Nails

[ObedienceGrrl]

How many of you use a Dremel (or some type of grinding tool) for nails?

I love mine, but I was wondering, how short can I go? I have heard that if you go a little shorter each time, the quick recedes. Is that true?

The boys do so well with it. They both just lay there. Hunter ususally lays his head on my outstretched leg and shifts when I switch paws. Dakota just sniffs my hair the whole time! And Tater's F.M. says that she uses a Dremel too, so I won't have to worry too much about getting him used to it!

[TDG]

i do, i do :)

it's true that the quick recedes more and more the closer you grind to it each time.

you can go as close as you are comfortable. the nice thing about the dremel is that even if you do hit the quick, you will only nick it a tiny little bit, not as much as with a nail trimmer. if it happens with the dremel, you will only get a single drop of blood or two and it stops rather quickly.

[ObedienceGrrl]

I haven't quicked them yet with the dremel and I feel I've gone rather close. Close to me is when they don't 'click' on the floors!

How often do you do it? And do you pair it up with teeth brushing or anything else?

[TDG]

i try for once a week, but i can be a bit of a slacker when it comes to nail trimming - because it's something my dog really hates. it was a lot worse with nail trimmers, so the dremel is an improvement but he still doesn't love it.

so the day i do his nails i don't subject him to any other "torture" :D since it's very stressful for him.

oh how i loved my old dog, she never needed her nails trimmed since she'd chew them off herself if they got too long for her taste. they were always perfect. :)

[ObedienceGrrl]

I was doing them once a week as well. Dakota is great with them. He just lays down. Hunter is fine too, but it does take him just a minute and then he relaxes.

Now I haven't tried Tater yet, but his F.M. said that she used a dremel but he still didn't like his feet touched. So we'll work with him on that! But he clicks something awful on my floors. And even just looking at his feet, his nails look soooooo long in comparison to Hunter's and Dakota's!

[BuddysMom]

What is a Dremel???
I WANT one! (I think... stomping foot like Veruca Salt...)

[TDG]

[b][url=http://www.dremel.com/productdisplay/tool_template2.asp?SKU=8000-01&Color=99CCFF]this[/url][/b] is the one i bought. :)

[ObedienceGrrl]

A dremel is a grinding tool that has tons of uses!! One of them being grinding down a dog's nails.


This is a pretty nice site that goes over some great basics! Over to the left of the page will be "How to dremel a dog's nails" link.

[url]http://homepages.udayton.edu/~merenski/doberdawn/index.html[/url]

[samaria]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]Nails are frequently broken. This is mostly the result of not keeping the nails short. If a dog does not walk on a hard surface regularly, the nails may not wear down enough, and they should be clipped on a regular base. The most commonly affected nails are those on the dew claws (or ‘thumbs’) of a dog, as these nails do not touch the ground when walking. Broken nails are painful and will often lead to licking and gnawing at the affected toe or paw. It can also lead to local infections, which may show as redness and swelling. Your vet can treat broken nails if necessary and clip the nails on a regular base to prevent nails breaking. You can also learn how to clip your dog’s nails yourself.

Brittle nails can be the result of fungal infections, certain types of mange, nutritional disorders and some auto-immune disorders. If your dog regularly breaks nails without any obvious reason or the nails being too long, it is advisable to have your dog examined by your vet. He or she may want to do several tests, like for instance blood tests, to find out if there is an underlying disease.[/SIZE][/FONT]