will not forget.
> We love you Awntie Sylvia...we couldn't have done this without your pictures and direction.
> Give Hope a big kiss from Mika and I for being such a great model.


I am honored. It was so funny when I posed Hope for the picture and she fell asleep. It might sound unkind, but I believe that it is important to teach your puppy to submit, in case there is a time when their life can depend on it. Please keep us informed on her attitude in the coming days. Try to act like nothing bad happened. She is such an adorable little girl...I know she will have confidence in you from now on. You are a good mommy in the hard times.


----------



## Maglily (Feb 3, 2009)

Glad you were able to take care of that big mat, poor thing. I think she will be ok too, maybe have a few treats when she wakes up and handy in case she is a little uncertain and distract her with the treats. I'm not sure if that is the best idea or not but it may make her feel better.


----------



## sherry (Jan 4, 2013)

Oh my goodness! What an ordeal! I'm so glad Sylvia was here to save the day. Bless her little heart! You know she was terrified, as you were. Tomorrow will be a much better day. Blessings.


----------



## wkomorow (Aug 26, 2011)

maddysmom said:


> Walter...it was the length of her side going up 3 inches. Now what to do with her hair~I refuse to cut it all off...it was so beautiful


Hair grow back.


----------



## Sylie (Apr 4, 2011)

Joanne, it is over. It was a high stress day, but you came through. Puppies have a short memory, you need to understand that your little angel was just scared and in pain. You took care of her. I told you that I learned a lot from taking care of a big bird who could do serious damage, if she wanted to. I have a hard time trusting her now. But, please don't let this incident undermine your trust of Mika. She will be her same sweet self. She was just scared. You took care of her. You eased the pain. All will be well tomorrow. I promise.


----------



## Snowbody (Jan 3, 2009)

Just saw this. That was some mat. :w00t: Glad Sylvia came to the rescue. Mika will forget it all. Hope there's nothing major going on with that blood. Keep us posted. As for her hair -- it's just hair and it will grow back. After going through this a puppy cut might be in order just to make her feel better and give both of you a breather for a while. I will grow back.


----------



## michellerobison (Dec 17, 2009)

I'm so glad you got it.. She will forgive you.. she will realize you had to do it.. Lots of treats..
Sassy grows at me for the rest of the day when i have to trim her nails..We always have to use a muzzle.. she's the only one i have trouble with but she was abused before I got her..


----------



## maggieh (Dec 16, 2007)

I'm just now seeing this and so glad you were able to get that clipped off her. It looks like some of the mats we've shaved off rescues - that had to hurt! 

I hope this morning she greets you with kisses and that all is well!


----------



## edelweiss (Apr 23, 2010)

I am late too---my little god-child is having a bad day, eh? That was some mat! Hugs to both of you & hopefully all will be well tomorrow. Dwight bribes Kitzel with a cheerio before picking him up. It has done a world of good. Since Mika is a little piggy treats are probably the way to go!


----------



## Kathleen (Aug 4, 2011)

Joanne, I am so sorry that you and Mika went through this. The poor little girl had to have been in so much pain. I hope she is back to her usually sweet self today. :wub:


----------



## maddysmom (Mar 8, 2012)

Sylie said:


> Joanne, it is over. It was a high stress day, but you came through. Puppies have a short memory, you need to understand that your little angel was just scared and in pain. You took care of her. I told you that I learned a lot from taking care of a big bird who could do serious damage, if she wanted to. I have a hard time trusting her now. But, please don't let this incident undermine your trust of Mika. She will be her same sweet self. She was just scared. You took care of her. You eased the pain. All will be well tomorrow. I promise.


Sylvia...you made your promise..she is sweet as pie this morning. It wasn't immediate but within a short time I was able to brush her with lots of treats...thank you for walking me thru this :wub:
Btw....in regards to your bird that you care for...I probably would have suffocated it, not intentionally, hehe :innocent: seriously, I don't know how your not scared to death...that take a lot of guts!


----------



## maddysmom (Mar 8, 2012)

Maglily said:


> Glad you were able to take care of that big mat, poor thing. I think she will be ok too, maybe have a few treats when she wakes up and handy in case she is a little uncertain and distract her with the treats. I'm not sure if that is the best idea or not but it may make her feel better.


