Animal Corner Can I get rid of fur balls?

QMy 11-year-old female ragdoll has golf ball-sized lumps of matting between her legs on her belly. She can’t get rid of these herself. Should I try to cut the fur balls out, even though she hates this and makes it difficult? I am an 85-year-old pensioner with restricted funds.

ADo not attempt to clip the fur mats yourself as you won’t succeed and there is a considerable risk of causing wounds. You will need to get this problem solved by your local vet, or perhaps vet nurse.

They will use fine clippers to remove the mats and trim the excess fur in the area. In the best of circumstances this will be all that is needed and you can resume the daily grooming you mentioned in your email. This should prevent further problems.

However, in an 11-year-old cat I would want to look for any underlying reasons for the development of the mats. There could be an inability to groom properly due to mouth pain, or being unable to reach the area because of a problem with her spine.

Mouth pain could be due to tongue lesions, inflammation at the back of the soft palate or dental disease. Arthritis is very common in old cats and if it affects the spine it would make bending the neck painful, which might account for your cat being “difficult”. This is not a trait expected of ragdolls, as they are known to be placid.

Solving the problem should be simple and hopefully not too expensive.

QWe have a nine-month-old labrador. From day one he has been constantly scratching itches. He has seen multiple vets but nothing seems to work. The latest vet has done some tests and we are waiting for results. The skin on his legs is practically black.

AIt would be excellent if by the time you read this reply the tests have come back with an answer.

If the situation is not resolved however, or if any new treatment does not show an obvious and relatively quick improvement, it might be a good idea to have a chat with your vet about a referral to a specialist.

Unusual skin conditions are tricky to diagnose, and whereas vets regularly diagnose all the common ones, the unusual issues benefit from a vet with extra training in dermatology.

Owners in your situation often go from one vet to another in the hope of finding a cure, but in my view the best option is to get an expert opinion.

Your vet will know of the specialists in your area and will supply the chosen one with a full history.

This second consultation will take longer and will be more expensive, but with a nine-month-old dog, with all his life in front of him, a diagnosis is crucial.

Blackening of the skin is a sign of chronic illness and many skin conditions that go on for some time develop this.

Possible causes could include allergies, various mite infestations and bacterial infections.