Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Why You Should Grind Instead of Clip

How many of us put off trimming our dog's nails during a dog grooming session because of the stress of dog nail clipping tools or the time-consuming event of a day at the vets or groomer? Nail care is an essential part of your dog's comfort and proper care. If your dog's nails touch the floor or you can hear the nails "click" as your pet walks, your pet is due for a trim. Overgrown nails can cause a variety of problems from deformed feet (splayed toes), hip and back problems, to torn nails. A dog with splayed toes from nail overgrowth will find it uncomfortable to put their full body weight on their feet. Just walking can then be a painful experience. For the pet parent, overgrown nails can cause painful scratches and damage to hardwood floors and furniture.

Using a dog nail clipper is a stressful event for pet parent and professional alike. Due to the anatomy of the dog's nail, dog nail clippers are an incorrect method of trimming an animal's nail. Inside the nail there are sensitive nerves and blood vessels called the "quick." Cuts with a dog nail clipper are blind and inaccurate causing injury. Even when the quick is not cut, the pressure from the blades pinches down on the sensitive nerves causing sharp pain. Dog nail clippers split and crush the nail leaving it jagged and rough. As the blades of the dog nail clipper become increasingly dull, the problem gets worse. Dogs develop negative reactions ranging from nervous to completely terrified of having their nails cut. Some dogs even have fearful associations with having their paws handled because of the dog nail clipper.

The popularity of rotary tool use for dog nail grooming has grown tremendously in the last decade. Large companies have marketed rotary tools specifically for the pet industry. The benefits of filing over clipping have made the rotary tool trend a hit for professional groomers, vets, dog show enthusiasts, and many pet parents. Filing mimics nature's process of dog nail removal and thus is the correct way to trim a dog's nails. Painless filing removes enamel in controlled thin increments. This gives the user much more control because it eliminates the danger of taking off too much at one time. Thus, gauging the quick is made easy. Moreover, filing the nail leaves it much smoother and you can shape it to a rounded finish. Regular and proper use of the rotary tool will actually recede the quick and make your future dog nail grooming sessions that much easier.