well hello again!!!

[bellemarie]

i can't believe how long it has been since i was last on here... missed it soo much! (though i imagine Very few people will remember me! lol)

but i have a wee question regarding grooming and skin care...

long story short- my mum had noticed an elderly man walking his wee yorkie over the past while and noticed last week (when she got to see the dog up close) that he is extremely matted. as in he is a huge matt. so she came and got me, and we drove around (yup, like stalkers) to find them again, and ended up getting to chat to him.
anyway, seems a few years back the poor boy got cut up badly by a grromer, so became Very fearful. so he wasn't getting groomed often enough to keep him matt free (owner is uite old and arthritic hands). about a year ago the dog snapped at a groomer and was sent home unfinished. he tried taking him to another but told them that he had snapped, and the next groomers refused to take him. as did the next. it got to the stage that he became afraid to take him to the groomer, and has been clipping as much as he can himself with the scissors. trouble is he hasn't been freeing up the skin.
so i have offered to attempt the dematt myself, and if it fails try and get a bit of discount at the vets im training at- my first sedated de-matt or something (hoping it doesn't come to that of course)! but i need to get this wee man sorted.


now i know this sounds bad- it Looks worse. had the man refused my help then he would have been reported, but he is more than relieved at the thought of getting his dog 'fixed up', so i'll be doing it on tuesday- and talking to the vet when i see her next if it doesn't work...

i know the skin will be in a bad way, but assuming the dog has been kept as clean as possible (given the hair) will sudocream/ nappy rash cream be enough to soothe the skin until he gets to a vet (if not needed urgently)? or any other ideas of something to offer relief?

i'm training as a vet nurse atm, have been grooming my own yorkies for 8 years now as well as doing family dogs, have assisted with shave-offs in the vets, spent a few months at a groomers as an assistant, and have a friend coming to help who was a grooming assistant for over 2 years, so don't worry, i do have a bit of an idea what i'm getting in to- but Never dealt with something like this... if the dog was to come in to the vets i'll be the first to say i would probably report the owner, but why take him away from an owner he adores and who does love him to bits.... it's a tough one.

if anyone has any tips please, please let me know!



and to everyone who i haven't 'met' yet... hello!!!!!
also hi from kuki, poppet and kitty!!!

http://i1058.photobucket.com/albums/...pso8sdvtrn.jpg

[chickensmith]

I'm sorry I don't have any advice to offer....but you are so sweet for offering to do this for him! I hope to hear you are successful!!!

[yorkiemini]

You are wonderful to help,this man and his matted Yorkie
I am not familiar with either if the lotions you mentioned - may have different names here in the States, but it sounds like you have the correct idea.

Please let us know how it goes. That poor pup was traumatized by the groomer and you are correct that it may need to be sedated so it will not be so traumatic for it.

I do hope you will keep us posted!

[LunarBerry]

That was a sweet thing to do! I'm sure the fellow has been concerned and is surely glad someone was willing to take on his poor doggie.

[bellemarie]

thanks guys, but i imagine most if not all members here would do the same!

the cream i'm thinking of using would be medicated diaper rash cream if that makes more sense? the type you'd use on a babys bum to stop it getting red and sore... its sort of a gentle antiseptic cream containing zinc oxide... we'll probably end up needing one from the vet, but i can grab that on monday when i'm in next if it isn't urgent.

i'm just worrying about if he does need sedated the cost of it- i'll try n get something worked out for him, but if he has to say he needs a while to save for it i am genuinely worried he'll get reported... fingers crossed the ve4ts are feeling nice and with my input we can get him a payment plan sorted or something!!

[Jellybaby]

Hello, lovely to see you here again

How lovely that you're helping this little guy, I'm so glad you and your mother cared enough to offer help to these two gentlemen!

I can't offer any advice really with the grooming but I can offer a suggestion for his skin. Coconut oil is very soothing and nourishing for doggy skin, I apply it to Pebbles' skin whenever she is slightly itchy or sore. Plus it's ok for dogs to eat so you don't have to worry about him ingesting it. I would be worried about applying sudocrem to areas where he might be able to lick it off. The coconut oil should be raw and organic to provide the most benefit, it's available in health food shops. Good luck!

Your 3 are such cuties

[bellemarie]

Originally Posted by Jellybaby

Hello, lovely to see you here again

How lovely that you're helping this little guy, I'm so glad you and your mother cared enough to offer help to these two gentlemen!

I can't offer any advice really with the grooming but I can offer a suggestion for his skin. Coconut oil is very soothing and nourishing for doggy skin, I apply it to Pebbles' skin whenever she is slightly itchy or sore. Plus it's ok for dogs to eat so you don't have to worry about him ingesting it. I would be worried about applying sudocrem to areas where he might be able to lick it off. The coconut oil should be raw and organic to provide the most benefit, it's available in health food shops. Good luck!

