Need Help Now...itching, Matting Long Coats - YorkieTalk.com Forums

TeddyandTiffy · 08-05-2008, 07:55 AM

Ladies I've copied this from a post I made as I've gotten no help YET I say YET there on my post and YES I'm desperate...I'm sorry this thread will be so long but I want each of you to know what I've done so maybe I can figure this all out.

Below is what I posted...I've emailed the Vellus Company to see what is in their products to see if I can figure out what is causing my Yorkies to do this. ALL 5 Are doing this.

This all started with Galahads' head being so dry (Still don't know what is causing this in him but it isn't as dry now.) Then I started using the straight nutrogena light sesame formula and that worked like a dream, as I had them all 5 in this and was bathing a yorkie every day of the week...Reoiling...NO WRAPS...Then the Month passed and I needed to use a clarifying shampoo so I bought the Vellus line of: Clarifying Shampoo, Show Shampoo, Show Conditioner, Satin Cream, Static Stabilizer, did as the bottles requested even bought their measuring bottles 5 of them. Then Sage and Sofie started itching and scratching I kept using the Durrstede on them all 5...

So Now this is where we are TODAY...MATTED something bad...Now I'm going batty ladies...These babies are in bad bad shape...Teddy is itching and biting and now has sores I just found 2 on Galahads under his neck.

This is in reply to the Olive Oil from me:

8/4/08
Does it cause them to mat or itch when you take them out of the olive oil??? Mine are getting mats so bad now since they are not in oil and I've used Vellus Clarifying shampoo on 1 today to try to make sure I have all the oil out...

I can't figure out what the heck is causing them to itch...I did the flea thing that was told to do on here at YT to get the fleas out...NONE of them had a flea one...instead of using the Dawn (I was afraid to use it due to them already scratching so much) I used the 1/2 petsilk shampoo and 1/2 water and not using much water on their body when the shampoo is 1st applied to try to see if they had fleas (To see if that "Fleas" was what was causing them to scratch) & after doing that it caused them to mat even more & itch even more...

I used the durrstede shampoo and cond. on them right after the petsilk and made sure I rinsed them good...So now yesterday and today I've been dematting and using the vellus clairifying shampoo, show shampoo, conditioner and cream on them to see if I can't stop the matting and itching...I don't know if it was the vellus products for sure that caused them to itch or not before so I thought I would try it again..It's driving me batty though as now Teddy is getting sores from digging and I can't find out what is causing it all...

I have to wonder if maybe mosquitoes hasn't got into our house and bit them....I do have them on interceptor but still if they have then I know how the itching drives me batty, if that is the case then I know it's driving them batty...I try to keep anyone from coming in our out of our Yorkie room but sometimes hubby and girls do it anyways...We did flood here a few months ago and they are so bad at dusk that you can't hardly sit out side and the Family Off Spray doesn't help us any at all...So we try to come in before dusk.

I just don't know what to do for them anymore...Their coat are so pretty long but the itching is bad...We have central air so they don't get hot, we haven't been taking any walks due to it being so hot and humid here & the mosquitoes...I can't figure out what in the world is causing it. I don't think it's the Vellus for they are doing it again before today (I used the vellus on teddy today) and I stopped using it totally...But I have to have something on them or they are matting bad...They are not peeling or nothing just scratching alot enough to cause mats in their coats.

I need something for them...It took me ALL day long to get Teddy alone dematted and bathed and recombed...His beard is beautiful and so is his top knot and I hate to have to cut him down...Now tomorrow I'm working on Weezie and hopefully Sofie...Sage and Galahad aren't as bad a these 3...Please anyone help me please...I just don't know what to do.

All my time is now spent on my 5 dolls...I can't get anything else done it seem like lol...I ran my girl to the eyeglass Dr. today and came back and started on Teddy...Cooked dinner and that is it...All Teddy as I don't want to hurt him or cut any out if I don't have to...Thank Goodness I have a Hubby who understands I have to get the mats out or they just get worse & that he don't mind a messed up house. LOL or I'd be outside building me a dog house

Can you tell me step by step how to apply the oil??? PLEASE...I don't want do it wrong and do more harm to them. How often do you bath (Day wise)?? every 4 or 5 days or more often???

