Helpful] Tips

Pet nail care is an essential part of your pet’s total health care. Considering that nails continuously grow and are not necessarily worn down as they could if they have been going for walks, in that case it is up to you to help in keeping them at a comfy length. Any time nails are too long, it impacts the way a dog walks which can trigger osteo-arthritis later on in life. Also longer nails could possibly get caught as well as torn, or in some cases curl back into the toe pad and can result in an infection. Trimming nails is not that traumatic if you have the suitable tools and also have schooled your dog to let you hold the paw.

The nail has a “quick” which contains the veins and nerves of the nail.The quick is easier to see in white nails. By trimming small amounts at a time and trimming with the plane of the bottom part of the toe pad (horizontally rather than vertically) you are able to avert cutting the nail to short as to cause it to bleed.

Here are a few additional suggestions to successfully trim your pet’s nails:

1. Begin when your pet is still a puppy or kitten by carefully holding their feet. By making a sport of it and examining the nails, chances are they’ll will allow you to cut them when they grow older.

2. Opt for a pet nail trimmer for the size and age of your pet.I usually use a human toe nail trimmer for young pet’s nails because it can easily get to the teeny points just a little easier and they are sharper. When the kitten or puppy gets older, I can then convert nail trimmers to the scissor action kind of trimmer rather then the guillotine trimmer. I find that these stay sharper longer and are also a lot easier to use. The guillotine kind some times catches the nails and does not make a clean cut. Your veterinarian may help you purchase a suitable trimmer.

3. When trimming your dog’s nails, never undertake it while your pet is sitting in your lap. Have somebody aid you and put them on the counter or lid of the washer or dryer. You may wrap them with a bath towel to assist holding them a lot better. Cats can also be scruffed by grasping the loose skin behind their heads for better control. If your pet starts to fight, just try holding the paw until he calms. Should you release the foot whenever your pet begins to protest, you’re just encouraging the poor behavior and will make the next nail trim event even more difficult. (Go back to number 1)

4. Be prepared. Have readily available styptic pencils like silver nitrate or Kwik stop powder. Be aware that the silver nitrate on the end of the sticks may stain counters and your skin should you get it on you. For beginners, it is best to stick with the styptic powder.

5. If your pet has light colored nails, you can see the pink component of the quick. If your pet has darker nails, trim a little bit at any given time. I like to carefully press on the toe and extend the nail out. I then draw an imaginary line level with the bottom of the toe pad and extend it out across the nail. I then trim the nail at this imaginary line so that the nail is now level with the floor when the dog is standing. The nail of the cat is easier to see and it is best to just trim the tips off and stay away from the pink colored quick.

6. You may use an emery board to smooth the rough edges.

7. Pedi-paws or similar rotor drill sanders are useful to smooth rough edges and to trim just a small amount of nail. If the nail is very long in any way, then it definitely will take you quite some time to get it trimmed. You might use the drill to maintain the nail shorter or for smoothing the nail after you have used the clippers. Your pet must also be trained not to be scared of the sound, so i suggest you proceed slowly and gradually while you both learn how to deal with the drill.

With a little practice and a lot of patience, you will soon be trimming your pet’s nails with full confidence. If all else fails, your veterinarian or groomer are there to help.

This entry was posted on 12. May 2010 at 09:50 and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.