Nail cutting....

[Shelteez2]

Originally posted by catnapper
I cannot get Nicki's nails cut to save my life. She DESPERATELY needs them done. In the warm months when we walk a lot its not so bad because they kind of file themselves down on the concrete. Right now, they are long long. I feel bad for her. I went to the vets and even three hmans holding her downwe only got ONE NAIL trimmed. We couldn't do it!

When she was a puppy, every groomer - and I mean every - tried to trim her nails and ended up hitting the vein and of course it bled profusely. She has never let anybody near her paws since. She will let anybody do anything to her, but bring clippers near her feet and she turns into Kujo.

Could you get the vet to prescribe a mild tranquilizer for her? Just enough to maybe take the edge off?

Have you tried gently playing with her feet, holiding the nail giving a treat, squeezing the nail giving a treat etc. Just a few times a night. Also you could try showing her the clippers and giving her an extra special treat, then putting the clippers away.

At work we have had a few dogs that would take at least three people, and a muzzle, and lots of wrestling, in order to get their nails cut. But the owners perservered and now for a lot of them the muzzle and the wrestling and the 3 people are no longer needed.

[catnapper]

Originally posted by Shelteez2
Could you get the vet to prescribe a mild tranquilizer for her? Just enough to maybe take the edge off?

Have you tried gently playing with her feet, holiding the nail giving a treat, squeezing the nail giving a treat etc. Just a few times a night. Also you could try showing her the clippers and giving her an extra special treat, then putting the clippers away.

At work we have had a few dogs that would take at least three people, and a muzzle, and lots of wrestling, in order to get their nails cut. But the owners perservered and now for a lot of them the muzzle and the wrestling and the 3 people are no longer needed.

Funny thing is that she absolutely LOVES to have me massage and play with her feet/toes. She'll basically groan and her eyes roll into the back of her head. then in a split second, she is monster mutt when she sees clippers!

She loves the vet but hates the table that moves up. She refuses to get on it. As you know, its basically impossible to move a 100 pound dog that does not want to move! It takes the vet, the tech and myself holding her down along with the muzzle and we still can't get anywhere. I hadn't thought of the tranquilizer concept. My monster mutt because has an acute fear of nail clippers!

I told her this afternoon (beforeI read your post) that if she didn't let me trim them soon! I honestly know they are way too long.

[Crikit]

I cut the goonies nails every couple of weeks or so and always before an agility trail (it's easier on the contact equipment that way) out of the three of them I would have to say Smudge is the easiest because he'll just stand or sit there and let me cut them with out much fuss. Winter and Tama however are a different story.

Winter I either need my sister to help me hold her or I have to pin her down with my legs because she squirms way to much, the same goes for Tama, but he doesn't squirm nearly as much as Winter does...freaky border collie.

[CathyBogart]

I just realized that Wilbur needs a trip to the groomer's anyways...so maybe I'll have them do his nails, and watch to make sure they're gently with him. Star's all right, but Wilbur's a little butthead when he wants to be.

[dukedogsmom]

Oh dear. Duke HATES getting it done. If I take him to the vet, they have to muzzle him. So, I've stopped doing that. I only do them about once a month and we both hate it so bad that we split it up into two days. Front one day and back the next. I wish I could get his shorter because I don't like them long either but it's hard to see where the white part is on his nails and I've hurt him once. That dremmel thing sounds like a good idea. Any pet places do that?

[Shelteez2]

Originally posted by dukedogsmom
That dremmel thing sounds like a good idea. Any pet places do that?

You'll probably have to call around to a few groomers and vets in your area. I know there are a few here that offer it, but we don't where I work. Good luck finding someone who dremmels!

[ellensy]

my dog doesnt like having their nails cut. I always put up a big fight just to have her nails trimmed.

[wolf_Q]

I think working at a grooming salon does that obsessive nail thing to ya. I've seen my share of nails growing into the pad and dogs that can hardly walk because their nails are so long. It's sad. Looking at dogs with long nails just makes that little vein in my forehead twitch sometimes lol.

I clip my dogs' nails every 2 weeks or so. Nebo's don't seem to grow very fast (or they just file down from all the running) but I still keep them as short as possible lol. He's very good about it, I can just lift his paw up and do it.