This is what I put in a post to Tami this morning:

Tami there is NO flaking what so ever, just scratching and matting...Driving me batty thank goodness I don't show but if I ever do then this is good experience for me to know how to handle it...Teddy has 2 sores, one in between his eyes now and one at the base of his tail...I've searched them over and over for bites or fleas and can't find a thing on them at all. I put the Neosporin plus pain on his sores and he's not itching them like he was...Vet told me to put this on Galahad when he got razor burn from me shaving his little things bald last year...He had bit them so bad they had sores and the Vet told me to apply the Neosporion and it wouldn't hurt them if they licked it...I did, he stop biting and it cleared up right away...God love these babies of mine they go through it with me.

I just email the Vellus Company and told them what is going on with ALL My Yorkies and ALL their Coats...I ask if ANY of their Vellus Products contained Petroleum in them or ??? I'm so confused on what to do for them Tami or what oil ??? to put them in...

I WANT their COATS all LONG...Sick I know...Work I know...Worth it I know...I'm bad when it comes to these babies of mine...They get what they need before I do...But that's the way it should be!!! I love them all dearly and it hurts me to know they are in this shape due to me...

I hope I can get it all figured out...I'm ready to sell every shampoo and cond and start over but don't even know where to start to help them. It all started with Galahads' head drying out and now it has lead to this on them all...God love them.

Thanks for your advice and I hope I can do something soon or my house is gonna go to Heck...It's half way there now...I keep logged in here and when I give my babies a break from dematting I run on here and see if there is any help for us & my Yorkies are all going to be bald! Hugs Lee

Please can any of you tell me what to do...NONE of my Yorkies ever had a problem with their coats until I started blow drying their coats this Winter and now we're here this Summer... I Won't Cut their coats and it's taking me all day long to work on just one...I have to go slow as they are matted so bad. Any help ladies...I've made my fair share of mistakes with coats now trust me...I just have to find out what it is...How do I do that??? Thanks for listening to me complain, beg and plead...But you all are my help when I need it, you all are my answers when I need it...I trust you all...Any of you WISDOM would be loved so much. Hugs to all, Lee

Baron · 08-05-2008, 09:07 AM

When you bathe your babies, do not put the shampoo directly on them, but dilute it in a container with water then pour that on them to wash them. When using the conditioner, do the same, dilute in a container of water and add a few drops of silk oil. Pour the conditioner over them and leave it in, do not rinse it off. Just make sure you have it diluted enough, I use a large pitcher and fill it and use the mixture on 4 or 5 dogs. About once a month put about a tablespoon of vinegar in a 2 qt or larger pitcher and pour over your dog prior to using the conditioner. This cleans off any residue on them and you can feel that your dogs hair is very clean. Then use the conditioner again. I use minksheen shampoo, it has mink oil, cedar oil, and citronilla oil in it that helps my guys skin. I have 11 yorkies that I use it on.

MyTrixie143 · 08-05-2008, 09:27 AM

Aw, I am sorry your babies are itching and matting up now.
I don't have any idea what it could be.

Could they be allergic to an ingredient in one of the products?

Last year I gave my yorkie Scampers a bath using Minksheen as I wanted to give it a try. His hair was so long and beautiful.
Right after I used it he started scratching. His hair became dull, broken and matted. He was so itchy and was just making it worse. I had to take him to the groomer and get all his hair cut off and the treated him with a good moisturizing shampoo and conditioner and the vet gave him some allergy medicine;after that he was all better. He was allergic to something in the shampoo.

I hope you can figure out the cause of it. After you work so hard to get their hair long and beautiful and then something like this happens that ruins all of your hard work.

YorkieChick1 · 08-05-2008, 10:36 AM

You know in the Winter they dry out because of the heaters but in the Summer the air conditioning is just as drying. I think that they are reacting to too many products and too much washing. When one of my dogs, a chihuahua was itching and scratching and she didn't have any fleas but she had scratched a bloody spot on her back, I used Aveeno Oatmeal body wash and gave her a bath with it. I didn't use any other products and washed her only once a week with it and she stopped her itching and was better in about 3 weeks. Good Luck with all of it!!

TeddyandTiffy · 08-05-2008, 01:45 PM

Thanks for all your replies...I'm STILL working on SOFIE...Oh yes she is matted something awful...I took photos of her...