That's Brenda...I appreciate it. I gave her lots of treats this morning and I am happy to say she seems like her old sweet self.


----------



## maddysmom (Mar 8, 2012)

Snowbody said:


> Just saw this. That was some mat. :w00t: Glad Sylvia came to the rescue. Mika will forget it all. Hope there's nothing major going on with that blood. Keep us posted. As for her hair -- it's just hair and it will grow back. After going through this a puppy cut might be in order just to make her feel better and give both of you a breather for a while. I will grow back.


Thanks Sue! I'm very thankful that Sylvia posted pictures of sweet little Hope who was such the good little model. I had no idea on how to approach Mika in this state of mind. She was a vicious little one, pinned herself up against the wall, snapping at me with her teeth glaring and the haze over her eyes was something else. It was quite scary.

The bleeding was nothing. I brought her to the vet this morning. The vet seems to think she was coming into a false pregnancy with her nipples so large. Apparently, she had a uterus the size of a larger dog. Most small breed have one that's an inch long and Mikas was 4-5 inches long. Anyway, she checked her over real good and she's healing fine, nothing to worry about and no blood whatsoever nor staining of blood in her pee area.

I'm not worried about her hair. It was beautiful but she is either way. I'll leave it in a disconnected haircut for now. Besides...being in the business...I do believe hair is overrated. There is so much more to worry about than a bad haircut, IMHO.


----------



## maddysmom (Mar 8, 2012)

michellerobison said:


> I'm so glad you got it.. She will forgive you.. she will realize you had to do it.. Lots of treats..
> Sassy grows at me for the rest of the day when i have to trim her nails..We always have to use a muzzle.. she's the only one i have trouble with but she was abused before I got her..


Hey Michelle...I bookmarked this just this morning. I've needed a muzzle for Mika anyway for the poop eating but they are all too long for her muzzle...thought this was a cool idea.
https://www.outfoxfordogs.com/


----------



## Sylie (Apr 4, 2011)

I'm am so happy to hear that Mika is back to her same sweet self.:wub:


----------



## maddysmom (Mar 8, 2012)

edelweiss said:


> I am late too---my little god-child is having a bad day, eh? That was some mat! Hugs to both of you & hopefully all will be well tomorrow. Dwight bribes Kitzel with a cheerio before picking him up. It has done a world of good. Since Mika is a little piggy treats are probably the way to go!


Dear Sandi...your sweet god child was more like the devil child...poor little one. Even the best treats were not working. She was in a lot of pain from the mats pulling...what a mess!
All is good now...back to being the sweet little princess.


----------



## maddysmom (Mar 8, 2012)

Kathleen said:


> Joanne, I am so sorry that you and Mika went through this. The poor little girl had to have been in so much pain. I hope she is back to her usually sweet self today. :wub:


Thanks Kathleen! She's back to her sweet little self...even sweeter :wub:


----------



## maddysmom (Mar 8, 2012)

Sylie said:


> I'm am so happy to hear that Mika is back to her same sweet self.:wub:


Awe...thank you...me too :wub:


----------



## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

Roll gauze is great to make a tie-on muzzle.


----------



## maddysmom (Mar 8, 2012)

jmm said:


> Roll gauze is great to make a tie-on muzzle.


Ahh...good to know! Thanks for the tip :thumbsup:


----------



## Maria&Perla (Dec 4, 2015)

Hello everyone. I read carefully every post of yours as a new mummy. I appreciated every advice I took from here, so now I want to tell you something I've trying for almost 5 months and I am very satisfied. For combs and mats in my girl I use jonshons baby spray conditioner. (green bottle) It works great in her. http://www.johnsonsbaby.com/sites/j.../public/product-images/00381370040972_cf_.png
P.s sorry for my bad english.


----------



## Frini (Apr 13, 2014)

Γεια σου πατριωτακι!!!
I will try it, thank you Maria!I have tried many detanglers and i have to say that the best that worked for us is ice on ice and k9 competition detangler spray.


----------



## Finn (Feb 25, 2016)

I think the best advice for you is go to vet and groomer. That's very dangerous for you and Mika.


----------

