Bad mats under chin from antibiotics and juice

[cheezling]

Hi everyone,
My Schnuffel has some really bad mats under his chin that seem impossible to clean.
It's all thanks to the antibiotic/fruit juice combo that got spilled there about a week ago. Since he really struggles with syringe feeding and has an aversion to towels after being burrito'd, I thought that I'd just spare him the clean-up to not stress him out any further.
The next day I attempted cleaning the area with a moist towel but it was really difficult and so I thought that I'd just wait for his treatment to get over with.
Now, after a week the mats are really bad and I don't know what to do. I'm scared to cut them off as I don't want to cut his skin. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

Your vet should be able to shave the chin for you. It would get rid of the matting and such and should keep it clean until he is off medication (assuming it is not long term meds). He might look silly for a while, but it will grow back.

I would suggest not doing it yourself. Using scissors is dangerous and you could cut him. Clippers are better, but good ones are expensive and it is hard to do a delicate area yourself.

 

[cheezling]

Your vet should be able to shave the chin for you. It would get rid of the matting and such and should keep it clean until he is off medication (assuming it is not long term meds). He might look silly for a while, but it will grow back.

I would suggest not doing it yourself. Using scissors is dangerous and you could cut him. Clippers are better, but good ones are expensive and it is hard to do a delicate area yourself.

Oh, sigh.
I was hoping that maybe I could apply something that would soften them up and help me comb them out?
He's been in and out of the vet's the past month due to an URI and the long car rides are really stressful for him.

 

[JBun]

If you could manage to wash and rinse the area with some mild soap or baby shampoo, that would help break up the stickiness holding all the matted fur together. You might be able to use a syringe to squirt the soapy water on there, then work it in to loosen up the matt, then squirt some more water to rinse it. Just try not to stress him out too much doing it, towel dry him as much as you can, and make sure he stays warm til he's completely dry.