[Gpdd] [CARE] removing mats from long haired piggies

[Penny Charlesworth]

To Roxanne and the Herd.

I have several long haired piggies and have had many others in the past and this is what I do to remove mats.

A calm, sensible piggy will often sit still while I trim out the mats but your friend, having a skittish piggy, may need an assistant to hold the piggy while she gets to work.

Often piggies arrive here matted and if the mats are not right up against the skin I simply snip the whole mat out. It looks a mess but soon regrows and is more comfortable for the piggy. ( none of mine are ever going to be show pigs - they are "pigs to love").  If the mats are tight against the skin it can be impossible to get the scissors in so I find it best to shampoo the piggy. The mats can often be worked out when the coat is wet. Again the assistant can be a real help.

A large mat can often be snipped down the middle and removed in chunks.

Sometimes long haired piggies don't groom themselves as much as they get older so I tend to keep their hair trimmed shorter, especially aroung the "tail end" where most of the mats seem to occur.

Once the mats are out the coat can be trimmed to make it look a bit more even all round. My hairdressing skills are not that good but I think that it is more important that the piggy be comfortable than smart.

Hope that this is of some help.

Penny and the Piggyfriends.
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