I emailed the Vellus Company and much to my suprise Sharon (Owner) called me today and she is wanting to help me figure out what is wrong with my Yorkies and if it could be their products...She said they've been in business for 16 years and has NEVER had a problem with ANYONE with their products...She is shocked that mine are doing this...

She asked me to pick out one of my Yorkies and do what she told me to do with it and for me to call her tomorrow and tell her how that Yorkie is...I've picked Sofie since she is now the one itching so badly.

She thinks I may of OVER CLEANED

them...I never heard of such...Here I thought I was doing what I should as bathing them (Now only once a week, since taking them out of oil) and she thinks I did to much...I told her I did massage their skin when I washed and cond. them and she thinks that may of opened their pores and caused them to itch...

So I'm going to do what I was told by her and see if it works...I will uphold their products even though I may not be able to use them as she was kind enough to call me and be so concerned...I do love their products and the smell of them.

Oh and I ask her if she had any Petroleum products in any of the Vellus products she said she had no idea what her Chemist put into them...She sent me a email after our talk and I sent her another one back asking her if she could see if there was any Petroleum in their products...

So hopefully we'll find out...She did talk to me around 25 minutes on the phone...That did make me feel so much better. She said she would do everything in her power to try to find out what is causing this to my Yorkies...I thought that was very, very kind and sweet of her.

I have to run to School with my baby and meet her teacher (She is in 4th grade

) and I'll be back to work on Sofie and in between breaks I'll try to post photos of her mats. Hugs to all, Lee

lwolfe · 08-05-2008, 09:48 PM

Lee - I used Vellus on my Maltese and she became a matted mess almost instantly. The dog mats constantly anyway but the first month I had her was an absolute nightmare. I talked to a long time Maltese breeder and she told me that it was Vellus. I used Ilse of Dogs on Dewey last week before a show and he was matted when I took him out of the crate to show him. I used Vellus the next day and his coat was beautiful. Cindy has a soft, fragile coat; Dewey's is a heavy silk.

I have found that this works to straighten out coat problems. Go to Sally's and buy the old fashioned yellow Kolesterol in the big jar. It costs about $2. There is a new type that is sold in a white tube but it will not work as well. Also at Sally's, buy a plastic back comb brush. It is made of solid brown plastic and it has 3 rows of bristles. It has Mebco written on the handle with a little picture of a turtle on it. Bathe the dog with dandruff shampoo and then slather Kolestrol on the coat. Leave it on for 5 or 10 minutes. While you are waiting, comb the product through the coat with your fingers. Rinse but leave some of the Kolesterol in the coat. Use the little brush to work out the mats as you dry the dog. It will take awhile but you should be able to demat your dog without losing too much coat.

I have been using Kolesterol for many years on dogs. I used it instead of oil on my Poodles and Afghan Hounds and I used it to hold chalk on my wire coat terriers. When it is extremely hot or cold outside, I will even rub it on the pads of my dogs feet for protection.

TeddyandTiffy · 08-06-2008, 03:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lwolfe

Lee - I used Vellus on my Maltese and she became a matted mess almost instantly. The dog mats constantly anyway but the first month I had her was an absolute nightmare. I talked to a long time Maltese breeder and she told me that it was Vellus. I used Ilse of Dogs on Dewey last week before a show and he was matted when I took him out of the crate to show him. I used Vellus the next day and his coat was beautiful. Cindy has a soft, fragile coat; Dewey's is a heavy silk.

I have found that this works to straighten out coat problems. Go to Sally's and buy the old fashioned yellow Kolesterol in the big jar. It costs about $2. There is a new type that is sold in a white tube but it will not work as well. Also at Sally's, buy a plastic back comb brush. It is made of solid brown plastic and it has 3 rows of bristles. It has Mebco written on the handle with a little picture of a turtle on it. Bathe the dog with dandruff shampoo and then slather Kolestrol on the coat. Leave it on for 5 or 10 minutes. While you are waiting, comb the product through the coat with your fingers. Rinse but leave some of the Kolesterol in the coat. Use the little brush to work out the mats as you dry the dog. It will take awhile but you should be able to demat your dog without losing too much coat.

I have been using Kolesterol for many years on dogs. I used it instead of oil on my Poodles and Afghan Hounds and I used it to hold chalk on my wire coat terriers. When it is extremely hot or cold outside, I will even rub it on the pads of my dogs feet for protection.

