Quote:
Originally Posted by kalina82  If the mat is tight against the skin you need to use a 10 blade (or setting depending on if you have a detachable blade) with no guard comb. In order to remove the mat safely you need to use a blade that will get in that little space between the skin and the mat and slowly shave just the mat off. This way you minimize the shaved spot on the dog. You may be able to use a longer blade then a 10 depending on how much space is between the skin and the mat.
when mats are tight to the skin its very hard to safely scissor or thin them out. You need to be able to slide one blade of the scissors between the skin and mat and cut the mat outward, away from the body, and not across the body. Sliding a comb between the mat and skin can help sometimes so that you have a barrier between the scissors and the skin but sometimes if the mat is so tight you may still be able to cut the skin this way.
safest way is to shave them out with clippers. sure you will have a slightly bald spot but I think that's better then a cut or nick, or worse. |
Hmm... there was just one blade with the clippers so I'm not sure what size it is
The mats weren't right against the skin... they started maybe a quarter inch up, or a little less. The hair was about 1-1.5 inches long so I was just trying to cut off all the excess because I did want to go short on her chest. I guess I just pulled the skin up too much when I was pulling up the hair to cut it. It was a pretty small nick and we pressed on it for about 20-30 seconds and it stopped bleeding, but of course I still felt bad