How best to unmat an angoras back legs?

[GBov]

Matilda - French Angora - stays remarkable mat free but I just noticed that the undersides of her back legs are matted and damp with pee.

Whats the best way to get those off?

I don't have a clipper but I do have scissors, a comb and a brush.

 

[MiniLopManiac]

For my Jersey Wooly and Fuzzy Lops I cut the mats halfway down and then brush it the rest of the way out so it doesn't leave the whole area bare. I assume u could do the same with an Angora

 

[MamaSheepdog]

No Angoras here, but I used to be a brusher/bather in a grooming shop. If you want to preserve as much hair as possible, I would suggest carefully sliding one blade of your scissors underneath the mat, and cutting the mat into smaller strips. You can often work the matted fur apart with your fingers. A product like Biosilk (for human hair) may also help you to separate the matted fur more easily.

When you are combing the mats out, try to hold the fur below it so you are not tugging on the skin too much.

Since she has urine on her, it might be a good idea to bathe the area. Mats generally tighten up when they get wet, so it is best done after you brush her out- but one option is to apply some conditioner to the mats to make brushing easier.

 

[Dood]

I recommend a dull steak knife and carefully saw them off. Start at an edge and work your way along the skin..

The hair is fine enough that you don't need too much edge to cut the hairs and there is less chance of snipping the skin.

 

[GBov]

I recommend a dull steak knife and carefully saw them off. Start at an edge and work your way along the skin..

The hair is fine enough that you don't need too much edge to cut the hairs and there is less chance of snipping the skin.

I never would have thought of that!

 

[LauraNJ]

With long haired dogs I did the same as MSD. Take scissors, dull edge towards skin and turn the blade so it is opposite skin and make a cut through the fur. It often times will split a mat so you can then brush and comb it out.

I used to glob on conditioner to help untangle once I thought I had the main mat area free. I did the same for a couple mats on my dd's angoras. Inside of legs in the back is the worst.

 

[GBov]

With long haired dogs I did the same as MSD. Take scissors, dull edge towards skin and turn the blade so it is opposite skin and make a cut through the fur. It often times will split a mat so you can then brush and comb it out.

I used to glob on conditioner to help untangle once I thought I had the main mat area free. I did the same for a couple mats on my dd's angoras. Inside of legs in the back is the worst.

Yep!

I am not too bothered with saving any of the fur their, its just going to tangle again.

 

[AnnClaire]

GBov,

I keep that area trimmed regularly to keep the issue from getting started on my English Angoras

 

[DogCatMom]

I've had long-haired dogs since 1998, cats since college, and have worked in two grooming shops and volunteered at two humane societies as a groomer. The owners of the shops had radically differing ideas on how to work with mats on cats/dogs, but perhaps this technique (modified only slightly from what the second owner had me use on cats) would work on rabbits' hocks/feet (I'm looking for that first "Spinner Friendly" bunny):

(1) Wedge the comb between the hock and the matt parallel to the hock so that the teeth of the comb are visible on both the near and far side of the matt. Use the scissors to cut the matt off, (the rabbit's skin will be protected from the scissors because the comb will prevent the blades from contacting his/her skin). Don't force the scissors closer to the rabbit; just cut off what the comb will permit you to.

(2) After the scissoring, remove the comb and use it perpendicularly to the normal angle (that is, use only the last one or two teeth) to separate whatever's left of the matt into smaller bits. If your fingernails are longer than mine, perhaps they'll be useful at this stage of the proceedings.

(3) After separating the matt into small bits, it may be worthwhile to clean the rabbit off with a washcloth or whatever you're comfortable using on that particular rabbit. Gently blow-dry the hocks--if the rabbit will permit--or towel-blot then -dry the hocks, following with a brush-out to make sure no proto-matts are left behind.