Thanks so much for your advice...I don't know what it was...I'm assuming it was ME taking them out of oil...And ME not knowing how to treat a coat after taking them out of oil...Sad that I made this "BIG" mistake but it is true...I will say this NOW from Experience...If ANYONE who is NOT an Experienced with Oils...Think twice before putting a Yorkie in oil and then taking it out before coming HERE at YT and finding out how to do it properly by the EXPERTS here...I only wish I could/would of ask questions on it before I did what I did! May of save me and my Yorkies some coat. We all live and learn from our Mistakes and trust me I've learned on this one lol.

We don't have a Sallys close I think there is one 2 towns away from us...Wonder if there is on online that I could buy from???

Sharon at Vellus said she's never had anyone email her and tell her what had happened to my Yorkies...She said that Vellus is good for the skin and coat and a lot of Yorkie Show People use it from all over the world and they've never heard of such matting with their products or anyones Yorkies...Or never heard of a Yorkie that maybe allerigic to their products.

I have to wonder out of 16 years of their products being on the market that I'm the 1st ever to have this done to their Yorkies by using their products. I think it was their clairyfing shampoo that started it all. That's where I have to wonder why people isn't telling them...I emailed them to see if there was an Petroleum in their products as Connor is allergic to them and I thought that may be it?? But she couldn't answer that so hopefully she can today.

Mines skin isn't flaking like Connors did, they are itching and there for the itching as Tami said is causing the matting...I'm about ready to buy some of those newborn baby booties and put over their back paws to keep them from doing damage to their coats

Don't know if that would work or make it worse...I mean they don't hardly have any nails on their back paws as the tile wears them down and I file them down every week. But still their coat are a mess now and so they do have nails

.

As Sharon brought up a dog will get the habit of itching and keep it...And now I have to wonder if this isn't what they all 5 are doing. Any thoughts on that??? I'm getting ready to post before photos and after photos in the Grooming Section of Sofie and a run down of what I went through to try to prevent anyone from going through this as I have. Thanks once again for all your help and if you know of a Sallys online that I can buy what you told me to get, let me know...I'll sure get it. Hugs, Lee

lwolfe · 08-06-2008, 05:55 AM

You may be able to find Kolesterol at Walmart or Target.

I had a Parson Russell Terrier with horrible skin allergies. She would scratch herself until she was bloody. I would put baby socks on her and use duck tape to keep them on.

Gidget's vet had me to give her a small amount of children's Benedryl and it really helped. I can't remember how much. If they are not better soon, take them to the vet.

TeddyandTiffy · 08-07-2008, 06:47 PM

I wanted to thank you for your help! I've gotten all of them dematted now (Thank goodness) and they seem to be a little better...I just have to wonder if I didn't get all the oil out of them...I'm using the Vellus and going to see how that works with them...They are all so soft now and beautiful even with less coat due to the mats but now the upkeep.. Hugs, Lee

sweetsophia · 08-07-2008, 08:43 PM

I have yet to oil my dogs coats as I am a nervous wreck about doing it right. I was told however and I could be wrong but that when oiling a dogs coat to be extremely careful about getting the oil on their skin. If you get too much oil on their skin the body stops producing the natural oils in the skin and cause their coats to dry out, etc. I had a friend who oiled her dog who had a beautiful coat and she got too much on the skin and her coat all started coming in dried out and all broke off eventually. I have no idea if this has anything to do with what you have been through and it sounds terrible. Just a little something I was told and thought I would share. Best of luck I cannot imagine how frustrating and awful it has been for you and your babies to go through this.

