Does your pet love to roll in anything left lying around or is super inquisitive and will stick their paws into all things smelly or gooey? If yes, then find out more about removing paint, oil and insecticide stains as well as dealing with coat matting.

Matting of the coat

Matting can indicate an underlying wound. Prior to commencing any form of treatment, carefully examine the area for any signs of dried or moist blood, swelling or tissue injury. If the area looks inflamed and your pet shows any signs of discomfort please contact us prior to commencing treatment. If the wound has healed you can carefully bathe the area with warm water to help lift the mat/scab.

If the mat is just clumped fur, apply a pet conditioner or plain moisturiser to the matted area and massage it in; sometimes this helps to free the mat up so you are able to comb or brush it out. Use a pair of clippers to clip the mat out. If you do not have access to clippers we can do this for you. Please see our separate note on using scissors below.

Paint

If your pet’s coat comes into contact with paint, allow it to dry and harden and then use pet clippers to clip the hardened paint out. To prevent potential poisoning, do not allow your pet to groom itself while the paint is drying and hardening. Never use paint thinners or solvents on your pet as these can cause a serious chemical burn to the skin, or to the tongue and mouth if your pet licks the treated area.

Glue or chewing gum

The best way to remove glue or chewing gum is to use pet clippers to clip the piece of chewing gum/ glue out. If you do not have pet clippers, we can do this for you.

Insecticides

Insectides can affect different animals very differently. Be VERY careful when using topical preparations to treat or prevent fleas on your cat. Some dog flea products can be extremely harmful to cats if accidently used.

Most insecticides are absorbed through the skin and can cause a number of symptoms depending on the active ingredient. These include intestinal upsets (vomiting/diarrhoea), liver and/or kidney dysfunction and seizures. Pets with a low body weight and young pets are most at risk of insecticide toxicity. Do not allow your pet to wash/lick itself until all the insecticide is removed from the coat.

It can take a few hours to days to see the signs/symptoms associated with an insecticidal toxicity, please contact us immediately if your pet has been exposed to an insecticide. We can advise a treatment plan as well as notify you of the signs of poisoning.

For immediate first aid treatment, please rinse the coat well for 5-10 minutes with tepid (not warm or hot) water. Use a plain pet shampoo or dishwashing liquid to remove the insecticidal residue.

Oils

Some ingredients within the oil can be absorbed through the skin and cause an intestinal upset or in some cases liver and/or kidney dysfunction or failure. Low body weight and young pets are most at risk of oil toxicity.

For immediate treatment remove the oil as quickly as possible following the suggestions recommended below to reduce the amount that is absorbed. Do not allow your pet to wash/lick itself until all the oil is removed from the coat. Contact us promptly once the oil has been removed.

Light / Thin Oils

Use a light cooking or vegetable oil or hand cleaner, rub well into the coat then wash your pet several times with a plain dishwashing detergent until the oil has gone. Rinse your pet well.

Heavy / Thick Oils

Use pet clippers to clip the oil clumps out of the coat. Then use a light cooking or vegetable oil or butter and rub well into the area. Wash your pet several times with a plain dishwashing detergent until the oil has gone, then rinse your pet well. You may need to repeat bathing your pet for the next few days.

A note on using scissors on your pet’s coat

We strongly discourage the use of scissors to remove stains and mats from your pet’s coat. Unfortunately over the years we have had to treat a range of accidental scissor related injuries which have occurred at home. Please take our advice, distressed pets and scissors do not mix. Please use pet clippers to remove stains and mats as suggested above. If you do not have a pair of pet clippers, please contact us for our assistance, we would be more than happy to assist than have your pet put at risk.

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