[Gpdd] CARE Mats

[Penny Charlesworth]

Joanie,

Sometimes piggies arrive here at Piggyfriends with horribly matted coats. When the mats are too close to the skin to cut them off, as has happened with Hershey, I find that the easiest way to get them tidy again is to give them a bath.

Apart from making the piggy feel much more comfortable, the mats separate somewhat when they are wet. Try to cut down the middle of the mat, very carefully, and you may find that you can tease the matted lump apart. You might be able to cut the divided mat again and again until, eventually, you have removed the lot.

Hershey's coat will not grow to the extent that the mats are further away from her skin. She will just get more and more matted and the urine could scald her skin. Nature never intended piggies to have long coats and we have to intervene.

Once you have her neat and tidy again, keep her rear end trimmed very short to avoid a recurrence of the problem. If you can get someone to hold her still and you have access to an electric trimmer, you could try keeping her coat short that way. I just use scissors on my herd and I definitely wouldn't try the electric razor on a boar.

You might find this hard to begin with but practice makes perfect ( or very nearly ).

Penny and the Piggyfriends.