Keeping a dog's nails in perfect condition goes beyond aesthetics, it is a he alth issue that you can avoid the appearance of wounds on their legs and other problems derived from excessive length. If we get the right utensils, we can carry out the task of cutting them ourselves, in the comfort of home, in order to save the cost of going to a specialist and rid the animal, for once, of going through the dreaded visit to the vet. Of course, the obligatory periodic visits cannot be missed in any way if we want it to remain he althy and strong for many years.
On our site we want to help you take care of your dog's nails through some simple tips and, therefore, in this article we show you how to cut a dog's nails dog at home.
Why should I trim my dog's nails?
If you have inspected your dog's legs, you will have noticed that the soles of the feet have pads on which they support all their weight when walking. The dog's nails should never go beyond said pad because, when they do, they prevent him from walking correctly, causing the fingers to twist to try to rest on the ground the pads. Likewise, little by little they will adopt strange postures that can develop serious problems in their legs
In addition to causing he alth problems due to not being able to support the legs correctly, not cutting a dog's nails can also lead to wounds on the fifth toe, since as it grows it will end up penetrating the skin. For this reason, cutting a dog's nails on a regular basis represents one of the basic cares that we should not overlook.
When to cut a dog's nails?
At what age can a dog's nails be trimmed? Many are those who wonder when they can start trimming their puppy's nails and the answer is very simple: as soon as possible. There is no specific agegiven for this practice, we can start it when we observe that our dog's nails exceed the mentioned limit and begin to hinder their movements. In fact, it is highly beneficial to start cutting the puppy's nails because it helps us normalize the activity, get him used to it and take it as part of his routine. Of course, during the puppy stage we must use a type of scissors adapted to its nail that, probably, we will not be able to use once it reaches adulthood. In this sense, we recommend going to the veterinarian so that he can make the first cuts.
How often do you trim a dog's nails?
After seeing the importance of maintaining the he alth of their nails and knowing when to start, we may wonder how often we should cut them to prevent the above problems from appearing in our dog. Well, the truth is that there is no set period of time, since each breed of dog has a specific growth rate. Similarly, depending on the type of exercise that the dog performs, the nails are filed naturally and, therefore, do not need to be cut so regularly.
In general, toy and small dogs, regardless of whether they are purebred or mongrel, show a much higher rate of growth than medium, large and giant dogs. If your furry companion is a Chihuahua or Yorkshire, for example, you'll probably need to clip his nails every two to three weeks or so, while if you enjoy the company of a Boxer, once a month will suffice. What you should be clear about is that dogs' nails never stop growing and, therefore, you should check them every week and cut them when you notice that the time to do it.
What do I need to trim my dog's nails?
To be able to cut a dog's nails at home without hurting it, it is essential to have the right utensils. In this way, we recommend that you spare no expense and avoid low-quality products, remember that the he alth of your furry companion is at stake.
In today's market we can find a wide variety of scissors to cut a dog's nails, with different shapes and sizes. However, the most used are the following:
Common scissors
This type of scissors to cut dog nails has a similar shape to human scissors, but adapting the blades to the nails of these animals. Likewise, some models incorporate a small spring to facilitate movement. To use them, we simply have to hold the nail in the right area and exert the precise force to cut it quickly and cleanly.
When selecting this type of scissors, you should look at its size and choose the one that best suits the size of your dog. Although we can get them for all breeds, the common scissors are usually more recommended for those canes toy or small, since it is not necessary to exert a high degree of force to It's time to cut the dog's nails.
Guillotine-style scissors
This type of scissors for dogs has a built-in spring to facilitate the task of cutting the dog's nails. To use them, we will have to insert the nail into the hole and place the scissors at the appropriate height to cut. The advantage that this scissor has over the previous one is that it allows us to exert a greater degree of force when cutting without any difficulty. Thus, it is more recommended for trimming the nails of large dogs, or with thicker nails.
How to cut my dog's nails step by step?
Now that we know the scissors we should use to cut a dog's nails, we can proceed to explain step by step how to do it. However, before taking action, it is essential to clarify what the dog's nail is like, because inside it there is living tissue that we should not cut if we do not want to hurt our furry companion. In this way, the first advice we give you is to examine your dog's nails and identify said tissue, which will show up as a pink line inside. Once found, we carry out the following steps:
- The first thing is to create a relaxed environment and, above all, calm for the animal. In this sense, we recommend that you get your dog used to this practice from an early age so that it seems normal and part of his routine. To do this, in addition to trimming her nails regularly, he gently touches her paws and nails daily. Although it may seem like an insignificant act, this fact will help our dog not to be scared or alarmed when we need to trim his nails or trim the hairs between the pads.
- Once the relaxed atmosphere is established, place your dog on its feet to observe the remaining piece of nail and know exactly where to cut. Remember that the ideal measure is one that is at ground level but without touching it.
- Then, take one of his paws and, if it is the first time you are going to cut your dog's nails, run the scissors over them, just grazing them, and reward him with a treat so that he associates the tool with a positive encouragement. Repeat this step until you see that your dog is completely calm.
- To cut the nail you simply have to place the scissors at the right height and exert the necessary pressure to make a quick and clean cut. The proper position is one that shows a straight cut, or a slightly downward cut In this way, avoid cutting your dog's nails diagonally upwards. Look at the image.
- When you've trimmed the nails on the first paw, praise him and offer him a treat before moving on to the next.
How to trim a dog's black nails
When the dog's nails are transparent, or semi-transparent, it is easy to identify the excess part and cut without touching the living tissue. However, when the nails are completely black, it is impossible to identify this tissue with the naked eye. So, to avoid cutting it and hurting the animal, we have two options:
- Cut the nail little by little Start by cutting just the tip of your dog's nail and look inside, if it shows completely white, you can cut a few more millimeters, while if it shows with a black dot, you will have to stop because the tissue is right after.
- Cut the nail at ground level. With the dog on its feet, position yourself so that you can clip its nail without having to lift its paw. In this way, you will be able to observe the remaining part that you must cut and proceed to make the cut.
I cut my dog's nail badly, what do I do?
Sometimes it may happen that our dog has moved just at the moment of making the cut, or because his nail is black, we have cut more than necessary and has started to bleedIf it happens, the first thing we should do is stay calm. Then, the fastest and most effective way to stop the bleeding from your dog's nail is to take a clean gauze, moisten it with hydrogen peroxide and clean the nail, both to disinfect the wound as to stop the bleeding. If we have chlorhexidine digluconate at home, we prefer to use it because it disinfects without irritating the animal's skin.
Ideally, you should have the disinfectant products at hand before starting to cut the dog's nails so that you can act as soon as possible in the event of an accident. And if we are even more cautious, it is best to go to the vet first to get a special antihemorrhagic powder for dogs, since it is much more effective than water oxygenated at the time of stopping the hemorrhage. Likewise, powdered silver nitrate is also very effective. To do this, we recommend having a dog first aid kit ready.
And if you find it impossible to cut your dog's nails, go to the vet or dog groomer so that a specialist can carry out this task. Especially those dogs adopted as adults present problems when carrying out activities such as nail trimming, either because they already have a series of acquired habits and, among them, this one is not found, or because the experiences lived have been so traumatic that they cannot avoid being afraid or feeling insecure.
Video tutorial to cut your dog's nails without hurting him
Throughout the article we have detailed how to cut a dog's nails, what is needed for it and what to do in case of cutting more than necessary. However, to facilitate the task and visualize the steps in a much clearer way, we are sharing a video made by our experts in which we show the process to follow to cut a dog's nails without hurting him.
