A dog’s nails are an integral part of its overall grooming, so paying attention to them every time is essential. It’s normal to be anxious about clipping your pet’s nails, especially if you’ve had a bad experience in the past. However, your cat or dog may suffer from severe health concerns without regular nail trimming.
Why Should You Trim Your Pet’s Nails?
You may be surprised to learn that trimming your pet’s nails regularly is essential to their health and well-being. Improved mobility, reduced pain, stronger bonds, and better health are just some of the benefits of regular nail grooming for pets. All of these fantastic advantages make this procedure worth trying.
Nail trimming may seem like a daunting task because most pets dislike it and will often express their displeasure to their owners. Even so, these are the main reasons for giving your pet a nail trim.
It Can Cause Mobility Issues
Older dogs often have nails that have grown to be exceedingly long, to the point where they impede their ability to walk. Nails should be trimmed regularly since they can hinder traction and make it much more difficult for senior dogs with arthritis or other orthopedic impairments to get around.
Long nails can affect how a dog’s foot rests on the ground, leading to pain and possibly arthritis if left unchecked. Vet clinics offering dog and cat nail trimming services are the ideal option if you’re having trouble trimming your dog’s nails alone.
It Can Damage Their Paw Pads
Nails, especially dewclaws or “thumbs,” have a tendency to curl inward and grow into the pad if they are allowed to get too long. The tough skin over the pads is punctured by the pointed edge of the nail, causing an open, ulcerated wound that is often infected and causes extreme swelling, pain, and discomfort.
A simple nail trim is all that’s needed for both treatment and prevention of this preventable injury. Antibiotics and pain relievers are common treatments as well.
It Can Cause Pain Due to the Pressure
Nails that are too long can place undue stress on sensitive areas of your pet’s paws, resulting in pain, discomfort, and possibly a trip to the vet to address inflammation or damage. One of life’s greatest pleasures is taking care of a pet you adore. But trimming their pet’s nails is a complex and painful task for any fur parent.
However, another nasty task in caring for dogs is helping them with anal gland expression. The anus of a dog contains two anal sacs, often known as anal glands. When the dog defecates, the fluid contained in these sacs is released and should be removed. Not everyone has the skills to care for their dog’s anal glands properly. Hence veterinarians who provide anal gland expression services are sought out because of this.
The Bottom Line
Trimming your pet’s nails is a simple preventative measure you can take to keep them safe. Your veterinarian will be pleased to assist you if you feel uneasy doing it yourself. Depending on your dog’s activity level and rate of nail growth, you may need to trim its nails as often as once every two months. Remember that nails shouldn’t be allowed to get too long to the point where they “click” on the floor.
