Smoo's all matted again and worse than I thought.

She get's so matted round her rear when she moults.
I brushed her last week but she got so stressed I stopped and she wouldn't eat fro a few hours. :? But I had to do more so I took her in today and I said to her she wasn't going out until I was done. She was awful, I cut a lot of fur away and loose fur was coming away in clumps where it hadn't been shed properly. She was all damp and smelly. Her tail was the worst it was twice the size it should be with a huge matt on top. And underneath was covered in poo. And that's when I realised she had loads of poo stuck round her 'bits'. I got some salt water as she looked quite sore there and slowly teased it all off. I gave her some painkillers because she really did look sore. She did eat treats this time when she went back out but I'm thinking I might like to give her some antibiotics as I'm worried about infection. There was a lot of poo and the matted fur had pulled the skin so I'm worried there might be some lesions. I'll have to speak to my vet.

I'm shocked I didn't realise how bad she was. In the summer she had to be shaved under an anaesthetic because it got so bad. It happens so quickly though. Poor baby Smoo Bear. My vet thinks she's got a little bit of arthritis in her spine which makes it difficult for her to get to her back end and the weight she put on while she was ill has really not helped. I think I'll give her a couple of days to calm down from this epic clean and then I'm going to have to make a regular thing of it until she stops moulting. I need to be more vigilant next time too.

Sorry to hear this
Hope you vet comes up with another solution.

Have you tried shaving her around that area ? It's quicker to do so it'll be less stressful ?

Sorry if it's a dumb idea

The only problem is she has a lot of loose skin there so it would have to be done under GA to be safe. (She wriggles a lot). :?

Jenova said:

The only problem is she has a lot of loose skin there so it would have to be done under GA to be safe. (She wriggles a lot). :?

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Oh ok.
Maybe you could ask for the shave when she's having a dental ?

whitehood said:

Oh ok.
Maybe you could ask for the shave when she's having a dental ?

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I hope she doesn't need another one but that's a very good idea.

Jenova said:

I hope she doesn't need another one but that's a very good idea.

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Yep sorry 'if' she needs one then that might be a good idea.
Or there's probably a better way to shave/groom that area with Ga.

Can you try clippers rather than a close shave? The type with the guard.

My Cheeky is the same and so much of a wriggler I have to take her to the vet to be shaved. Believe it or not she's as good as gold there :roll: Makes me look a total liar the little madam!

Gertie said:

Can you try clippers rather than a close shave? The type with the guard.

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I'm not sure if you'll know what I'm talking about (depends whether or not you've had fatty lops ) but she has what I call a 'skirt'. Extra skin around her bum. The fur underneath the fold gets stuck, but I'm worried that will just slip through a guard too. :?

Jenova said:

I'm not sure if you'll know what I'm talking about (depends whether or not you've had fatty lops ) but she has what I call a 'skirt'. Extra skin around her bum. The fur underneath the fold gets stuck, but I'm worried that will just slip through a guard too. :?

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Yeah, I get you. Gertie had a bit of a weight problem herself! Are her scent glands clear? Sometimes Gertie has needed these cleaning and they caused horrible stickiness down there. Also, watch closely where it is sore because it can cause it all to become infected around her bits.
I wonder if the vets might be able to handle her without a GA? It is upsetting when they can't/won't clean there properly, hope you get it sorted soon.

Gertie said:

Yeah, I get you. Gertie had a bit of a weight problem herself! Are her scent glands clear? Sometimes Gertie has needed these cleaning and they caused horrible stickiness down there. Also, watch closely where it is sore because it can cause it all to become infected around her bits.
I wonder if the vets might be able to handle her without a GA? It is upsetting when they can't/won't clean there properly, hope you get it sorted soon.

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Thanks.
We have no idea how old she really is but she's at least six. I'm going to try and clean her bits with salt water every day or two and ask my vet about antibiotics. I still have some from her issues last month and Grim's on Baytril constantly anyway.