Often, when a person gets a dog, he is not aware of all the procedures and rules that he will have to face in order to properly care for his pet. The dog needs to be washed, its ears cleaned and its nails trimmed properly. You need to be prepared for this especially for those owners whose pets hardly go for walks (for example, small breeds).
The first thing we can recommend is to contact the veterinarian once a month or a month and a half to trim your dog’s nails. If the owner thinks that he can handle it himself, then he needs to purchase special nail clippers - no office scissors .
How to trim a dog’s nails at home, how to behave and what to stock up on in case of an emergency is described in this article.
Is it possible to trim a dog's nails?
The answer is simple, yes it is possible. First of all, regular hygiene of nails and paws is necessary to prevent infectious diseases . After walks, inspect your pet's paws; there should be no wounds or cuts on them.
It is important to trim your dog's nails because they can become embedded in the skin, causing pain. If a dog gets caught on something while walking and pulls out a nail protruding from a profitable toe, it will be very painful for him.
Strongly overgrown claws cause discomfort to the animal , the center of gravity shifts, joints are deformed, which leads to disease. And the clicking of dog’s claws around the apartment is a signal that it’s time to cut them. If you take your dog into your home as a small puppy, then slowly and gradually accustom the animal to this unpleasant procedure.
If you have absolutely no idea how to trim your pet’s claws, then go to the vet and let a professional show you how it’s done.
After that, try it yourself.
Nail clipper for dogs: selection criteria and rules of use
When a dog is cramped in an apartment or spends a lot of time in a pen with a wooden covering, rushes along paths with pliable soil, or sits in the arms of the owner, the owner should carefully monitor the pet’s paws. It is especially necessary to pay attention to the enlargement of the claws, which grow on your four-legged friend throughout his life. Growing and becoming excessively long, they cause discomfort to the pet and can lead to muscle atrophy and even joint deformation. A pet can get caught in an overgrown claw, which can lead to injury. In other words, a nail clipper is not only a convenient thing, but also simply necessary.
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Tools Needed to Trim Dog Nails
If you have gained courage and calmness (and they are needed here most of all!), then you need to stock up on items to care for your dog’s claws. First of all, buy dog nail clippers. They come in two types - wire cutters and guillotines .
Dog nail clippers are similar to pruning shears—one blade is straight and the other is curved.
A guillotine for cutting dog nails is something similar to pliers with a hole for the nail and handles that you press on.
To properly trim a dog's nails with a nail clipper, you need to be extremely focused and attentive .
Important! The ideal and correct material for nail clippers of any kind is brass or stainless steel. Don't buy cheap or flimsy-looking tools. The blades should be sharp and the handles should be rubberized and non-slip.
You also need to purchase a nail file to trim trimmed claws. There are also electric scratching posts - trimmers.
You will also need to put together a makeshift emergency first aid kit, which should include:
- hydrogen peroxide;
- chlorhexidine;
- talc (baby powder);
- potassium permanganate powder;
- flour (replacement of talc);
- sterile bandage (gauze);
- cotton pads;
- alcohol or vodka (for sterilizing wire cutters or guillotine).
Buy all this in advance and put it in one box.
Types of nail clippers
In the pet store you can find two varieties of this tool:
- The sickle-shaped nail clipper looks like tweezers with two curved blades. The width of their opening is adjusted using a limiter. It can be adjusted to the size and thickness of the claw. This nail clipper is suitable for large dogs with strong nails.
- A guillotine nail clipper is shaped like a ring into which a pet's claw is inserted for trimming, with two blades. It is designed for medium and small breeds.
The cost ranges from 350 to 600 rubles. It depends on the type, material, size of the device, for example, a sickle-shaped nail clipper will cost more.
When choosing, be guided by the size of your pet’s claw and your own hand so that you can comfortably hold the nail clipper. Look for burrs on the cutting edges of the blades, evaluate the strength of the tool handles (to prevent your fingers from slipping, it is better to take a device with rubber gaskets).
You should replace your nail clipper if you notice that it is crushing your dog’s nail and causing it to split when trimmed.
How to properly trim a dog's nails with clippers or a guillotine
Sterilize your instruments before each use!
This can be done in boiling water or with alcohol (vodka).
You also need to be sure to wash your hands . The animal's paws must also be clean. A good option is to cut it after washing, when the claws have softened a little.
Look at the dog's claws. If they are light, then you will see the pulp - this is the internal tissue that fills the cavity of the claw and contains many blood vessels and nerve endings.
Important! You can't touch her. The dog's nails need to be trimmed 1.5 - 2 mm after the edge.
If the claws are black, then you need to cut them half a millimeter at a time until a pink dot appears in the middle of the claw - the pulp. You cannot cut any further, otherwise bleeding will occur.
For an animal, cutting the pulp is a very painful sensation . Remember this, be extremely careful.
You need to start cutting from the front paws. Place the dog on the floor or other non-slip surface. Or lay it down with one paw extended to the animal.
Press with your left hand on the pad of the finger, the claw will stretch out, and in one quick movement you carefully cut it with pliers at an angle of 45° towards the inside of the foot by 1 mm . Repeat this, cutting half a millimeter at a time, not reaching the pulp by 1-2 millimeters .
