Sunday 24 June 2012

Dog nail care

By Jerry Welsh


Not may dog owners would think that nail care goes with bathing, brushing and cleaning the dog's eyes, ears and teeth. Fido's grooming routine should also include regular nail care. This part of grooming routine often takes a back seat as not many dogs would allow even their favorite person to violate their feet thus they may allow brushing and bathing, even let the master clean the ears and teeth but draw the line at nail trimming.

This part of grooming routine though is necessary because the long nails of the pet can destroy furniture. The long nails of the dog can scratch people or can tear a designer gown but we love these affectionate animals anyway. Walking on slippery pavement though would be very difficult if the dog's nails are long. Unclipped nails will prevent the dog from putting on full body weight on the legs and standing will be very uncomfortable. Long nails that get snagged in the carpet can tear and this would be a painful and bloody situation.

The need to trim the nails vary from breed to breed. Some dog would require a pedicure every three weeks or so. Some dogs can maintain the length of the nail by walking on rough surfaces thus the owner would only need to groom the nail once every month.

More frequent nail trimming is imperative for indoor dogs as nails that are allowed to grow long can raise health issues. Because dogs usually resist this part of grooming routine dog owners would postpone clipping the nails of the pet but this would make the routine harder as the quick is allowed to grow closer to the tip of the nail. If this happens, the chance that the quick will be clipped along with the nail is increased.

Puppies that are introduced to nail clipping will grow up accustomed to this grooming routine. This does not mean though that the pet cannot be trained to adapt to being pedicured. Make the nail grooming routine enjoyable for the dog so that it will be more cooperative. You may need to put the dog in your lap and to hold the foot for a while before using the doggie clipper. The quick is more visible in white nails thus owners of white nailed dogs would not worry too much about cutting the quick. Because the quick is less visible in black nails it would be best not to clip the nail in one go. Have a styptic powder at hand to stop the bleeding if the dog had struggled and the quick was cut.




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