Dog nails - advice

Good grooming practices are essential for maintaining health and happiness for you and your dog. This is a forum to exchange tips and advice for proper care of your dog's hygiene needs.

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Kally

I caught a- squirrel once...

Barked: Wed Jan 9, '13 10:34am PST


	Our little chihuahua mix, Sophie, is having a nail issue! Her little nails seem to grow very quickly, much quicker than our other dog. Her nails are also black which make it more difficult to trim. We used to trim them ourselves and then tried "filing" them, but she really, and I mean really, hated it. She would get very anxious and upset and even try to bite us sometimes. We started taking her to the vet to get them trimmed - she still hates it but doesn't try to bite them. They can only trim a very small amount before they get to the quick. We started taking her every two weeks - she would bleed. Moved it back to every four weeks- they are so long. Our vet recommended putting her under anesthesia and trimming them all very short - this seems really painful to me. I also don't want to put her under anesthesia unless truly necessary. Any tips? Maybe we should try a new place or a groomer? How often would you recommend trying to trim them? Thanks

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Murphy

Dogs are angels- with fur!

Barked: Wed Jan 9, '13 10:41am PST


	Murphy has the same problem, black dark nails and it's hard to see the quick but because the quick is so high you can only trim a little and they also grow very fast. I would not put him under anesthesia and get them cut real short, what will that solve, they will eventually grow back and are you going to put him under anesthesia every time? And also I wouldn't think it would be very healthy to cut the quick back that much which is what would need to be done is they were cut really short. I would just keep getting them trimmed as needed even though they grown fast, which is what I do with Murphy.

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Toto, CD,- RN, CGC

We don't do- doodles!!!

Barked: Wed Jan 9, '13 1:52pm PST


	As a groomer we are always doing nails. We offer it as a walk in service, and usually end up getting them MUCH shorter than the vets because we do so many and are more experienced. We will also use a dremel where the vets, at least around here, don't. The best time to work them back is during Winter as the cold makes the quicks recede much faster. On ones who want them shorter, I always suggest every two weeks and will usually use the dremel as you can get closer without causing them to bleed.

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Turner

Canadian- Champion, CGN

Barked: Thu Jan 10, '13 5:58am PST


	Another thing that helps the quick recede is walking on hard surfaces a lot, like the sidewalk. I'm also a groomer, and I see many dogs where I don't even have to touch their nails because they are worn down from walking a lot. I'm not sure if it's as effective on small dogs though, since they aren't putting as much weight on the nails when they walk, but it's something worth noting. Other than that, I'm not sure what you can really do that is different than what you are already doing. I clip the ends of my dog's nails once a week to keep them really short, but it sounds like the quick on your dog just isn't wanting to recede as easily.

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Kally

I caught a- squirrel once...

Barked: Thu Jan 10, '13 8:44am PST


	Thanks for all your help!! I'm going to look into if there are any groomers in our area - we live in a really small town. Also, the walks are a great idea - unfortunately we haven't been able to walk as much due to our schedules and the weather but hopefully that will change soon. Thanks again!

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Dude

1196700

Barked: Thu Jan 10, '13 11:33pm PST


	Dude had his nails trimmed really short while under anesthesia (for oral surgery). Within 6 months the quicks were just as long as before the trim.

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Sabi

When the night- closes in I will- be there

Barked: Fri Jan 11, '13 10:13pm PST


	I agree with Dude. My Danes nails were impossible to trim because the quick grew as fast as the nail. When I had her spayed the vet did them really short and cauterized the quick and within 6-8 months they were right back to the same thing. I seldom have to trim my dogs nails, but when Sabs get a bit long I let her bat her rock round on the pavement, files them down perfect.

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Bandit

I luvs slippers

Barked: Sat Jan 12, '13 9:39pm PST


	Bandit has black nails also. What really works very well for us is, first, soak his feet in warm water for 15 minutes, then have him lie down on his back so that I can look at the bottom of his nail and see where to clip it. Soaking makes the nails SO much easier to clip AND makes the quick very visible from the bottom of the nail. Bandit was never able to relax while getting his nails clipped, although he tried his best to tolerate it. The first time I soaked first, after doing the first two nails, he visibly sighed (a sigh of relief, I think) and just lay back and relaxed while I clipped the rest of them. It takes just a bit more time to do the job with the soaking, but it is so worth it for both of us. It is more comfortable for my dog and I am 10 times more confident about where to clip.

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Bandit

I luvs slippers

Barked: Sat Jan 12, '13 9:40pm PST


	Bandit has black nails also. What really works very well for us is, first, soak his feet in warm water for 15 minutes, then have him lie down on his back so that I can look at the bottom of his nail and see where to clip it. Soaking makes the nails SO much easier to clip AND makes the quick very visible from the bottom of the nail. Bandit was never able to relax while getting his nails clipped, although he tried his best to tolerate it. The first time I soaked first, after doing the first two nails, he visibly sighed (a sigh of relief, I think) and just lay back and relaxed while I clipped the rest of them. It takes just a bit more time to do the job with the soaking, but it is so worth it for both of us. It is more comfortable for my dog and I am 10 times more confident about where to clip.

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Turner

Canadian- Champion, CGN

Barked: Sun Jan 13, '13 7:08pm PST


	Bandit, I had never heard of that before! I know that I can look on some black nails underneath and there's an indicator or where to clip, but sometimes it's hard to see. The next time I get a dog in with black nails that I'm not sure of I think I'll try doing them right after the bath and letting them soak a bit. Thanks for the tip!

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