Matting of the coat is caused by a lack of regular grooming, and as such, is considered a "pre-existing condition." A pet that is matted is likely to experience discomfort, lack of mobility, and potential skin issues. Severe matting can pull on the skin as the pet moves, causing irritation which can, in some cases, be severe. Doggie.designs LLC will avoid causing undue stress and discomfort to the pets in our care, which means that we will not brush out severe matting, and we will not perform grooming on pets with a high risk of injury during removal of matting. The health and safety of the pets in our care is a much higher priority than a "cute" haircut.

Some instances of matting can cut off blood flow to an area, such as legs, tails, and ears. Ears are especially sensitive to removal of matting, due to the many small capillaries within the ear flap. Removal of matting on ears may cause a dog to develop hematoma of the ear. Doggie.designs LLC and its employees work very carefully to avoid any injury to pets, however due to the unknowable and changeable nature of each pets biology, behavior, stress levels, etc, it is still possible that a pet may develop issues, or have issues revealed by removal of matting. These potential issues include, but are not limited to:

Redness or skin irritation
Brush Burn or Razor Burn
Cuts, scrapes, nicks (due to being unable to visually assess the skin while grooming)
Hematoma of the ear(s)
Altered behavior after grooming (removal of mats can be painful and stressful for some pets)
Altered gait or movement after grooming (in some cases, matting may act as a cast, which can cause muscle atrophy)

Understand that removal of mats, even by shaving the coat completely, takes significantly more time, attention, and skill than grooming a maintained coat. Since prices are based on breed standard under the assumption of a maintained coat, there will likely be an added fee for the cost of extra labor, based on how long it takes to fully remove all the mats, compared to the "usual" amount of time it would take to groom a maintained coat of a similar pet. This fee is also included to mitigate unusual wear and tear on equipment that will need to be serviced.

In some instances, doggie.designs LLC may be unable to finish a complete grooming in one session. This is usually due to severely stressed animals that may cause injury to itself if grooming is pushed to continue. In this case, doggie.designs LLC may request prepayment of full grooming, and schedule a secondary appointment to finish the grooming.

By selecting "I Agree,” you, the owner/caretaker of this pet, agree to relinquish doggie.designs LLC from any and all costs associated with injuries or issues that may arise due to removal of matting, and agree to pay matting fees as determined by your pets groomer.