Well, have you ever thought of trimming your own dog’s or cat’s nails?
It may seem pretty scary at first but you can do it! It is simple and something you can save some money on.
Firstly, get yourself some clippers. You can go to any local pet store and they should have them. We use trimmers that are the “guillotine” style. These are easiest to use in order to get a proper trim.
Next, you need to know where to trim and how far back you can go. If your dog has clear nails, you can see some pink in them. This is the “quick” of the nail. If you cut part of that, the nail will bleed so you will want to cut just before that part of the nail. The nail should be cut from underneath and not from the top down.
As a tip, you may want to trim a nail, wait a few minutes and trim the next one. You don’t have to do the whole paw in one sitting. As a first nail trim this would probably be a better approach anyways! Give your dog a small part of a treat after each paw or something like this to keep him or her interested somewhat.
Another tip for you (especially if your dog is a puppy), start rubbing his paws a bit just while you are holding him. Get him used to you touching his feet. Your pet’s feet tend to be pretty sensitive and most don’t like to be touched there! However, if you practice by rubbing his paws every once in a while he will get used to it and it will make your job that much easier.
It is important to keep your dog’s nails trimmed whether you do it yourself or we do it for you. If their nails get too long, dog or cat, they can get certain infections. It’s good to do at least once a month. (By the way, if you are interested in doing this yourself we can show you how at the clinic.)
Happy Trimming!