# suggestions for removing burrs w/o cutting the fur



## Riley's Mom (Jun 7, 2007)

Hi,

Does anyone have any solution for getting burrs out of a long hair? She has some in a very tender spot on her tummy above where she pees so the burrs should not be in the way for that. She's also got them at the top of her tail but underneath it and a few other places. We did get some out using a wide tooth dog comb but because of the long hair a number of them got really embedded in some places. The ones on her tummy are so close to the skin we are afraid to use a scissors and she won't sit still very well. We would prefer to not chop her fur if at all possible. I thought maybe someone might have a better solution. Thanks.


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## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

I used to use Show Sheen. (It is made for horses.) You could try butter, veg(or some other kind) oil, or Vaseline it you don't want to have to buy something special.


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## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

You might want to consider cutting the ones on her tummy out so she won't get them again. Providing of course she will lay still for that.


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## Jolynn (Oct 14, 2008)

Use a comb and pull it out with the comb or use gloves to pull them out


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## 3dogcrew (Apr 23, 2006)

I use baby oil for the horses when they get burrs, its inexpensive and works well, the burrs pull out easy.


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## roxy84 (Jun 23, 2007)

lots of burs this fall. ive been using this furminator knock off called shed-ender. get under the bur nicely without taking much fur.


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## BrennasMom (Mar 2, 2008)

If you use a comb, try picking them out one at a time. If you can't get them out use clippers, not scissors. I've seen way too many pets with chunks of skin missing due to owners trying to cut mats, etc. out with scissors.


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

I think she'll have some issues with a comb pulling hair in the places you describe. I would use cornstarch first. I would apply it very liberally and work it in to the fur. Then the burs will work out much more easily. When you get them out be sure to suggest that she avoid setting on sticker bushes!


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## Riley's Mom (Jun 7, 2007)

Thank you everyone for your replies. We're working them out slowly because she's not sitting/laying well for any burr removal activities. I really don't want to force her to stay put for removing them because she was skittish about being brushed as a pup and it took several months to get her to like being brushed. I'm afraid that forcing her to sit still for this uncomfortable burr removal brushing, she'll not allow any kind of brushing at all without some kind of medication or ??? and I don't want to go that route.

The ones on her tummy are all out thanks to a little creative and sneaky tummy rubbing by the hubby. She'd come and stand by him for some attention and he'd pet her all over and sneak down to the tummy area, isolate a burr w/his fingers to make sure it was away from the skin, with the other hand he had a very tiny scissors and managed over a period of time, one burr at a time to carefully snip them out. She didn't even notice what he was doing it didn't seem. I don't mind snipping there because nobody can see chopped out chunks of fur there. We got lucky here in that her tummy fur is not nearly as thick as the rest of her coat. It's just a very tender area to just flat out brush them out.

He had to leave on this week's run, so I've been using a long toothed one row of teeth dog brush. It's more like a comb with space between each tooth. When she's quiet I just go over to her, pet her and talk quietly to her to keep her calm. I locate a burr, gently pull as much fur away from the burr as I can by hand, hold the burr w/my left hand and then brush out the burr itself with the brush in my right hand. It's brushing the burr out in stages because to grab the entire burr and brush it out hurts her.

I tried the furminator brush, but the brush I'm using is working better. Since I don't have a suitable place to bathe her after putting something oily/greasy on the burr'd areas, I've avoided that. 

In case anyone is interested, I did find on the internet to crush the burrs w/a pliers before brushing it out. This seems to make really good sense in theory, but I haven't been able to get it to work yet. The problem seems to be that her burs are in her undercoat. When I get a burr isolated it's so close to the skin that I can't be sure I'd not crush skin along w/the burr. This does seem like it would work really well for burrs in a top coat that are totally visible to the eye, though. Hers are literally buried in the undercoat in several areas of her tail ON the tail bone and up near the top of the tail on her butt but again buried in the the undercoat with her tail covering where the burrs are. 

By doing one burr at a time (at least an hour apart) because that's all she'll sit still for, I've managed to get out most of them. We're still in the "progress but not perfection" stage but we're getting real close to perfection - perfection meaning no remaining burrs.

Middleofnowhere, had I known there were burrs where she was at, I'd not have allowed her there. Having her get burrs was not a planned activity. They've been in this field a number of times before and come out burr-less so I didn't give it a thought. I am not a gardener or weed expert so I had no clue that she was in a burry area. Hubby told me that at this time of year the burrs open up, which I was not aware of, and that's why this time they wound up with the burrs. Riley got just a few that came out very easily, thank goodness.


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## Riley's Mom (Jun 7, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: BrennasMomIf you use a comb, try picking them out one at a time. If you can't get them out use clippers, not scissors. I've seen way too many pets with chunks of skin missing due to owners trying to cut mats, etc. out with scissors.


This sounds like a great idea. I will have to get a new set of clippers, thanks! I wasn't fond of hubby using scissors on her tummy burrs but these were not down ON her tummy so there was some room for snipping w/o getting skin. A clippers would have been so much easier and quicker! Thanks!


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## SouthernThistle (Nov 16, 2005)

Cowboy Magic detangler works as well







(Also a horse thing)


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