Health reasons for filling your dogs nails

Reason to file your dog's nails with Ez Paw File.

EzPawFile.com

People who trim their dog’s nails can be one of the more stressful aspects of dog ownership. If your dog’s nails are a dark color or just long it can be difficult to judge how much to cut or file off the nail before hitting the nerves and blood vessels. Many dogs dislike or even hate having their nails trimmed or even touched, they may have had a negative or painful experience in the past. Getting your dog used to having its feet handled is something that is best started as a puppy.   With Adult dogs patience and treats are key. Don’t rush them into it, going slow will be quicker than having to fix a bad or scary experience. 

Even though it can be scary, there are some important reasons to trim your dog’s nails, mainly to prevent injury to the distal limb.  Nerve damage can occur and be both painful and debilitating for dogs. 

Torn Nails/ If a dog’s nails are too long they can catch them on anything from rugs to anything outside. This can happen more often if your dog has dewclaw’s that are long. If they catch it on something the whole nail bed can come off. This can be very painful and  is common to become infected. In these cases a veterinarian will need to be contacted for care. 

Damage to Paw/ If a nail, especially the dewclaw grows too long they often curl around on themselves and can grow into the pad. The nail pierces through the tough layer of skin over the pads and creates an open sore or wound that can be swollen and painful along with the possibility of infection. The treatment and prevention is simply trimming/ filling of your dog's nails and dewclaws. Pain management and antibiotics might be needed in some severe cases. 

Long and overgrown nails/ Dogs use their nails for balance and traction when walking or running.  Nails that are too long can cause a dog to slip and fall easily. Long nails cause dogs to strain their muscles and ligaments in their legs and even distort their paws causing premature arthritis and other conditions. Older arthritic dogs find these stresses to be particularly uncomfortable.

Nail filing is a relatively easy way to avoid injury to your dog.  If you feel uncomfortable doing it yourself your Veterinarian or Groomer would be happy to help you. You should have your dog’s nails cut or filed  every one to two months depending on how fast they grow and how active they are. The more active your dog is, the more natural filling takes place. Just like ez Paw file.  The nails should never grow so long that you can hear tapping on your ground. Ez paw nail file aids in the health and well-being of your dog.