What to Do About Overgrown Dog Nails

Trina

Pet owners far and wide consider the idea of trimming the nails on their dog an intimidating process. Guess what? Dogs aren’t very thrilled with the idea of getting their nails cut either. It’s an uncomfortable situation for everyone involved. Not only is it tough to trim 20 nails on a dog that won’t stop squirming, there are also other things that you have to consider about the process. They include:

• How regularly should I clip my dog’s nails?
• Are there specific tools for nail trimming that I need?
• Is it possible to calm down my dog while trimming its nails?
• What do I do when I trim a dog’s nails too short?

Those are some of the most common issues that dog owners face when considering what they should do about overgrown dog nails. We will briefly touch upon each of these topics to help you better understand how to handle dog nail growth.

How Regularly Should I Clip My Dogs Nails?

As far as nail trimmings are concerned, you should consider the following issues that affect dog nail growth and the regularity of trimming to help you make your overall determination. They include:

• Dog habits – does your dog spend a lot of time outside rolling around in the grass or dirt? Or is your dog mostly inside the house and spends the majority of his or her time on the carpet? Do they walk a lot on the concrete or asphalt? Consider each of these questions to decide how often trimming is necessary.
• Feet on the ground – does your dog spend the biggest part of his or her day sleeping on the couch? Or is your pooch nestled in your arms most of the time? Or does your dog spend lots of time walking around on the ground?
• Feeding your dog – your dog’s nutrition is of the utmost importance, and believe it or not it has an impact on the growth rate of your dog’s nails. Certain vitamins and minerals will influence nail growth rates, so learn about this and keep it in mind.
• Health conditions – certain health conditions like autoimmune disorders, nail bed infections, and even tumours will have an effect on the growth rate of your dog’s nails.

Trimming Your Dogs Nails: A Good Rule of Thumb

According to Petlifeworld, there’s a solid rule of thumb to help you determine when you should trim your dog’s nails: trim them or bring them in to get trimmed whenever your dog’s nails are touching the ground while he or she is standing. When your dog stands and his or her nails are touching the ground, this is a signal telling you that the nails are too long and it’s time to get them trimmed. Every dog is different and some will need to have their nails trimmed more than others. More often than not, you’ll need to trim your dog’s nails at least once a week or once every other week. And if you keep up with this practice regularly, your dog will become accustomed to it and they will feel a lot less stress and anxiety because it will become a normal experience for them.

Are There Specific Tools for Nail Trimming That I Need?

As far as nail trimmers are concerned, there are two options that work very well for dogs of every size. The scissor-style trimmers are an excellent choice when trimming the nails of small dogs, and they even work well for cats too. Or you can focus on getting professional pet nail clippers made of stainless steel with a comfortable handle grip. These nail trimmers are excellent for dogs of all sizes, but they’re especially good for larger dogs since they are bigger and stronger.

Add a Nail Grinder to Your Repertoire

Believe it or not, certain dogs respond better to nail grinders. These grinders will grind away at their nails and smooth out the edges without causing any major pain or discomfort. Dogs often find the grinding process easier because the person doing the grinding can actually take it slower and keep the dog calm. At the same time, it’s often better because it can totally prevent accidentally cutting a blood vessel or nerve since no clipping is involved.

Is It Possible to Calm Down My Dog While Trimming Its Nails?

It’s more than possible to keep your dog calm and collected while trimming its nails. This doesn’t need to be a difficult or nearly impossible situation. Your dog has the ability to remain calm, but you have to do your part to make the nail trimming process go over smoothly as well.

As an example, if you are totally stressed out and upset that you have to trim the dog’s nails, he or she is going to know this and feel your stress and anxiety and react to it. Before you begin the nail trimming process, you need to take a moment for yourself to remain calm, cool, and collected. This will go a long way to keeping your dog calm and happy as well.

As you begin the nail cutting process, see how everything starts off and make judgments about the situation. Is your dog calmly accepting the nail trimming without any issues? If so you should keep going until a problem arises. If your dog seems particularly stressed and difficult, do not hesitate to take a break and give your dog a moment to calm down again.

Afterwards, remember to give your dog a nice reward by offering him or her a treat. Let your pup know how good he or she was, pat them on the head, give them a belly rub if they like it, and make sure your dog knows that he or she did a great job.

What Do I Do When I Trim a Dog’s Nails Too Short?

It happens from time to time so try not to stress yourself out if you trim a dog’s nails too short. Occasionally you may cut them so short that you accidentally break a blood vessel. This usually happens when your dog is squirming too much and giving you a hard time.

If your dog begins bleeding a lot when it is cut, you should have something on hand to stem the bleeding. Styptic powder is one great solution to stem the flow of blood. Another excellent option is a blood clotting accelerant called Clotit. Consider picking up one or both of these options and keep them readily available in case you need it while trimming your dog’s nails.

Photo by vasilisa.via , anjika by PxHere 

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