Hub City Times

Top Menu

  • Contact Us
  • E-Editions
  • Subscribe

Main Menu

  • News
    • Around the County
    • Arts & Ent
    • Education
    • Government
    • Local
  • Covid 19
  • Opinion
  • Sports
    • Sports News
    • High School Sports Scores
    • Wisconsin Rapids Rafters
  • Coming Events
  • Business
  • Obits
  • Classifieds
    • Place Ad
    • View Ads
  • Legal Ads
    • Our Legals
    • Statewide
  • Senior Photos 2021
  • Contact Us
  • E-Editions
  • Subscribe

logo

Hub City Times

  • News
    • Around the County
    • Arts & Ent
    • Education
    • Government
    • Local
  • Covid 19
  • Opinion
  • Sports
    • Sports News
    • High School Sports Scores
    • Wisconsin Rapids Rafters
  • Coming Events
  • Business
  • Obits
  • Classifieds
    • Place Ad
    • View Ads
  • Legal Ads
    • Our Legals
    • Statewide
  • Senior Photos 2021
Health
Home›Health›The vet’s office: Time for a trim

The vet’s office: Time for a trim

By Hub City Times
March 29, 2017
733
0
Share:

Tips for cutting pets’ nails


By Dr. Roger Krogstad, DVM

Wildwood Animal Hospital and Clinic LLC

As predicted, the spring parade of broken nails and preventive nail trimmings has begun. We commonly trim our fingernails when they get long to prevent nail cracks or chips. The same happens to our pets, mostly our K-9 friends, after a long winter of growth without wear.

Why not just get out the clippers and trim the nails? Not only are most pets fearful or reluctant for this process, but many pet owners are also afraid to do this relatively basic grooming procedure. Many come with horror stories of bleeding nails and excessive struggling to get the job done.

An early intervention with the puppy by handling the feet and lightly trimming the nail with a regular nail clipper introduces the pet to the nail trimming concept. A few treats and a calm voice will go a long way in reducing future nail trim anxiety. Ask your veterinarian to explain toenail anatomy so you understand the structure.

An introduction to Kwik-Stop powder is important and should be a part of every nail trimming kit. No matter how cooperative your pet or how experienced the trimmer, there may be a sudden movement resulting in a short nail and exposure to the quick (soft tissue) and bleeding. Having the clotting powder right there will save many anxious moments and possibly an emergency visit to your veterinary office.

For those dogs already overly anxious or reluctant to have nails trimmed by their owners, many veterinary practices or pet groomers offer this service. This small investment is much less than having to medically deal with a deeply quicked or broken nail.

There are those few very fearful dogs that may require sedation by a veterinarian once or twice a year to do the preventative nail trim.

Some pets have elevated dew claws that appear to grow much faster than the other nails because they never touch the ground to be worn down. As these grow and start to curl, they may require more frequent trimming to prevent them from hooking onto carpets or other materials and being pulled off to expose the bone and soft tissue inside the nail. With this injury, as with other nails deeply cracked or torn, your veterinarian may recommend removal of the exposed tissue under sedation to allow a new nail to grow and reduce discomfort and the potential of infection.

On a final note, some dogs, if introduced early, may accept a nail grinding with a Dremmel-type tool or even a fingernail file rather than the regular nail trimmer. It has been my experience that the rechargeable battery type, compared to the plug-in multitools, have a slower speed and lower pitched sound and tend to be better accepted by pets.

Again, ask your veterinarian or skilled veterinary technician about nail trimming. This is an important part of your pet’s overall paw health.

Wildwood Animal Hospital and Clinic LLC is located at 210 Airpark Road in Marshfield and online at wildwoodanimalhospital.net.

Tagsanimal healthDr. Roger KrogstadFeaturedpet healththe vet's officetoenailsvet's officeveterinarianWildwood Animal Hospital and Clinic LLC
Previous Article

Marshfield, March 1911: Anna Brylle Bille loses ...

Next Article

MAPN presentation focuses on raising resilient children

0
Shares
  • 0
  • +
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Related articles More from author

  • LocalNews

    Marshfield man struck by train

    July 30, 2014
    By Hub City Times
  • Photo Gallery

    Photos from Relay For Life in Marshfield

    August 2, 2014
    By HubCityAdmin
  • News

    Cancer gets lapped at Relay For Life

    August 2, 2014
    By Hub City Times
  • Business

    Hotel Marshfield combines sophistication with comfort

    August 6, 2014
    By Hub City Times
  • Arts & Entertainment

    New Visions Gallery fundraises in style

    August 8, 2014
    By Hub City Times
  • BusinessFood

    Marshfield Farmers’ Market in full bloom

    August 9, 2014
    By Hub City Times

Leave a reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

About Us


Hub City Times is published by Multi Media Channels LLC, N2919 County Road QQ Waupaca, WI 54981.

Copyright © 2020 Multi Media Channels, All Rights Reserved. Designed by MMC Team Awesome
×