NAIL & FOOT CARE

FEET AND NAILS

I have spent years cutting dog's nails. I never gave much thought about
it and it was part of my routine in grooming. I also did some trimming
of fur around the feet but was not always diligent about it. Then I met
a vet trained in acupuncture and acupressure. Boy did she open my eyes.
She was not shy about castigating me regarding my trimming of Melodie's
nails. She was treating Melodie for some back problems and used her as
an example to show me what improper nail care would do to her.

I thought I was doing a pretty good job. I was told differently. She
let me know that there are vets out there that are not doing justice to
the canine population when it comes to nail care.

She gave me a lengthy lesson on what happens if a dog's nails are not
kept properly short. She brought out a skeleton of a dog and
demonstrated what happens to a canine if the nails grow out to an
unacceptable length and also if all four paws are not equal.

I was shocked to learn how my dog's balance was affected by my
ignorance. She showed me what happens to the alignment of their spine
and how it affects their hips, shoulders, and daily walking and
standing. It throws their whole alignment off if the nails are too long
and really plays havoc if one foot is different than another.

We probably think of their nails in relation to our own. Big mistake.
Put your hand on a table, curling your fingers so you're tapping your
finger/nail on the table. Depending on how long your nails are, you will
see how they relate to hitting the table. Even if your nails are short,
I'm willing to bet that a bit of your nails are making a noise striking
the table. Now translate that into walking on your fingers. While you're
thinking about that, mentally add the number of pounds your dog weighs
pressing down on your nails. It really is not pleasant. You can
experience the same thing if your toenails grow out too far and push
against the front of your shoe.

Your dog gets pretty tired of this. It is uncomfortable. Not only is it
not comfortable day after day, but they tend to throw their balance off
to find relief. You can do the same thing by relating to your shoulder
being thrown off balance and your neck becoming out of alignment. Pretty
soon you'd be seeking out a good chiropractor to adjust your back, neck,
and other parts that have been thrown out of whack.

I used to work with a dog trainer that would listen to all of the dogs
coming into class and as we walked around the ring. She told us that if
we heard our dog's feet hit the floor, the nails were too long. She was
so right. It's a great test. You should not hear your dog walk around
the house or on any hard surface.

If you are not up to trimming your dog's feet, then plan on making
regular appointments with your vet to have the job done. If you want to
learn to do it yourself, check with your vet on how to cut the nails and
what to look for. You do not go at it and take a huge chunk of nail off.
The quick grows out inside the nail. On some clear nails you can see it
but if your dog has black nails you cannot see it and have to learn what
to look for at the end of the nail to know when to stop. You go through
this process little by little.

My advice is to work with your vet until you have moved the quick back
and have the nails at the proper length. Once that is done, plan on
cutting back the nails once a week or every two weeks depending on how
fast your dog's nails grow out. If you walk your dog often, chances are
you won't have to do it as often. You will only remove a little each
time just to keep them at the proper length. If you are not consistent,
you will end up starting all over again. You do not correct it by trying
to take off a huge amount.

As most dog owners probably know there are several types of nail
cutters. Most vets have their preferences. I've used both types. It
seems to be a majority of vets use the type where you insert the nail
into the hole. I've asked them why and they don't feel comfortable using
the other style of squeezing the nail from side to side. I've always had
large dogs and I don't like the guillotine type. But it's just fine for
average to smaller dogs and for beginners. For me, they didn't stay
sharp enough and even when new they never cut the nail cleanly for
me..even the heavy duty model didn't work all that well. Replacement
blades are available. However, I think this is probably the best model
for a beginner to start with as you can see clearly how much nail you
are removing and won't cut back too far.

I like the heavy duty Millers-Forge trimmer. One model has a Safety Bar
to keep you from cutting the nail too short. The trimmer is sharp and
stays sharp for a long time. For me it does a nice clean cut once you
get comfortable using it and you don't leave a rough edge.

You should have a container of Kwik Stop powder in case you cut the
nail too far back. Do not panic if you see blood. Follow the direction
for use. But mainly do it in a matter of fact way so as not to alarm
your dog.

You can also consider an electric nail grinder kit. I used this for
years as my dogs seemed comfortable with it. However, a word of warning.
An electric grinder will heat up your dog's nail and you must not keep
it running on the nail until you reach where you want to stop. It's very
painful to the dog if you do. You must learn to do a tapping type of
motion, taking it off and on the nail as you trim. You can feel your
dog's nail and you will feel if it's hot or not. If it is hot, you're
not doing it correctly and you are causing your dog much discomfort.

However, there is another application with an electric grinder. It's a
sanding disc that you can put on the unit and just smooth off the
nail...much like a nail file for your own nails. It is for light use and
can gently just round off any rough edges so they won't catch on carpets
and blankets.

Before you start to do nails, you should trim your dog's paws of excess
fur. This is one thing that none of my dogs have ever appreciated. It is
very sensitive for them and they don't like it one bit. If I have a calm
dog, I use long shears that have rounded ends for doing the excess fur
on top of the paw and then if the fur on the bottom is long. But then I
switch to a pair of small scissors. They are known as ear and nose
trimmer. They have small round circles at the end. Both of these types
of scissors are for safety purposes as I never know if my dog is going
to move suddenly if I don't have them secured on a grooming table. You
certainly don't want sharp ends to accidentally stab your dog in the eye
or side or elsewhere. I lean heavily toward safety even though I've been
grooming dogs for years.

Keeping the fur short and well trimmed around the feet helps your dog
from getting mats between the toes which can hurt their feet and
possibly cause sores and infections. It also makes it hard for seed pods
etc. to latch on to their feet.

Dogs sweat through their pads and feet so it is especially important
that you keep their feet in good condition. The new boots for dogs have
improved greatly and should be considered if you walk your dog in the
winter and spring. You will avoid frostbite and all of the salt/sand on
the road. If you don't cover them, you will have to wash off their feet
when you return.

Should your dog being doing an excessive amount of chewing of the feet
you should contact your vet and see if there is a potential allergy
problem.