08-05-2008, 07:55 AM	#1
TeddyandTiffy Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Seymour, Indiana Posts: 1,384	Need Help Now...itching, Matting Long Coats Ladies I've copied this from a post I made as I've gotten no help YET I say YET there on my post and YES I'm desperate...I'm sorry this thread will be so long but I want each of you to know what I've done so maybe I can figure this all out. Below is what I posted...I've emailed the Vellus Company to see what is in their products to see if I can figure out what is causing my Yorkies to do this. ALL 5 Are doing this. This all started with Galahads' head being so dry (Still don't know what is causing this in him but it isn't as dry now.) Then I started using the straight nutrogena light sesame formula and that worked like a dream, as I had them all 5 in this and was bathing a yorkie every day of the week...Reoiling...NO WRAPS...Then the Month passed and I needed to use a clarifying shampoo so I bought the Vellus line of: Clarifying Shampoo, Show Shampoo, Show Conditioner, Satin Cream, Static Stabilizer, did as the bottles requested even bought their measuring bottles 5 of them. Then Sage and Sofie started itching and scratching I kept using the Durrstede on them all 5... So Now this is where we are TODAY...MATTED something bad...Now I'm going batty ladies...These babies are in bad bad shape...Teddy is itching and biting and now has sores I just found 2 on Galahads under his neck. This is in reply to the Olive Oil from me: 8/4/08 Does it cause them to mat or itch when you take them out of the olive oil??? Mine are getting mats so bad now since they are not in oil and I've used Vellus Clarifying shampoo on 1 today to try to make sure I have all the oil out... I can't figure out what the heck is causing them to itch...I did the flea thing that was told to do on here at YT to get the fleas out...NONE of them had a flea one...instead of using the Dawn (I was afraid to use it due to them already scratching so much) I used the 1/2 petsilk shampoo and 1/2 water and not using much water on their body when the shampoo is 1st applied to try to see if they had fleas (To see if that "Fleas" was what was causing them to scratch) & after doing that it caused them to mat even more & itch even more... I used the durrstede shampoo and cond. on them right after the petsilk and made sure I rinsed them good...So now yesterday and today I've been dematting and using the vellus clairifying shampoo, show shampoo, conditioner and cream on them to see if I can't stop the matting and itching...I don't know if it was the vellus products for sure that caused them to itch or not before so I thought I would try it again..It's driving me batty though as now Teddy is getting sores from digging and I can't find out what is causing it all... I have to wonder if maybe mosquitoes hasn't got into our house and bit them....I do have them on interceptor but still if they have then I know how the itching drives me batty, if that is the case then I know it's driving them batty...I try to keep anyone from coming in our out of our Yorkie room but sometimes hubby and girls do it anyways...We did flood here a few months ago and they are so bad at dusk that you can't hardly sit out side and the Family Off Spray doesn't help us any at all...So we try to come in before dusk. I just don't know what to do for them anymore...Their coat are so pretty long but the itching is bad...We have central air so they don't get hot, we haven't been taking any walks due to it being so hot and humid here & the mosquitoes...I can't figure out what in the world is causing it. I don't think it's the Vellus for they are doing it again before today (I used the vellus on teddy today) and I stopped using it totally...But I have to have something on them or they are matting bad...They are not peeling or nothing just scratching alot enough to cause mats in their coats. I need something for them...It took me ALL day long to get Teddy alone dematted and bathed and recombed...His beard is beautiful and so is his top knot and I hate to have to cut him down...Now tomorrow I'm working on Weezie and hopefully Sofie...Sage and Galahad aren't as bad a these 3...Please anyone help me please...I just don't know what to do. All my time is now spent on my 5 dolls...I can't get anything else done it seem like lol...I ran my girl to the eyeglass Dr. today and came back and started on Teddy...Cooked dinner and that is it...All Teddy as I don't want to hurt him or cut any out if I don't have to...Thank Goodness I have a Hubby who understands I have to get the mats out or they just get worse & that he don't mind a messed up house. LOL or I'd be outside building me a dog house Can you tell me step by step how to apply the oil??? PLEASE...I don't want do it wrong and do more harm to them. How often do you bath (Day wise)?? every 4 or 5 days or more often??? This is what I put in a post to Tami this morning: Tami there is NO flaking what so ever, just scratching and matting...Driving me batty thank goodness I don't show but if I ever do then this is good experience for me to know how to handle it...Teddy has 2 sores, one in between his eyes now and one at the base of his tail...I've searched them over and over for bites or fleas and can't find a thing on them at all. I put the Neosporin plus pain on his sores and he's not itching them like he was...Vet told me to put this on Galahad when he got razor burn from me shaving his little things bald last year...He had bit them so bad they had sores and the Vet told me to apply the Neosporion and it wouldn't hurt them if they licked it...I did, he stop biting and it cleared up right away...God love these babies of mine they go through it with me. I just email the Vellus Company and told them what is going on with ALL My Yorkies and ALL their Coats...I ask if ANY of their Vellus Products contained Petroleum in them or ??? I'm so confused on what to do for them Tami or what oil ??? to put them in... I WANT their COATS all LONG...Sick I know...Work I know...Worth it I know...I'm bad when it comes to these babies of mine...They get what they need before I do...But that's the way it should be!!! I love them all dearly and it hurts me to know they are in this shape due to me... I hope I can get it all figured out...I'm ready to sell every shampoo and cond and start over but don't even know where to start to help them. It all started with Galahads' head drying out and now it has lead to this on them all...God love them. Thanks for your advice and I hope I can do something soon or my house is gonna go to Heck...It's half way there now...I keep logged in here and when I give my babies a break from dematting I run on here and see if there is any help for us & my Yorkies are all going to be bald! Hugs Lee Please can any of you tell me what to do...NONE of my Yorkies ever had a problem with their coats until I started blow drying their coats this Winter and now we're here this Summer... I Won't Cut their coats and it's taking me all day long to work on just one...I have to go slow as they are matted so bad. Any help ladies...I've made my fair share of mistakes with coats now trust me...I just have to find out what it is...How do I do that??? Thanks for listening to me complain, beg and plead...But you all are my help when I need it, you all are my answers when I need it...I trust you all...Any of you WISDOM would be loved so much. Hugs to all, Lee

