Question:
Tonks has a few big matts on her back and I'm not quite sure what to do about it. Rye had some last summer because he was overweight and couldn't groom himself, but we shaved them off, put him on a diet and now he's fine. Tonks is a bit overweight, so I think she's having the same grooming issues. But I don't know what to do about the matts. If she loses some weight will she be able to get them off herself? They're pretty big....I'm at a loss as to what to do...


Answer:
this is off topic

Is Tonks the one you rescued that you couldnt get near?? if so,,how is she now? is she friendly?


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Yeah, she's the big scaredy cat Umm...she's a bit better....every once in a while she'll let us pet her for more than 2 seconds, but there's no way she'd let me cut out or shave off the matts


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Do you have a stitich ripper? They tear through mats pretty good and you could just do a few strips at a time if she's skitish.


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That's tough. You are going to have to get them off because they can affect circulation and mobility. Could you try some Bach's remedy to calm her down?


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Originally Posted by Lixx
Do you have a stitich ripper? They tear through mats pretty good and you could just do a few strips at a time if she's skitish.
She's too skittish even for that. Most of the time she takes off when we try to pet her...it's usually when she's half asleep that she lets us, but that's not often.

Originally Posted by Candycane
You are going to have to get them off because they can affect circulation and mobility. Could you try some Bach's remedy to calm her down?
Yeah, I don't want her getting sick. I noticed them a few weeks ago, but they were a lot smaller and I was hoping she'd be able to take care of them herself. I've never heard of Bach's remedy...but I just looked it up and the few pages I looked at said to mix it with water and give it with a dropper....there's no way that will happen with Tonks. Have you used it and is that what you do?


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What about trying a shampoo? I think Johnson's has a baby shampoo that is supposed to release tangles.... How is she in a bath??


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A bath? From what Nikki said, she hates being petted. I couldn't imagine her giving Tonks a bath. Poor thing would go crazy. Nikki, I hope you find a remedy for Tonks' matts in her fur. How overweight is she?


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I'm afraid she may have to be taken to the Vet, tranq'd and have them shaved off... if she is that skittish, you won't be able to do it yourself. I've seen what can grow under there.. you don't want to leave it like that. Like Candice said, it will start off effecting the circulation & mobility but it can get really nasty if left for a long time.


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Yeah, I was thinking I might have to take her to the vet to get rid of them. Poor Tonks She's not going to like that very much.

Here's some pics I took of her last night so you can see how chubby she is:
http://www.shadowlark.com/tonksmatts.html