[Terrie]

My parents have a chow chow/lab mix 10yr female(Outside dog). They aren't the best care givers and the dog has had years of neglect on her fur.

Basically her fur is really matted all over the place! A brush has not been enough and shaving it off is very difficult too. Should I just keep at these two methods until I get rid of it all or is there something more practical?

This dog is also not registered or anything. She has no shots/tags. A real mess.
I want to fix her up but first I need to make her look presentable!

This pic is about a year old. Stretching her legs.


Thanks.

[Graco22]

She needs to get her shots so that she can be taken and professionally groomed (shaved most likely) so that she isn't uncomfortable anymore. If you cannot get this done, then you need to talk to your parents about it. If that fails, then you owe it to the dog to call your local animal control. A matted outside dog is a disaster waiting to happen. Matted fur gets wet, and stays wet, causing sores and infection at the skin level, and is very uncomfortable. Matted fur does nothing for warmth, as there is no unmatted fur near the skin to hold in the body heat. So you have a wet, matted, cold and uncomfortable dog. That is neglect. Hopefully if you don't do something about it, a concerned neighbor will make the call.

[Terrie]

Well she is not wet or cold (we live in S. Florida) and I'm in the process of shaving her. I don't have the budget to take her to a groomer right now so I'm doing it all myself. She mostly has mats on her neck and legs now.

I have gotten rid of a lot of them and at the skin...aside from being dirty, it seems to be okay. I have not found a sores or anything and she doesn't flinch or complain when I brush them out not even if I pull a little hard.

I suppose I will just keep shaving then. Once all the mats are gone I will do a thorough shampooing to clean her skin and whatever fur doesn't get shaved off.

I don't think calling AC will be necessary. My parents love the dog. They are just old and don't know much about doggie care, and they don't realize how bad matted fur can be. That's why I decided to take care of the dog.

[scropper]

sounds like you're doing a great thing by taking over here for this dog in need. i know some places in some states have vets that are free of charge or very little for a check up or shots for those that can't afford it. you might look into that. good luck!

[luvntzus]

You're in the process of shaving her? She needs to be shaved down completely, not just shave the mats out and then try to brush the rest of the hair. That will be a huge mess and result in a very strange looking dog. It's best to shave off all the fur and start over with brushing as it grows out. I'm sure there are lots of videos online if you need help with how to do it.