Whether you have a dog, cat, rabbit or guinea pig, nail care is important. This is especially true if your animal is an indoor companion and when your furry friend hits his geriatric years. Pet’s nails grow constantly, just like ours do, and if they are not worn down by activities such as scratching and digging, keeping them trimmed helps prevent problems like splitting, breaking at the quick and ingrown toenails.
Many owners have their dog’s dewclaws removed when they are puppies, but if the dewclaws are not surgically removed, they can be a source of trouble as the dog ages. Keeping these claws in particular trimmed on a regular basis is especially important. Most dogs who live indoors except for outdoor walks should have their nails trimmed every 4-6 weeks. Dogs who spend more time outdoors on harder surfaces can probably go 8-12 weeks between trims.
As more and more cats are leading indoor only lives and do not need sharp claws for defense and escape from predators, nail trimming needs increase. Keeping those sharp points dulled saves furniture and skin from scratches and as your kitty ages and claws tend to curl more, keeping the nails short avoids painful growth into the toe pads. As with dogs, trimming every 4-6 weeks is a good timetable.
Rabbits and guinea pigs are also leading more indoor lives, and do not have the opportunity to wear down their nails as they would in the wild with digging activities, so regular trimming of their nails is advised. Generally a 4-6 trimming schedule is recommended.
Another thing to keep in mind is that as our animals age their nails tend to thicken and curl, making them tougher to wear down. This can seriously impact the animal’s ability to locomote without discomfort or injury and will affect their gait, putting stress on other body parts. Keeping those nails short allows for normal locomotion and joint health.
At Wet Whiskers we can keep all of your animal friends’ nails in top shape and we offer smoothing with a Dremel for dog nails as a regular part of the trimming procedure. Nail trims are on a drop-in basis and are a reasonably priced part of the services we offer.
Pop in today and keep your animal friend healthy and your furniture happy! And if you want to get really fancy, we can paint nails too!