Do not cut down to the pulp in one movement - this is prohibited! You can touch it and hurt your pet. And if he twitches unsuccessfully, then rip out the claw.
If you were unable to trim all the claws at once, the dog began to get nervous, leave him alone, and finish trimming him in a couple of days. Or take it to a groomer.
How to trim a dog's nails with a guillotine? The principle of cutting claws with a guillotine is the same. You need to stretch out your friend’s paw, press on the pad of the finger from below, place the nail plate in the guillotine and cut off the edge.
Important! After trimming the claws, they need to be filed with a file or trimmer.
Recommendations if your dog is bleeding
If you accidentally cut off part of the pulp, the animal twitched and was injured, or worse, the claw was completely torn out, then act quickly. Do not panic yourself, try to calm the howling dog - give it the most delicious treat .
After this, immediately take out dry potassium permanganate or talc, put it on gauze and apply to the wound for a minute to stop the bleeding. Afterwards, apply ice wrapped in cotton cloth for a short time. If there are severe tears, fill the wound with novocaine.
Do not let the animal run and hide - immediately disinfect the wound!
If the wound is serious and the animal is crying, then immediately go to the veterinary clinic or call a doctor at home.
First aid for injuries
Even experienced owners may experience situations where the pruning procedure becomes stressful. This could be due to a huge number of factors, ranging from a dull instrument to a sharp sound outside the window that frightened the pet.
It is important to remain calm and clearly understand the algorithm of actions in the event of an injury.
Pulp trauma
If the pruning is done too short, there is a high risk of damaging a large number of blood vessels. In this case, heavy bleeding and sharp pain occur;
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It is the owner's job to stop the bleeding and calm the dog. Try to distract your pet. You should not shout at him, because the animal is in severe pain;
Using brilliant green, an alcohol solution of iodine, or other alcohol-containing antiseptics will only increase the pain. Therefore, many breeders prefer to treat open wounds with antiseptic powder.
You might find our article useful: Home veterinary first aid kit for dogs
This is important: If an injury occurs, and the first aid kit does not have the necessary medications, then experts advise stopping the bleeding with the help of flour.
Claw detonation
This situation arises in case of uncertain actions of the owner. Slow squeezing of the nail clipper by the owner in combination with a sharp jerk of the paw at the moment of manipulation can lead to disastrous results.
As a result, the claw becomes caught in the instrument and the skin and soft tissues rupture. The owner should:
- Remember that this is very painful for your four-legged pet. Therefore, he will try to break free and run away;
- The injured limb should be bandaged with gauze or a tourniquet in the metatarsal area; Raise the limb upward to stop bleeding;
- Apply cold to the injured paw. This could be an ice pack, food or fruit from the freezer;
- Open lesions should be treated with lidocaine. In its absence, this drug can be replaced with novocaine;
- If the wound is too large or the gap needs to be stitched, you should immediately seek help from a veterinarian.
This is important: before you remove frozen food from the freezer, place it in a bag and then wrap it in a towel or cloth. This will help avoid hypothermia. Also, you should not hold the cold on the injured limb for long to avoid frostbite.
The owner should remember that if an injury occurs, the dog must be left alone and not continue the nail trimming procedure for a period of 5-10 days.
Dog Nail Trimmer
Trimmers (grinders) for dog nails are expensive, but easy to use - you don’t need to cut anything. The main thing is to file the dog’s claws once every 2-3 weeks.
They have different grinding stone attachments. They are convenient to use if the dog is categorically against nippers. Their only drawback is that they heat up quickly . So the trimming procedure may take a long time.
If the animal constantly runs along paved roads during walks, then grinding or trimming is not necessary, it happens naturally.
Preparing for nail trimming
The breeder can take care of the pets' paws independently. The procedure is carried out once every two weeks or a month. Most likely, in winter you will have to trim your claws more often, since they are difficult to grind down at this time. The same thing is observed in puppies that are constantly indoors.
Before cutting your Pomeranian's nails, prepare:
- nail clipper (sold in pet stores and veterinary pharmacies);
- hydrogen peroxide, iodine, potassium permanganate, baby powder to stop possible bleeding;
- cotton buds;
- varnish if you want to give your dog a manicure;
- a treat for a pet that has patiently undergone the procedure.
How to calm an animal during the procedure
It is important that you yourself are calm and not afraid of the haircut procedure. Otherwise, the pet will feel your fear and will be too excited and restless.
If the animal is afraid of a haircut, then perform 4-5 deceptive performances. You lay out the tools, let him sniff them, feed him treats, but don’t touch him. After a couple of times, try to shorten, for example, a pencil so that the animal understands the sound of the nail clipper.
Don't forget to talk kindly, socialize and feed your favorite foods. After this, do a trial trimming of one nail. If everything went well, praise your pet and give him treats. Next time try to trim all the claws. As a last resort, give your pet some natural sedative made from herbs .
Trimming dog nails is not a difficult procedure, but it requires concentration, accuracy and great patience. It is important to remember that you cannot cut claws with ordinary scissors , which spoil the structure of the claw, break and delaminate it. The advantages of using nippers or guillotines are undeniable - you will not injure the animal, damage the nail structure and will not touch the pulp.
