March 28, 2024

A dog’s nails are an integral part of its overall grooming, so paying attention to them every time is crucial. It’s normal to be nervous about clipping your pet’s nails, particularly if you’ve had a bad experience in the past. However, your cat or dog may experience severe health concerns without regular nail trimming.

Why Should You Trim Your Pet’s Nails?

You may be stunned to find out that trimming your pet’s nails regularly is vital to their health and well-being. Improved mobility, reduced discomfort, stronger bonds, and better health are just a few of the benefits of regular nail grooming for pets. All of these wonderful advantages make this procedure worth trying.

Nail trimming may look like a challenging task because most pets dislike it and will typically 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 usually have nails that have grown to be exceptionally long, to the point where they restrain their ability to walk. Nails must be trimmed regularly because they can hinder traction and make it much more challenging for senior dogs with arthritis or other orthopedic problems to get around.

Long nails can affect how a dog’s foot rests on the ground, causing pain and potentially arthritis if left unchecked. Vet facilities offering pet nail trimming services are the ideal choice 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, creating an open, ulcerated injury that is often infected and causes severe 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 excessive stress on delicate areas of your pet’s paws, leading to pain, discomfort, and possibly a trip to the veterinarian to deal with swelling or damage. One of life’s best pleasures is looking after a pet you love. But trimming their pet’s nails is a complicated and unpleasant task for any fur parent.

Nonetheless, another unpleasant job in taking care of dogs is helping them with anal gland expression. The anus of a dog has two anal sacs, often called anal glands. When the dog defecates, the fluid contained in these sacs is released and should be removed. Not everyone has the skills to take care of their dog’s anal glands appropriately. Thus veterinarians who offer anal gland expression and pet care services are looked for because of this.

The Bottom Line

Trimming your pet’s nails is a simple preventative measure you can take to keep them safe. Your vet will be pleased to assist you if you feel uneasy doing it yourself. Depending upon your dog’s activity level and rate of nail growth, you may need to trim its nails as often as once every two months. Bear in mind that nails shouldn’t be allowed to get too long to the point where they “click” on the floor.