hi all

[shelly60]

I am new here so I hope i don't bother anyone.. But I need infromation I got a Maltese yesterday he is very mated and was wondering if anyone could tell me if i should shve him or just try to brush it out of him. We found him on the streets he was very dirty and skinny still trying to get him to eat alittle.. please any advice would be greatly appreciated

[wolfie]

Hi! No, you're not bothering anyone at all! ^_^ Welcome to Pet Talk! If you want, you can post an introduction in the General forum.

Congrats on getting a new dog. If he's not too matted, then you could brush him out yourself - but it might take a while. If he's really matted though then you should bring him to the groomers to have him shaved. (Don't worry - the hair will grow back!) Oh, and if you brush him yourself, don't wash him till after you get the mats out, or it'll make it worse. You can put some conditioner on the mats to loosen them a little. But again, if it seems too bad to brush out, or if it's hurting him, bring him to the groomers. Good luck! I hope to see some pics of him.

[lute]

hi! welcome to pet talk-
we are fostering a dog for a friend and she has a few matts,but they are too big so we are taking her the groomers.good luck w/ the dog.

[clara4457]

It is so wonderful of you rescue this dog and get him/her off the streets. Good Job!!

I think your first step is to take the pup to the vet. The vet will check the dog out and make sure there are no underlying medical conditions and then vaccinate him/her. The vet might also want to shave the dog down themselves to check for any skin conditions.

If the vet doesn't do it, I would suggest taking it to a groomer and have them shave him/her down. A professional groomer can also check for skin conditions and suggest a bathing and grooming routine for you. The problem with brushing out a dog yourself if they are heavily matted, is you could inadvertently hurt the dog.

If you are not planning on keeping the dog, you might want to call a maltese rescue group in your area. They will treat the dog and then find it a wonderful loving home.

If you are planning on keeping the dog, a vet visit is your first step. Your second step is to post pictures on this forum.

Welcome to Pet Talk and Good Luck!!

[shelly60]

thanks all.. yes we are keeping him... and yes i will post pictures as soon as i take them...

[G.P.girl]

Hi! welcome to Pet Talk! i can't wait to see pics of ou new dog!

[Karen]

I'll echo that if he's heavily matted, taking to the vet or a groomer and getting him shaved down would be a better first step. Right now you need to bond with him, and combing out really bad matts can hurt! so let someone else take them blame. That way you can be the comforter, and when he then has enough fur to brush again, you can make grooming just part of your routine together.

Does he have a name yet?

And thank you for rescuing him from life on the streets! Right now you should take a bunch of "before" pictures, to constrast with how much healthier and handsomer he'll look a couple months from now!

[shelly60]

Ok I finally got a picture of him,. if I post it here can anyone tell me if its a purebred or not?

[guster girl]

He is so cute! He doesn't look purebred to me, but, I also don't know Maltese that well. He just seems bigger and his muzzle looks longer or something. Hopefully someone will have more informed opinions for you, though. Thanks for rescuing! Let us know when you name him....he is really handsome....

[wolfie]

Aww, I love him! He could be purebred - certainly looks it. What a cutie.

[Dogz]

Welcome to Pet Talk!

What a cute dog! He may be a purebred, but it is hard to tell.

I have had trouble with mats before. Prince (pictured in my signature) got mats this summer. If they get really bad, they are really hard to get out. You have to have the right kind of brushes, and you have to know how to use them I bought a dematting comb from Petco.com, and Prince's trainer taught me how to use it. It worked very well, but it takes time to get them all out.

We first brought him to the groomers, but they didn't give us the groomer we asked for, just an employee. (She wasn't a real groomer.) So, if you end up bringing the dog to the goomers, make sure it is a good groomer. Those mats can be tough to get out!

Good luck!

[shelly60]

I got some great news today.. As you all know that I found my little dog well today the owner called me and actually gave me his ckc papers and everything.. the guy didn't want no money or anything!!! so now I know that this little guy is a purebred Maltese!!!!!

[anna_66]

What a little cutie pie!

I'm so glad that the owners let you have him, obviously he didn't need to be with them in the first place! Looks like he'll have a much better home with you

Have you thought of a name yet?

I can't wait to see the pictures after he's been to the groomers, I bet he'll be even more gorgeous than he is now!!

[shelly60]

ty i guess we are going with Rags.. he seem sto come to it when you call him Sam. he goes to the vet tomorrow for a look over.. I sure hope it goes well....

[wolfie]

Aww, Sam's a cute name for him.