Understanding the risks of letting your pet become matted

Because we are seeing an increased amount of pets coming into our shop extremely matted and in terrible condition due to lack of routine care you may be required to sign a release of liability form.

Please read below:

Matted coats can cause a variety of skin and health problems. Matted fur does not allow for air circulation to the skin, causing hot spots, bacterial and fungal infections. Fleas, ticks, maggots and other parasites may be lurking in the coat causing further skin infections. Matted fur also pulls and binds, causing pain to your pet when they move or lay on the mats. The skin underneath is usually raw and inflamed. Matted coats also will not dry properly and can lead to rotting fur and skin.
If your pet is extremely matted, your dog’s hair may need to be shaved extremely short to the skin and may show signs of skin irritations and sores due to the matting, wet undercoat, and dirty coat. In order to take care of a dog that has not been groomed often enough, and is matted, the required grooming sessions may be long, stressful, or painful ( please note, more than one grooming session may be required if your dog is severely matted).
There is a strong possibility your pets skin will become irritated during the clipping process. The matted hair rests tightly against the skin and the only way of removing mats is to use a short blade to clip between the skin and mats. Your dog may be nicked and cut because the groomer has to work so closely to the skin to remove the matted coat. Our groomers are very careful, but the possibility of injury exists. Understanding these risks is important before we proceed with the de-matting process.
Thank you.