TRIMMING YOUR PET’S NAILS

It’s important to have your pet’s nails trimmed regularly. How often you have this done depends on the growth rate of your dog’s nails. Some pets nails grow faster than others. Factors such as nutrition and whether they walk on hard surfaces such as concrete can affect the length of nails. The short answer is that you should have them trimmed as often as it takes to prevent their nails from touching the ground when they’re standing.

–Long nails can be painful for your dog to walk on.

–Long nails are more likely to get caught on things and get torn off.

–Untrimmed nails can curl and grow into your dog’s pads, resulting in pain and infection.

–Long nails can damage your skin, floors and furniture.

Your professional groomer can help keep your pet’s nails at a comfortable length and give you a recommendation on how often they need to be trimmed. If you choose to clip your dog’s nails yourself, make sure you have something on hand to stop the bleeding if you should happen to cut a nail too short. Even professional groomers sometimes accidentally clip a nail a little short—especially when dealing with a wiggly dog. Styptic powder is then applied to stop the bleeding if this should happen. After your professional groomer trims your pet’s nails, it can be followed up with a dremel to smooth any remaining sharp edges.