Cutting your dog's nails: essential
To keep your dog comfortable, it may be necessary to trim his nails regularly if he needs it! ! Young dog, sporting dog, aging dog, it can be really important at all stages of its life. But how to do it ? In this article, you will know everything you need to know about cutting your dog's nails correctly.
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At EmmèneTonChien, we talk a lot about hiking with your dog, dog sports, and lots of other Too W'ouf activities to share with your dog. What if I told you that trimming your dog's nails could allow you to enjoy it all to the fullest, for much longer? It's only been a few months since Léa, a member of the EmmèneTonChien.com team, cut her dog's nails, and she already sees the difference!
Indeed, if your dog has sore paws, he will have more difficulty following you on all your adventures... He will enjoy it less, which is a shame. So today, we're going to talk about nail trimming! Because claws that are too long are linked to many pains in our dogs. You can then experiment with the many dog-friendly activities offered on the site, while maximizing your dog's enjoyment!
I also thank Claire and her dog Oulanka for coming to talk to us about this very important subject. Indeed, they are well placed to know! Oulanka's poor posture, repeated tendinitis, pain while walking... Oulanka clearly became younger as soon as Claire started cutting her claws. Have they discovered a magic potion? I'll let you discover it 😏
The risks of too long claws in a dog
It was a series of health problems at Oulanka that pushed Claire to become interested in trimming her claws.
Musher and Sophie : – “Before starting, let me just allow myself a little aside. We talk about care, risks, but The goal is absolutely not to make you feel guilty if you don't cut your dog's nails. ! The purpose of this article is above all to inform you. Then, it’s up to you to explore the subject or keep it in the back of your mind, to bring it out again when the time comes 😉”
Okay, here we go for the story of Claire's experience which you can also discover via her Insta account on @oulanka_lapinkoira 😀
Obviously, it all starts by a trip 🥰 Claire and Oulanka were returning from a weekend trek in the Pyrenees. A few minutes after arriving at the apartment, Claire notices that Oulanka is licking her hind paw a lot. And for good reason, since two claws were partially broken and torn off.
Neither one nor two, Claire rushes to her veterinarian to understand what happened and treat her. He then explains to her that the claws grow but are not filed naturally enough. They therefore got caught in the grooves of the escalator. Unfortunately, this is a risk when a dog has claws that are too long.
The following year, Oulanka gained a little weight and had an intermittent limp. Claire therefore consults a veterinary surgeon specializing in the joint, but he has no explanation for the lameness. He only suspects tendinitis following wrist hyperlaxity.
Oulanka's osteopath also recommends food supplements but the lameness always returns.
Subsequently, Claire will learn that Oulanka does have wrist hyperlaxity. With its claws too long and its slight excess weight, its supports on its legs were deformed, which caused tendinitis. This is a risk to be aware of when your dog's claws are long.
Claire continues to look for solutions to relieve her dog, and a friend recommends that she follow a new account on Instagram, @pattes.parfaites. This account explains how to take care of your dog's paws and places great emphasis on cutting the nails. Claire then becomes aware of the length of Oulanka's claws, because everything was hidden by the hair !
So she invests in equipment to maintain the claws, and I can tell you that she really doesn't regret it!
Musher and Sophie : – “For Léa of the team too, this account @pattes.parfaites was a revelation... His dog Raiden has not had health problems or accidents like Oulanka, but until a few months ago, he often tripped his hind legs. Thanks to this account, Léa realized that her dog also had claws that were too long, and she learned to cut them. Since then, he has hardly tripped anymore! She feels that it does him good because even on walks, he is more dynamic, enduring and happier to walk! Like what, even with a 9 year old dog, it is never too late to learn how to take better care of your animal."
The benefits of a good nail trim
It’s simple, since the first nail trimmings, Claire’s dog has not never limp again…Claire removed about 3mm of horn from each of Oulanka’s claws. In fact, the more often the claws are cut, the more they shorten and the less quickly they grow.
She now sees Oulanka move better while walking. “I have a dog who is full of energy and enjoys life, she seems to be 3 years old but she is turning 6!”
