Above, we’ve covered the fact that you should be taking care of your dog’s toenails because they can’t do it naturally because of domestication. There are also selfish reasons why you’d want to do it – long nails on dogs prone to scratch their beds means you’ll need to constantly replace it, this also goes to dogs who jump at doors. Here, we explain why it’s important to keep a dog’s nail in check.
Dog nails grow all the time
Just like our nails, dog nails constantly grow. They grow so that they don’t constantly accumulate damage and so that a dog always has workable nails. Because dog nails (see also ‘How To Build A Dog Nail Scratchboard‘) do not contain any living tissue – they constantly grow as they cannot ‘heal’ or repair themselves. This is true of any mammals with claws. Dogs are born with several important tools such as teeth, a tail, great eyesight and claws to help them grip and rip prey. If their nails are not usable then they will surely suffer and this is why dog nails constantly grow throughout their lifetime.
Long nails can lead to health issues
Flat/splayed paw
When long nails touch the ground they can create uneven pressure to your dog’s paws, tendons and joints as it’s the paw that should be hitting the ground and you shouldn’t hear nail noises when they are walking around. This over a long period of time can cause pain and discomfort for your dog and make their paw flattened and splayed.
Puncturing the paw
In serious cases of canine neglect, overgrown nails will eventually curl round and could puncture the paw which can lead to some serious health issues and an extremely painful and unpleasant situation for your dog that pain relief for dogs can’t help. Generally, if you’ve landed on this page then you clearly care for your dog – if their nails have got to this stage then please do something about it asap.
Torn and split nails
The longer the nails, the more likely it is they can get split or turn which can be extremely painful and would require a veterinarian’s interception. Torn and split nails have gone way past a scenario where dog clippers can fix.
Dog not co operating
Long nails which have led to a painful paw area for your dog can make your dog not co operate when it’s finally time to use the dog nail clippers. This creates a vicious cycle where your dog simply doesn’t want you to go anywhere near the paws, especially the nails, even though it’s for their benefit. It goes without saying that prevention is better than a cure when it comes to nails and foot hygiene in general and by introducing the clippers at an early age you can avoid all of the problems listed above.
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