The other day my husband told me that our cat spent a good part of his afternoon grooming our dog’s paws.
“Good,” I joked. “Someone has to do it and it’s not going to be me.”
Of course I’m not really going to rely on Ghost Cat to make sure GhostBuster’s doggy nails are clipped — but I know I’m too anxious about nail clipping to do it myself. I can barely cut my own toenails without cutting myself.
My husband, on the other hand, is quite good at nail clipping, at least when it comes to cats. She manages to clip kitty claws without even waking our sleeping cat, but when it comes to dog nails her skills are untested. Our gorgeous GhostBuster has been putting his paws in the hands of professionals since he came home to us after his adoption this summer.
According to GhostBuster’s groomer, Jenn Shaw, owner of Tall Tails Grooming in Red Deer, Alberta, it’s very important to keep nails short so they don’t dig into the ground. Long nails can be bad for the bone structure of the feet. “Unless you have a dog that runs on concrete a lot and wears them down naturally, you need to keep an eye (or an ear for clicking on the ground) on the length of the hoof,” says Shaw.
With that said, cutting nails too short can also be painful for dogs. They can be stressed when the quick is cut (the part of the nail that contains blood vessels and nerves).
“Often a lot of anxiety also comes from the owner’s reaction to the sight of blood and their dog screaming,” explains Shaw. “Future nail trims cause anxiety for everyone involved.”
If you accidentally cut too quickly, Shaw suggests using styptic powder or a pen (both available at drug or pet stores) to press the tip of the nail to stop the bleeding. If you don’t have a styptic supply around, cornstarch or flour can also help.
Of course, what we really want to do is avoid bloody trims in the first place. Shaw says it’s best to take it easy when giving your beloved pet a pedicure.
“Try cutting a little at a time until you see the tip of the quick – which looks wet or darker compared to the dull appearance of the nail – to avoid cutting too deep,” he says.
Some dog owners are comfortable using this method to trim toenails, but for others (myself included), the whole process of a home nail trim is very stressful. “Dogs have this amazing ability to address their owner’s anxiety,” Shaw said. “So if you’re nervous about cutting your nails at home, it’s best to have them maintained by a professional.”
Rejecting nail trims is not the only option, because ingrown nails are dangerous and very painful.
“If you don’t feel comfortable cutting nails at home, especially those tricky black ones, it’s something a groomer can usually do on a walk-in basis in minutes.”
For now, that’s what I’ll stick to. At least until my husband can cut dog nails as well as he can cut kitty nails.
Read related stories on Dogster:
Featured Image Credit: Nomad_Soul, Shutterstock