08-05-2008, 09:27 AM	#3
MyTrixie143 Mom to 6 Beautiful Furkids Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Ohio Posts: 5,409	Aw, I am sorry your babies are itching and matting up now. I don't have any idea what it could be. Could they be allergic to an ingredient in one of the products? Last year I gave my yorkie Scampers a bath using Minksheen as I wanted to give it a try. His hair was so long and beautiful. Right after I used it he started scratching. His hair became dull, broken and matted. He was so itchy and was just making it worse. I had to take him to the groomer and get all his hair cut off and the treated him with a good moisturizing shampoo and conditioner and the vet gave him some allergy medicine;after that he was all better. He was allergic to something in the shampoo. I hope you can figure out the cause of it. After you work so hard to get their hair long and beautiful and then something like this happens that ruins all of your hard work. __________________ A dog is a furry person! http://www.dogster.com/?300866 Tracey and the gang DestinyHarmonyScamperGracieLillieKiwi Hershey Peppi

08-05-2008, 10:36 AM	#4
YorkieChick1 Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Bay Area, California Posts: 2,249	You know in the Winter they dry out because of the heaters but in the Summer the air conditioning is just as drying. I think that they are reacting to too many products and too much washing. When one of my dogs, a chihuahua was itching and scratching and she didn't have any fleas but she had scratched a bloody spot on her back, I used Aveeno Oatmeal body wash and gave her a bath with it. I didn't use any other products and washed her only once a week with it and she stopped her itching and was better in about 3 weeks. Good Luck with all of it!! __________________ Nanci 's her furbabies!! Brooke,Binky,Bunny,Buster & BooBoo And My Chichis: Baby & Bitsy There's nothing that brightens my day more than a puppy kiss!

08-05-2008, 09:07 AM	#2
Baron Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 216	When you bathe your babies, do not put the shampoo directly on them, but dilute it in a container with water then pour that on them to wash them. When using the conditioner, do the same, dilute in a container of water and add a few drops of silk oil. Pour the conditioner over them and leave it in, do not rinse it off. Just make sure you have it diluted enough, I use a large pitcher and fill it and use the mixture on 4 or 5 dogs. About once a month put about a tablespoon of vinegar in a 2 qt or larger pitcher and pour over your dog prior to using the conditioner. This cleans off any residue on them and you can feel that your dogs hair is very clean. Then use the conditioner again. I use minksheen shampoo, it has mink oil, cedar oil, and citronilla oil in it that helps my guys skin. I have 11 yorkies that I use it on.