I clip Reggie's nails about the same...his are all black so it's harder, so that's big reason it needs to be done all the time. It's easier to just take a little bit off at a time then blindly cut a large bit because it's grown out so long. Usually I hold Reggie in my lap. He squirms, but doesn't try to bite or anything.

My nail clippers look about the same as that...I don't know what the brand is, but they are orange and from a catalog.

[Twisterdog]

Yes, groomers' dogs always have nice looking nails.

Nails grown around like ram's horns, into the pad - nails that have to be cut off with wire cutters - nails that have broken off way into the foot, and become infected and absessed .... after you see those things, you clip your dogs nails!

Most of my dogs don't mind. Vanilla HATES it and goes into a screaming, flopping panic. Of course, when I first got her, everything from the telephone ringing to touching her tail sent her into a screaming, flopping panic ... so I suppose if nails are the only thing that is left that sets her off ... then she's doing great! LOL I just get one of my employees to clip while I hold her.

I HATE it when people don't keep up on their dogs nail care. It is just as important as brushing, ear cleaning, good diet, etc.

[GoldenRetrLuver]

Nope, they hate having them cut. We go for daily walks for about 30 minutes every day, so the concrete helps them. They also get taken to the groomers about once every month, so they get them done there.

[cloverfdx]

I dont have to trim Clover or Theo's nails as they wear down naturally from all the running.

Penny has to be muzzled and she gets realy crazy when trying to clip her nails, but the groomer that has been doing them for about the past 5 years has got it down to a fine art and can do them in about 5 minutes *Go Ruth*

As for Elvis his are not to bad i just trim the tips off and as he is getting bigger they will just wear down themselves.

[shais_mom]

I have the guillotine type cutters. Keegan isn't usually good about getting them trimmed. I don't know why b/c I tried playing with her paws since she was a wee fart. I usually have to wait until she is wore out from playing at my parents house or at the dog park. Then I shove a couple biscuits in her mouth and go to town!! BUT the other nite I was trimming them and she squirmed and I cut one twice. She bled for an hour. I didn't have any syptic powder or anything.(which I do now!!!) I took her out to the snow and put flour on it. Finally I shut her in the bathroom with the lineolum for awhile then it stopped bleeding. But the next day when we were playing outside it broke open again.
She's fine now.
My RB greyhound was a terror when I first got her. My dad and I tried to do it and she started to freak out and my dad jumped about a foot in the air and said "I am not doing it!!!"
So I found a groomer who did a good job for $4.00. Nicest lady.
The groomer I have been taking Kylie to for her grooming also charges $4 for all nails.

[lovemyshiba]

For those of you who have used the dremmel on your dogs paws, how hard is it to do yourself?
I'm just curious, because I have thought about purchasing one more than once, but if it's something I can't do myself, I don't want to get it.

Sorry about Keegan's paw Staci Abbey got a nick last time (hubby was doing them) and I was so glad I had the syptic gel--it stopped right away!!

[wolf_Q]

Hey if you don't happen to have syptic powder on you when it happens cornstarch sort of works. I don't have any quickstop at home, and I don't take Reggie to work very often (he's a butthead there) so I've had to use it before when he's jerked at a crucial moment. It doesn't work nearly as well as quickstop/syptic powder but it's better than nothing. I need to buy some to use at home and stop relying on everything at work lol.

As far as the dremmel I tried it on Nebo once and I had a hard time holding it still. But I've only used one a couple of times so I'm sure if you used it enough you'd get better with it. I prefer clipping with regular nail clippers just because it's faster.

[Shelteez2]

For a home remedy I have found that corn starch works much better than flour. Just a little FYI in case anyone ever needs it

As for dremmeling... I do prefer it because you can get the nails shorter and closer to the quick without actually hitting the quick. Also alot of dogs seem to not mind the vibrating of the grinder as opposed to the pinching of the clippers.

That being said, I don't dremmel my own dog's nails. I don't know why, I've just never learned. Instead I take them to my friend's house who does it for me. I should just ask her to show me though, my dad has a dremmel and it would save me the trip

For those of you who might be interested in doing it yourself check out this website. It has ver detailed info along with pics.

How to Dremmel Nails.