It's time for a nail trim!
The most common reasons for avoiding nail trims are that the owner is afraid ..
Nail trims becomes an event surrounded by drama.
For very active dogs that run all day long on varied surfaces, cutting nails may not be necessary.
High mileage wears them down naturally.
But among city or suburban dogs who are lucky to get a mile or two walk daily, excessively long toenails are more common than not.
So what are the consequences of long nails?
Painful Paws!
When a dog’s toenails contact hard ground, like a sidewalk or your kitchen floor, the hard surface pushes the nail back up into the nail bed. This either puts pressure on all the toe joints or forces the toe to twist to the side.
Either way, those toes become very sore, even arthritic. When the slightest touch is painful to your dog, he will fuss when you pick up his paw to cut nails.
The rule of thumb is that if they are clicking on the floor, causing discomfort, or interrupting mobility, they are overgrown. Several problems can occur when the quick and nail overgrow:
The nails become frail and fracture easily.
Overgrown quicks can cause pain and bleeding,
Your dog may start to walk in an irregular way.
Your dog may become phobic of or uncomfortable on slippery floors and hard surfaces.
The paw pads or toe joints may become uncomfortable
So why do I need to trim my dogs nails?
For starters, when you allow nails to grow too long or to become overgrown, this also means that the quick has grown out, which can lead to nail bed issues, bleeding nails, pain, secondary issues in your dog's body, and a very worried pet owner.
Nail quick what is this?
The quick of a nail is the innervated, vascularized core of the nail bed. It provides nourishment to the nail which allows it to grow.
How do I Identify my dog's quick?
Dog nails are composed of the nail and a soft cuticle called the quick that is rich in blood vessels and nerves.
What does the quick look like on a dog?
Light-colored nails: Very: easy to identify. It is a pink region in the center of the translucent/white nail.
Dark-colored nails: Very: hard to identify and trimming can be a bit of a challenge.
Sometimes it helps to look at the bottom of the nail as you trim to gauge how "deep" into the nail bed you are trimming.
Why does the quick overgrow?
When you fail to trim your dog's nails on a regular basis, the quick grows with the nail. In some cases, when the nails are extra long, the quick may lengthen so much that it reaches the tip of the nail. When this happens, you won't be able to trim much of the nail without risking cutting through the quick.
If you have trouble trimming your dogs nails you can always ask you vet or groomer to do them for you
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