Your 3 are such cuties

thanks!
i actually use coconut oil on my own girls- and kitty would do anything for a spoonful! but had though if his skin was inflamed and hot that oil would make him more uncomfortable?
i *think* the nappy creams are ok if ingested- my old vet used to tell me to use it on spay wounds etc if the prescribed cream ran out...
i may need to get one off the vets just to be safe! with any luck i'll be able to call up for some without a consult, but i'm not sure i'll get much more than the worst off his face while awake

[Buster Brown]

Thanks for looking out for this Yorkie and for having compassion for the elderly owner. I hope all works out for this Yorkie and you are able to dematt without any aggressive behavior. I hope the Vet's help you should any issues arise. Thanks again for making a difference!!!!

[Jellybaby]

Originally Posted by bellemarie

thanks!
i actually use coconut oil on my own girls- and kitty would do anything for a spoonful! but had though if his skin was inflamed and hot that oil would make him more uncomfortable?
i *think* the nappy creams are ok if ingested- my old vet used to tell me to use it on spay wounds etc if the prescribed cream ran out...
i may need to get one off the vets just to be safe! with any luck i'll be able to call up for some without a consult, but i'm not sure i'll get much more than the worst off his face while awake

That poor little baby, I bet he's going to feel so much better when that matted hair is gone...I really hope his skin isn't too bad.

I can't say with certainty that coconut oil is the best ointment for his skin, I've just noticed that it seems to reduce redness and inflammation along with itching. Hopefully the vet will be able to suggest a suitable cream if needed. Like your Kitty, Pebbles will do anything for a spoon of coconut oil, she just loves it!

I'm worried about the zinc oxide in sudocrem, I read that it's harmful to pets. I'll attach a link here so you can take a read.

Zinc: This Trace Mineral Could Be Fatal to Your Pet's Health

I hope all goes well for you and this little yorkie, it's really wonderful how you're helping him and his elderly owner out. Fingers and toes crossed here too that the vet is willing to sort out a payment plan with the owner and his little yorkie is soon comfortable again. Best wishes.

[bellemarie]

that's now the 2nd time he hasn't shown... rescheduled the last day, and just hasn't bothered to show up or even call today (i don't have his number, he only has mine)
not sure where to go from here tbh. :/
i mean, i bumped in to him a few days ago it it does seem like he has been cutting out more tatts, but iu'm not sure if he is getting them from the base or just off the top. something tells me he is embarrassed for me to see his dog up close in such a state, but how do i tell him that it needs done Now or it'll get soo much worse?! afaik the wee dogs getting on ini years as well, so the added stress, discomfort and weight of the coat can't be doing him any favors at all

might go round to his house later with my dad (turns out he knows him from years ago) and see what he says...


i've spoken to the vets- the dematt clip there is about £75... (sedationi is £40 then £20-30 for the actual clip, but if i offer to stay late some day and do it in my own time then hopefully it'll only be the cost of sedation- i get the feeling money will be too tight for him to just say 'yea go ahead!' if its £70-80...

i don't want to have to be rude and harsh, but i want to see this wee dog happy and able to run about- he doesn't seem to be able to atm, though is walked daily...
*sigh*

[intilis]

Bless you for trying to help this little guy. I'm guessing you may have more experience than I do, but I'll give my advice anyway. I've had many very matted fosters here, & here is what I did when I needed to work on them. I gave them rescue remedy about 20 minutes before attempting anything. On a few
occasions I had to use a muzzle. I cut the matts out gradually, so I didn't cause too much pain or cut the skin. I did this over several days to cause the least amount of stress. After I got most of the matts cut out, I was able to eventually use a clipper to shave the pups down.

The way I did it was very time consuming, but I wanted to avoid sedation If at all possible.


Good luck in helping this pup & his owner! Please let this us know how it goes.

[Harrysmum]

I just wanted to say welcome back, you lovely lady....and all the very best in your attempts to help this little one out

Hugs from us all over here! Sally + Harry x

[bellemarie]

Originally Posted by Harrysmum

I just wanted to say welcome back, you lovely lady....and all the very best in your attempts to help this little one out

Hugs from us all over here! Sally + Harry x

hey you!!! hope you and the wee man are keeping good!!!
is he still getting prettier by the day? (poppet says he must be!)




he still hasn't showed.
apparently he is going to call to arrange for this weekend- if not i'm gonna have to spell it out to him how serious it is. he is technically in breach of our animal welfare act.
but it's clear he loves the dog! i just really think he is embarrassed to let me see him up close!

[bellemarie]

Originally Posted by intilis

Bless you for trying to help this little guy. I'm guessing you may have more experience than I do, but I'll give my advice anyway. I've had many very matted fosters here, & here is what I did when I needed to work on them. I gave them rescue remedy about 20 minutes before attempting anything. On a few
occasions I had to use a muzzle. I cut the matts out gradually, so I didn't cause too much pain or cut the skin. I did this over several days to cause the least amount of stress. After I got most of the matts cut out, I was able to eventually use a clipper to shave the pups down.

The way I did it was very time consuming, but I wanted to avoid sedation If at all possible.


Good luck in helping this pup & his owner! Please let this us know how it goes.

oh, and had meant to say before... thanks very much! i'll certainly give this a go!!!!