08-05-2008, 01:45 PM	#5
TeddyandTiffy Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Seymour, Indiana Posts: 1,384	Thanks for all your replies...I'm STILL working on SOFIE...Oh yes she is matted something awful...I took photos of her... I emailed the Vellus Company and much to my suprise Sharon (Owner) called me today and she is wanting to help me figure out what is wrong with my Yorkies and if it could be their products...She said they've been in business for 16 years and has NEVER had a problem with ANYONE with their products...She is shocked that mine are doing this... She asked me to pick out one of my Yorkies and do what she told me to do with it and for me to call her tomorrow and tell her how that Yorkie is...I've picked Sofie since she is now the one itching so badly. She thinks I may of OVER CLEANED them...I never heard of such...Here I thought I was doing what I should as bathing them (Now only once a week, since taking them out of oil) and she thinks I did to much...I told her I did massage their skin when I washed and cond. them and she thinks that may of opened their pores and caused them to itch... So I'm going to do what I was told by her and see if it works...I will uphold their products even though I may not be able to use them as she was kind enough to call me and be so concerned...I do love their products and the smell of them. Oh and I ask her if she had any Petroleum products in any of the Vellus products she said she had no idea what her Chemist put into them...She sent me a email after our talk and I sent her another one back asking her if she could see if there was any Petroleum in their products... So hopefully we'll find out...She did talk to me around 25 minutes on the phone...That did make me feel so much better. She said she would do everything in her power to try to find out what is causing this to my Yorkies...I thought that was very, very kind and sweet of her. I have to run to School with my baby and meet her teacher (She is in 4th grade ) and I'll be back to work on Sofie and in between breaks I'll try to post photos of her mats. Hugs to all, Lee

08-05-2008, 09:48 PM	#6
lwolfe YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: North Carolina Posts: 514	Lee - I used Vellus on my Maltese and she became a matted mess almost instantly. The dog mats constantly anyway but the first month I had her was an absolute nightmare. I talked to a long time Maltese breeder and she told me that it was Vellus. I used Ilse of Dogs on Dewey last week before a show and he was matted when I took him out of the crate to show him. I used Vellus the next day and his coat was beautiful. Cindy has a soft, fragile coat; Dewey's is a heavy silk. I have found that this works to straighten out coat problems. Go to Sally's and buy the old fashioned yellow Kolesterol in the big jar. It costs about $2. There is a new type that is sold in a white tube but it will not work as well. Also at Sally's, buy a plastic back comb brush. It is made of solid brown plastic and it has 3 rows of bristles. It has Mebco written on the handle with a little picture of a turtle on it. Bathe the dog with dandruff shampoo and then slather Kolestrol on the coat. Leave it on for 5 or 10 minutes. While you are waiting, comb the product through the coat with your fingers. Rinse but leave some of the Kolesterol in the coat. Use the little brush to work out the mats as you dry the dog. It will take awhile but you should be able to demat your dog without losing too much coat. I have been using Kolesterol for many years on dogs. I used it instead of oil on my Poodles and Afghan Hounds and I used it to hold chalk on my wire coat terriers. When it is extremely hot or cold outside, I will even rub it on the pads of my dogs feet for protection.

08-06-2008, 05:55 AM	#8
lwolfe YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: North Carolina Posts: 514	You may be able to find Kolesterol at Walmart or Target. I had a Parson Russell Terrier with horrible skin allergies. She would scratch herself until she was bloody. I would put baby socks on her and use duck tape to keep them on. Gidget's vet had me to give her a small amount of children's Benedryl and it really helped. I can't remember how much. If they are not better soon, take them to the vet.

08-07-2008, 06:47 PM	#9
TeddyandTiffy Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Seymour, Indiana Posts: 1,384	I wanted to thank you for your help! I've gotten all of them dematted now (Thank goodness) and they seem to be a little better...I just have to wonder if I didn't get all the oil out of them...I'm using the Vellus and going to see how that works with them...They are all so soft now and beautiful even with less coat due to the mats but now the upkeep.. Hugs, Lee

08-07-2008, 08:43 PM	#10
sweetsophia Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Michigan Posts: 646	I have yet to oil my dogs coats as I am a nervous wreck about doing it right. I was told however and I could be wrong but that when oiling a dogs coat to be extremely careful about getting the oil on their skin. If you get too much oil on their skin the body stops producing the natural oils in the skin and cause their coats to dry out, etc. I had a friend who oiled her dog who had a beautiful coat and she got too much on the skin and her coat all started coming in dried out and all broke off eventually. I have no idea if this has anything to do with what you have been through and it sounds terrible. Just a little something I was told and thought I would share. Best of luck I cannot imagine how frustrating and awful it has been for you and your babies to go through this.