It’s amazing that such a small action can have such a powerful effect! And this, in just a few months, since Claire started caring for Oulanka's claws in September 2023, and it is the beginning of March 2024!
Claire cuts her dog's nails twice a month. It depends if she sees that there is length to cut, or if the claw hasn't grown much since the last time.
In fact, the more regularly a dog's nails are trimmed, the slower they grow ! When Claire started, she cut Oulanka's claws twice as often, every week, because they grew back faster.
Besides, Claire shares a great tip with us! The first few times, her dog's nails tended to break or crack when she cut them. So she got into the habit of cut Oulanka's claws after walks in the rain or after a long swim. Indeed, Oulanka is like Mush', she loves splashing in puddles and swimming! The advantage is that the water softens the horn of the claws, like our nails. It was therefore much easier to cut them afterwards, and Oulanka hardly felt the impact of the cut.
At first, Claire spent 20 minutes per nail trimming session. Time to get the hang of it, and again, she didn't cut all the claws because Oulanka was saturated. Today, she rather puts 10-12 minutes to check all the claws, and cut if necessary. In the end, Oulanka has her chewing reward!
Musher and Sophie : – “Claire is right to stop the treatment before her dog really gets tired of it! If I can give you one piece of advice, it's to pay attention to your dog's behavior. If every time you cut his claws it's a very unpleasant moment for him, he won't get used to it, on the contrary! He will want to leave treatment earlier and earlier, and it may become complicated to cut his claws in the long run. So stopping before he gets tired of it allows you to have a good experience. With a treat to finish, it will become a Too W'ouf treatment for him! ”
Equipment for cutting dog nails
Good quality equipment will allow you to properly trim your dog's nails., without risking injury. Claire understood this well, and she really made sure to equip herself well for cutting Oulanka's claws.
When she started, Claire used a electric file, Dremel, with a sanding tip. The problem was that there was too much horn to remove, it took a long time. It also risked overheating the claw, because the file remained in contact with it for a long time.
Today, Claire uses the nail clippers Miller. Oulanka is much more comfortable with this tool, she even falls asleep on our Wouafer's leg! And to remove the length, it's also faster. If necessary, Claire rounds the corners with the electric file.
To clearly see where to cut and where to stop, Claire uses a headlamp. A great tip to be sure of your shot!
It's happened before that Claire cuts a little too far. However, thanks to the quality of its claw cutter, it cuts very thin slices of horn. Oulanka barely bled!
Musher and Sophie :-” In case you didn’t know, there is a living part in the claw. This is surrounded by horn, and it is the horn that grows and that must be cut. If you cut too far, you risk scratching the living part, and the claw may bleed. To learn how to locate the right place to cut, everything is explained on the @pattes.parfaites account, but you can also ask a veterinarian, an animal osteopath or a groomer, like Claire did! ”
On vacation, Claire of course takes her equipment for cutting her dog's nails. In Oulanka's toiletry bag, there is:
- le Miller nail clippers
- la headlamp
- betadine, compresses and dressings in case
- consist of nourishing balm for pads prefer
- a pair of grooming scissors
The latter is also essential! It allows you to cut the hair between Oulanka's pads. It is also important because ticks, spikelets or road salt can get stuck there. So if the hairs are short, there is less risk of it getting caught, and you will spot them much better!
There you go, now you know how essential nail trimming can be for your dog's health, and how to maintain them! Now, finished paddles pierced by dog claws that are too long, accidents in the escalators of metro stations or the pain that slows down your dog in canicross. Of course, if your dog has locomotor problems, it can also be linked to many other causes, and I advise you to consult a veterinarian or an animal osteopath. However, maintaining claws of the right size is already removing a nice thorn from his paw!
I thank Claire and Oulanka a thousand times for taking the time to talk to us about this subject on EmmèneTonChien! To find out more about our super Ambassa'Dog, I'll tell you their portrait right here. And to follow all their Trop W'ouf adventures, it's happening on their Instagram account @oulanka_lapinkoira 😀