Importance of Trimming Your Dog’s Nails
Healthy Nails are a Vital Part of Our Columbus Dog Grooming Services
Trimming your dog’s nails can be a little intimidating but staying on top of grooming can help them stay happy and healthy. Keeping your dog’s nails short and maintaining them before they curl too much can help prevent pain with future trimmings. The rule of thumb is that if you can hear a dog’s nails on a hardwood floor, they are probably too long. With the help of our Columbus dog grooming services, we’ll maintain the length of your dog’s nails on a regular basis.
Neglecting trimming your dog’s nails can lead to serious health problems later in life such as arthritis or alignment issues in their joints. This is especially common in dogs that live in suburban communities because they typically spend less time walking on streets and sidewalks. Spending too much time on soft surfaces such as grass or rugs provides no fiction for your dog's nails, which means they need to be trimmed more often.
Long nails hurt your pet, so they will likely be hesitant about you trying to cut them for fear of more pain. It is best practice to keep your dog’s nails short so that they remain comfortable and don’t fear getting their nails trimmed. Schedule a Columbus dog grooming appointment here at Capital City monthly to ensure that their nails are always at a comfortable length.
Trimming nails will only hurt your dog if you quick the inner layer of their nail. A dog’s nails have two layers: the unguis and the subunguis. The unguis is the hard-outer layer that protects the nail. The subunguis is the softer layer that hurts if you accidentally clip it.
What is Quicking?
Fear of hurting your dog is the main reason why people don’t like cutting their dog’s nails. “Quicking” is what it’s called when you accidentally clip the soft inner layer of the nail. If your dog has white nails, the quick will be easier to locate. If your dog has dark-colored nails, clip their nails very carefully and gradually to ensure you don’t accidentally hurt them. You will be able to see the quick by looking at the tip of the nail. Once you see pink, stop cutting. The longer the nails grow, the longer the quick will be.
By keeping your dog’s nails short, you will be able to monitor the length of the quick. Nail maintenance and Columbus dog grooming is essential to caring for your pet. Trimming nails regularly can help prevent the quick from growing too long, and it will save your dog from the trauma of unnecessary pain in the future.
Methods of Trimming
- Grinding Tool - Dremels are a new tool to be introduced to the world of dog grooming. They are probably the easiest way to care for your dog’s nails without hurting them. Be sure to get a Dremel that is specifically meant for animal nails with a sandpaper barrel. The sleeve of the sandpaper can be replaced whenever it has become worn down. The tool should never be kept stationary in one area of the nail because it generates heat that could harm the dog. Keep long hair far away from the barrel.
- Nail Clipper - This is the most common method of trimming your dog’s nails. The efficiency of this method depends on how sharp the blades are that you use. Be sure to use a sharp and clean clipper to get the easiest cut. Monitor the nail’s color to ensure that you don’t accidentally quick your dog’s nails.
- Guillotine trimmer - This method is sometimes easier to use if you are cutting a large dog’s nails. The difficulty is getting the nail in the right position for the tool to work properly. If you have a dog who is particularly squirmy during their grooming, this may not be the right option for you.
- Scissor - This can be an easy tool to use because it gives the groomer all the control of how much to trim. This method also depends on having sharp and clean scissors to trim your dog’s nails, otherwise, you risk injury. This tool may need to be replaced quite often to guarantee safe use.
Consult with your veterinarian to learn more about our Columbus dog grooming services. The team here at Capital City Spay & Neuter can provide you with some helpful tips on how to properly groom your dog.
We cater to clients and their busy schedules and will schedule appointments to fit your needs. We have drop-off times as early as 7:00am and late evening appointments as well as Saturday appointments available.
Please call 614-761-1999 to set up your custom grooming appointment today!