Although dogs’nails are often ignored, they play an important role in protecting their digits. Few people know that the nails of a dog are constantly growing and need to be cut regularly, just as people’s do. If you don’t take care of your dog’s nails, they will continue to grow. If they’re not cared for, they can break and become infected, and finally they’ll grow into the paw pillows. „Spurs, especially, can recurve and penetrate the leg muscles, which is extremely painful for the dog,” warns Dr. Ciprian Cocianu, veterinarian at AMP.
When should you cut your dog’s nails?
Dogs’ nails are constantly growing. When to cut them depends on on the size and weight of the dog as well as how much time he spends, walking and playing outside. If you hear your dog’s nails when they make contact with a hard surface, or if they get caught on the carpet, they must be cut right away.
„I do not recommend performing this operation at home. If you plan to, though, under no circumstances should you use nail clippers intended for human manicures because these can crush, rip, and section the nail. You can buy clippers made especially for dogs from pet shops or supermarkets. Clippers should be the right size for the dog and should also be sharp,” recommends Dr. Cocianul.
How to cut a dog’s nails
Cutting the nails of a dog is a delicate procedure. The paw is very sensitive, and dogs can feel vulnerable when their nails are cut, so some dogs hate this operation.
„Two zones can be observed in light-colored nails. One is vascularized and opaque, and the other is transparent. You have to cut the nail tip of the transparent zone, a few millimeters before the vascularized area starts. In dark nails, you can’t see the living zone of the nail, so you must cut just a bit of the nail tip, enough so that the animal can walk comforably. A correctly cut nail has no contact with the ground when the animal walks. I recommend that the procedure of cutting nails, especially dark ones, be done by a veterinarian. If you do this at home and you touch the vascularized zone, the dog will bleed profusely,” says Dr. Ciprian.
A correctly cut nail won’t have jagged edges that might cling to the carpet or your clothes, or that might scratch your floorboards. Right after the nails have been cut, the dog must be taken out for a walk to even out the nails’ surfaces. There is no need to cut the nails of dogs raised in a yard, because they naturally wear down through contact with soil or pavement. Nails grow faster on dogs living in apartments if they’re not walked regularly. Similarly, small dogs’ nails have to be cut more often because their weight isn’t sufficient to help blunt the nails when they walk.
