Cat Urine Odor Removal

Pet nail care is an important part of your pet’s complete health care. Considering that nails continuously grow and are not necessarily worn down as they might if they have been going for walks, then it is up to you to help in keeping them at a more comfortable length. If nails are too long, this has an effect on the way a dog walks which can cause inflammation of the joints later in life. Also longer nails can get ensnared and torn, or on occasion curl back into the toe pad and may cause an infection. Trimming nails is not that upsetting if you have the right equipment and have properly trained your pet to allow you to hold the paw.

The nail has a “quick” that contains the veins and nerves of the nail.The quick is easier to see in white nails. By trimming small amounts at a time and trimming with the plane of the bottom of the toe pad (horizontally rather than vertically) you are able to avert cutting the nail to short as to cause it to bleed.

Here are a few additional guidelines to effectively cut your pet’s nails:

1. Get started while your pet is still a puppy or kitten by gently handling their paws. By making a game of it and inspecting the nails, then they will let you trim them once they grow older.

2. Opt for a pet nail trimmer for the size and age of your pet.I quite often use the human toe nail trimmer for young pet’s nails since it can get to the tiny points a little easier and they are sharper. As your kitten or puppy gets older, I may then transition nail trimmers to the scissor action kind of trimmer as opposed to the guillotine trimmer. I find that these stay sharper longer and are a lot easier to use. The guillotine style some times traps the nails and does not create a clean cut. Your veterinarian may help you choose a appropriate trimmer.

3. When you are trimming your dog’s nails, never do it while your pet is sitting in your lap. Have somebody assist you and set them on the countertop or lid of the washer or dryer. You can wrap them with a bath towel to assist holding them better. Cats can also be scruffed by grasping the loose skin behind their heads for better control. If your pet starts to resist, just try holding the paw until he relaxes. In the event you release the paw whenever your pet starts to protest, you are just re-enforcing the bad habits and will make the subsequent nail trim event even worse. (Go back to number 1)

4. Be well prepared. Have accessible styptic pencils for example silver nitrate or Kwik stop powder. Be aware that the silver nitrate on the end of the sticks does stain counters and your skin in case you get it on you. For beginners, it is best to stick with the styptic powder.

5. If your pet has light colored nails, you can visualize the pink portion of the quick. If your pet has darker nails, trim just a little at a time. I like to carefully press on the toe and extend the nail out. I then draw an imaginary line level with the bottom of the toe pad and extend it out across the nail. I then trim the nail at this imaginary line so that the nail is now level with the floor when the dog is standing. The nail of the cat is easier to see and it is best to just trim the tips off and stay away from the pink colored quick.

6. You can use an emery board to smooth the rough edges.

7. Pedi-paws or similar rotor drill sanders are helpful to smooth sharp ends and to trim just a tiny bit of nail. If the nail is very long in any way, then it can take you forever to get it trimmed. You can use the drill to keep the nail shorter or for smoothing the nail after you have used the clippers. Your pet will also need to be trained not to be frightened by the the sound, so it’s always best to move slowly and gradually as you each figure out how to handle the drill.

After a little practice and a lot of patience, you could soon be trimming your pet’s nails with full confidence. If all else fails, your veterinarian or groomer are here to help.

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