Flamingo Dog Mat Breaker De-Matting Comb

The Flamingo Dog Mat Breaker De-Matting Comb is a handled grooming tool with a row of curved, one-sided blades that slice into a mat and open it up, so the coat can then be brushed apart.

Key Features

• Curved blades sharpened on the inside edge, so they cut through the mat rather than scraping across the skin
• The blunt outer edge faces the dog, which is what separates a mat breaker from a knife
• Rubberised grip, and the blades are set in a single row for control on small, tight mats behind the ears and under the legs
• Stainless steel blades on a moulded handle
• A de-matting tool, not a brush. It is used to break a mat down; a comb or slicker then does the rest
• Made by Flamingo Pet Products, a Belgian pet supplier based in Olen with more than 45 years in the trade

How To Use It

• Hold the base of the mat between your fingers so the tool pulls against your hand and not against the skin
• Work from the outside of the mat inwards, in short strokes in the direction the hair grows
• Take a few hairs at a time. Driving it through a whole mat in one pull is what hurts
• Once the mat is split, finish with a comb. The mat breaker opens it; the comb clears it
• Rinse and dry it after use, and keep the blades covered in a drawer

Good To Know

• The blades are genuinely sharp. Keep your free hand between the tool and the dog, and stop if the dog tenses
• A mat that is flat against the skin, or a coat matted over a large area, is a job for a groomer with clippers. Pulling at it is painful and the skin underneath is often sore already
• Check the skin once a mat is out. Damp, red or smelly skin under a mat needs a vet, not more grooming
• Mats form fastest behind the ears, in the armpits, along the trousers and under a collar. Those are the places worth checking weekly
• Works on cats as well as dogs, but a matted cat is usually better sedated and clipped by a vet than worked on at home