You may not think of your dog’s nails at this time of year, but we do!  With winter comes long nails.  There’s salt on all the sidewalks, so if your dog goes bare-footed this winter, chances are it’s doing it’s best to walk only on snowy lawns and in parks.  This means the nails aren’t being ground down on the pavement as they usually are, so nail trims in the winter are crucial.  Any dogs wearing boots are likewise not getting that pavement grinding.

Regardless of the weather, there are many good reasons for maintaining your dog’s nails at the right length.  Here are some them:

One reason for a good nail grinding in winter is to preserve those boots!  The boot-wearing dog saves it’s little tootsies from the ravages of salt, snow and ice, but those nails aren’t hitting the pavement anymore, so the nails are getting really long, and wearing out those boots really fast!  Plus, with really long nails, the boots just don’t fit the same, and can be uncomfortable.  Short, smooth nails are the best option.

Long nails also snag on EVERYTHING!  The carpet, their sweaters (and yours), and we’ve seen some pretty nasty broken nails just from racing around outside having fun!

Dogs that always have long nails can also adjust their gait over time, resulting in potential joint issues.

Long nails mean less traction on hardwood floors and ice which is a challenge, but also a potential danger for those dogs that already have joint or ligament concerns.  You may think nails would add to their grip, but without full contact of the pads to the ground, they have less surface touching the ground, and less feel for their footing!

We’ve also seen nails that have been so overgrown, that they’ve curled and started growing right into the pads!  This is understandably very painful, and difficult to trim.

So how do you know when your dog should have a nail trim?  Ideally once you hear the tapping of the nails on the hard floor, or every month.  The dew claws (up on the side of some feet) always need a trim since they don’t ever make contact with the ground, and the other nails never wear evenly.

A dog’s nails have a vein inside that is called the “quick”.  As the dog’s nail grows, so too does the quick.  This means that if your dog’s nails are very long, the quick is very long.  We will do a nail trim just to the tip of the quick, preventing bleeding and pain.  When the nail is trimmed, this quick recedes a bit away from the tip.  Our best recommendation for dog’s with nails that are too long and aren’t to their ideal length after one trim is to come in every 2 weeks until they are back to a good length, and then you can carry on with a trim once a month.

Just to help make sure your New Year’s Resolution is off to a good start, we’re offering a nail trim & grind for the same price as a regular nail trim for the month of January 2019!  Drop by or call 647-436-2529 to book!  And of course nail trims & grinds are included with every grooming service including a bath!