Dogs nails, vet or groomer?

crustybla

My pooch has black nails so I'm not even gonna think about cutting them myself. They're getting a bit long and his dew claws are starting to curl a bit and I notice him at the dew claws quite a bit.
Should I take him to a vet or a groomer to have it done? Thanks for any advice!

Irishchick

Doesn't really matter. Just make sure whoever you go to has experience. If a dog has a bad experience with a first nail clip you'll be lucky if he lets anyone near them again!

The trick with black nails is to take the tiniest amount at a time and stop immediately when enough is trimmed away.

crustybla

Thanks Irishchick, he had them cut when he was 4 months old (he's 20 months now) by a vet who drew blood. He doesn't mind me at his paws but to cut his nails may be a different story. I go to a different vet now so that's where I'll bring him.

jimf

all mine are on concrete so they wear down naturally but 1 has bad rear dews and need to be clipped monthly as they tend to grow inwards

crustybla

Mine gets a lots of walks on concrete but it doesn't seem to be wearing them down. I wonder if it's because he weighs only 7 kilos? It's just a thought as I can't think why else they'd be long. In saying that they're not too bad but I do worry about his dew claws.

Cass

My Rottie had/has the same problem.

When younger she would wear them down and with a little trimming by myself they were always in check. However in the last year or more she is getting on in age and not as active. Plus her digging days are over. As a result her nails get longer without continued trimming. With her black, thick, nails trimming can be a nightmare. They are large, wide and tough as sin to cut. I have a set of proper clippers, and have done her nails since she was a pup. She never whimpers but still never likes it, although she will sit for me (with some resistance) knowing she gets a little treat for doing it.

I brought her and my JR into the Vet for their check up and asked about the nails. They were very long and seemed to grow faster than any effect my trimming had on them. I asked the vet about my options such as him doing it. He said he could cut them in half (making them bleed) or remove altogether, but they would grow back. Now i didn't see the need to remove. As for trimming them really short i could do that myself. He told me they were about the right length, but i still think he is wrong. Up until a week or so ago they were so long that when she would stand a certain way her nails would "twist". I can only compare it to having inch long finger nails and then trying to walk on your hands.

Anyway over the course of a couple of weeks i trimmed a little at a time. I could see where the nail was compared to the "quick" of the inner part (if that makes sense). Taking a little off some, and as much as she would let me on others (the bad ones). They still "click" when she walks (timber floor), but the twisted nature of them is all but gone.

So i now take a little off each week. She puts up less resistance as i've not taken too much to hurt her, and if it only keeps them at this length then it's better for her and me.

jimf

theres a little dremel 7.2 v volt grinder available to grind/sand the nails I have not seen it myself but im led to believe its very successful for strong hard nails

maybe others on here use and can comment on experience

I don't mean to be judgemental but if my vet advised as above I would not be very impressed

whats the logic in cutting a dogs nails so tight you will knowingly make it bleed this is what we try to avoid

piebaldskwbald

Regardless of who you take your dog to, blood can be drawn easily and it's hard to judge how far to go when the nail is black. I've worked grooming dogs so I cut nails every day. Groomers and vets draw blood from time to time. If you're overly concerned about this, try a dremel file, might take a bit of getting used to for your dog as it's loud and vibrates a bit when placed on the nail, cutting nails should be routine enough job if you're dog isn't wearing them down on a hard surface so try and do it regularly to get him used to it. I'm studying veterinary as well so I've seen vets do the same job. As for the vet saying the nails were the right length Cass, he was possibly right- some dogs have very long quicks so if you don't want to draw blood, then it's long you must leave them.

Cass

piebaldskwbald wrote: »

As for the vet saying the nails were the right length Cass, he was possibly right- some dogs have very long quicks so if you don't want to draw blood, then it's long you must leave them.

He most likely is, just to me it seems they are too long. He told me Rotties have long nails/quick which i can vouch for having drawn blood on a couple of occasions over the years. She might give a slight whimper, but a doggie treat makes that go away fairly fast.

I'm projecting human feelings onto an animal situation. She does not limp, cry, whinge or even be at her feet/nails, but from a glance it appears they are too long and i feel like i should be doing more. Hell even the vet said they are fine and i'm still doubting him and myself yet he spent years in school learning this stuff so knows a lot more than me.

I bought an electronic nail file/dremel type tool some year back. It's a motorised "wand" with an enclosed area, sanding stone designed for dogs with black nails. It's funny that she won't come near me when i went to use it, but sits for the clipping. anyway the file did not work. It's either under powered or simply not strong enough so i haven't used it in quite a while.

I have a workshop full of tools and can use any number of the dremels and sanding stones i have outside with one of the power tools i have. However for the moment i think i might chip away at using the clippers, and if it comes to the filing then give it a bash.

Thanks all.