Pet Care: Why Do You Need to Trim Your Pet’s Nails?Pet Care: Why Do You Need to Trim Your Pet’s Nails?
A dog’s nails are an integral part of its overall grooming, so keeping an eye on them every time is crucial. It’s normal to be anxious about clipping your pet’s nails, particularly if you’ve had a bad experience in the past. Nonetheless, your cat or dog may deal with severe health problems without regular nail trimming.
Why Should You Trim Your Pet’s Nails?
You may be surprised to learn that routinely trimming your pet’s nails is necessary for their health and well-being. Several benefits of regular nail grooming for pets are improved mobility, reduced discomfort, stronger bonds, and better health. All of these fantastic advantages make this process worth trying.
Nail trimming may feel like a daunting job because most pets dislike it and will typically show their displeasure to their owners. Even so, these are the main reasons for giving your pet a nail trim.
It Can Cause Mobility Issues
Older dogs often have nails that have grown to be exceptionally long, to the point where they restrain their ability to walk. Nails must be trimmed regularly because they can hinder traction and make it much more difficult for elderly dogs with arthritis or other orthopedic problems to get around.
Long nails can impact how a dog’s foot rests on the ground, leading to pain and possibly arthritis if left untreated. Vet clinics providing pet nail trimming services are the suitable choice if you’re having a problem trimming your dog’s nails alone. If you want to book an appointment with them, click here.
It Can Damage Their Paw Pads
Nails, particularly dewclaws or “thumbs,” have a tendency to curl inward and grow into the pad if they are allowed to get too long. The tough skin over the pads is punctured by the pointed edge of the nail, creating an open, ulcerated injury that is often infected and creates severe swelling, pain, and discomfort.
A simple nail trim is all that’s needed for both treatment and prevention of this preventable injury. Antibiotics and pain relievers are common treatments as well.
It Can Cause Pain Due to the Pressure
Nails that are too long can place undue stress on delicate areas of your pet’s paws, leading to pain, discomfort, and possibly a trip to the vet to deal with swelling or damage. One of life’s greatest pleasures is taking care of a pet you adore. But trimming their pet’s nails is a complicated and painful job for any fur parent.
Nevertheless, another unpleasant task in caring for dogs is helping them with anal gland expression. The anus of a dog contains two anal sacs, usually known as anal glands. When the dog excretes, the fluid in these sacs is released and must be eliminated. Not everyone has the skills to care for their dog’s anal glands properly. Hence veterinarians who provide anal gland expression services are sought out because of this.
The Bottom Line
Trimming your pet’s nails is a simple preventative measure you can take to keep them safe. Your vet will be pleased to assist you if you feel uneasy doing it yourself. Depending on your dog’s activity level and rate of nail growth, you may need to trim its nails as often as once every two months. Bear in mind that nails should not be allowed to get too long to the point where they “click” on the floor.
