I'm sure this is a very basic question, but how do I know whether Pongo's claws need clipping? He doesn't do a lot of exercise on hard surfaces so it would be no surprise if they were over-long.
Lab claws should be short and almost rounded , if you can hear the sound of claws on a hard surface like tiles or lino , then its time to get the clippers out Their claws shouldn't be heard and should be higher than the paw, if that makes sense
My vet gave me a very easy "rule of finger": place your finger on the paw pad and the nail should be in line with your finger, ie in line with the paw pad. Logical to me, because normal wear would take the nail to this line. I find that clipping a tiny amount often is less scary than clipping a large chunk off at long intervals. There are great YouTube videos that show you how to clip claws and info on avoiding cutting into the quick (the nerves, blood vessels). I watched a video of a vet who manages an agility team saying that the discomfort of long claws for dogs is like us having long toe nails and feeling the discomfort inside our shoes. She actually wanted the nails really, really short.
I've tried to keep Penny's claws really short but it really doesn't work! I've read loads of stuff that says if you take them back to the quick each time (without cutting the quick) then it will eventually recede and you can get them shorter but this really doesn't work for us. Even times when I have caught the quick by accident the next time I come to do them it's still the same length. I generally clip her claws every 2-3 weeks but maybe I need to do them more often... Any ideas?
Lauren - Willow's grow very quickly and got too long when she ripped one of them off and I was unable to cut the others because she was understandably foot-shy. It's very difficult to tell where the quick is with her black claws, and I don't want to catch it and make her more nervous, so I've been cutting them every two to three days, only taking a tiny bit off each time, and it seems to be working. It varies from dog to dog on how quickly the nails grow, but if the nails are too long, I would cut them as normal and then do the trimming thing every other day until they're the right length.
Good idea, it's just me remembering to do it haha!! I bought a cheap dremel (I think that's what it's called??) to see if that might be easier but Penny really hates it so will have to do some desensitising before I can use that.
Juno's claws became a bit long following her surgery and restricted exercise. What with everything else she was experiencing I was loathe to start clipping her black claws When mentioned to the vet she wasn't overly concerned with the length, particularly as we were beginning to up the exercise regime and were able to do more walking on hard surfaces. Although still possibly a little longer her claws are pretty much back to their normal length
I just use clippers and baby pouches of mushed sardine. DH squeezes the pouch while I snip It gets easier every time.
I attack Maisie late at night with the clippers. When she is up on my bed and settled (put a towel down underneath though to avoid nail bits in your bed!), I creep up with the choppers, pick a paw, and trim a bit. I ended up letting hers grow quite a bit too long but I'm afraid to really hack away at them so nightly trims are what we're doing right now. Her nails are also so HARD compared to when I trimmed them as a puppy that it often frightens me off a bit. I think "if I need to use x amount of pressure, is this real nail/quick I am cutting?".
I'm the same! And every time I am amazed Snowie doesn't even wince. The clippers I use are so sharp that I am really worried I could cause some serious pain. But to this day all good. I show him the clippers and let him sniff them first and then tell him to roll over onto his back and take his paw firmly and do my business, and he looks like he's lying at the spa. Sometimes he resists and gets up and walks away and then I leave him be. But most times he is very compliant. I never thought a dog could be this compliant -- as a child I remember our little white fluffy dog screaming when my dad took out the clippers.
My vet tells me not too and to just walk her on pavements but her dew claw came off yesterday so I'm a bit cross as I knew they were too long, her nails are dark tho so I daren't clip them myself ... Dilemma!!
I've been avoiding to try it with Myles, but he needs it. He gets walked twice a day on pavement, but still a pup so I don't go too long. Not enough to keep his nails short. So far the vet is the only one who has clipped them. I always did it myself with my last (yellow) lab, but I could see the quick. Myles nails are so dark I am just afraid of hurting him. Eek. Gotta just do it though.
