Skipping This Grooming Task Can Cause Your Dog Pain
Clipping your dog's nails is more than a cosmetic chore. Veterinarians warn that unhealthy nails can cause pain and, in rare instances, trigger irreversible damage to the dog.
A dog’s nail consists of the living pink quick and the hard outer material called the shell. The quick supplies blood to the nail and runs through the core of it. Nerves in the quick cause bleeding and discomfort when cut. Regular nail trimming will cause the quick to recede from the end. Short quicks are the preferred length for the dog’s well-being and easy maintenance.
Long nails can turn a sound paw into a splayed foot and reduce traction, and they can cause deformed feet and injure the tendons over an extended period. As the long nail hits the ground, the pressure puts force on the foot and leg structure.
Clip the nails at 45-degree angle to follow the slant of the nail growth. The nail and the quick grow at roughly that angle, and if you stick to that you can trim the nail shorter.
Groomers prefer the method of grinding a dog’s nails because it slowly sands down the nail and cauterizes the end. Also, with grinders it’s not as easy to get into the quick. When you grind close to the quick, the dog will let you know it so you can stop. With the cutters, you can instantly cut the quick and it’s too late. Ouch!