Unless there is a medical reason not to sedate your dog, your vet should be able to do a sedated trim. Being sedated should make the nail trim process less traumatic for your pup.
Nails cannot be allowed to grow without being trimmed or naturally worn down so if they are long enough, your veterinarian will need to inject a sedative into your dog in order to safely trim the nails. Physical restraint should not be performed if a dog is struggling and trying to bite.
Either treat your dog yourself with something special like licks of peanut butter from a spoon, or have someone else feed her treats. Work down the leg toward the paw as long as your pooch remains relaxed. Once you are able to touch her paw area while she stays relaxed, progress toward holding her paw in your hand.
General Anesthesia: For critical cases, the dog may require to be put under general anesthesia for the grooming. Of course, this is done at the vet's office. This is frequently done in cases of overly troublesome dogs or when there may be pain or the need for the dog to remain still for extended periods of time.
It can take about 2 to 4 minutes for a dog's nail to stop bleeding, so you may need to hold a cloth there for that long. If it doesn't stop bleeding, take your dog to the vet immediately.
At the center of every dog nail is a bundle of nerves and blood vessels called a quick. Cutting this quick, or even applying pressure to the area around it, can cause your dog immense pain. Some breeds, such as Shiba Inus, pugs, shepherds, labs, and bully breeds, seem to have exceptionally sensitive quicks.
Failing To Trim My Pet's Nails
However, long nails create potential issues for animals — a splayed foot, reduced traction, deformed feet, and even injured tendons over time. As long nails hit the ground, it puts force on the foot and leg structure. This force can potentially lead to arthritis and ongoing pain.
Your veterinarian may administer anesthesia or sedate your dog to help them relax during an exam or painful or uncomfortable procedure. It can cost between $50 to $220 to sedate a dog.
Groomers might cover an aggressive dog's face with a towel while moving the dog. Aggressive dogs are restrained with a loop and most groomers have muzzles on hand for the toughest dogs. Neither of these devices will hurt your dog. Both ensure your dog stays on the table during the groom for her own safety.
Desensitizing their pet to grooming sounds – Desensitization is an effective technique for treating animal anxiety. For grooming, this can involve running nail clippers or a blow dryer next to the pet in short intervals and rewarding them with a treat afterwards.
Use a soothing voice to keep her calm as you gently rub her paws. Then focus on the toes, giving each one a soft squeeze. Next apply gentle pressure to the nail itself. If your dog becomes scared or pulls back her paw, stop for a bit and continue only when she settles down.
While melatonin has proven beneficial in the management of certain endocrine disorders, it is a helpful adjunct in canine stress disorders. Therefore, melatonin is offered as an over-the-counter recommendation for the dog with hospital associated aggression and anxiety (Table 1).
Taking your dog for regular walks, including on hard surfaces such as pavements, will help to shorten their claws, but may not be enough to keep them as short as they should be.
Trazodone can both sedate a dog and relieve anxiety. This is a good dog sedative for grooming, veterinary visits, thunderstorms/fireworks, and other short-term stressful events. Side effects include low blood pressure, so trazodone may be used cautiously or avoided in patients with certain health conditions.
In this case, instead of alleviating anxiety, your dog may become hyperactive and even aggressive! No groomer should administer sedatives to your dog unless a vet prescribed the drug for that particular animal.
Most grooming restraints have an adjustable metal bar over your dog's head, with a leash-like loop to retrain the neck. Other designs have an additional loop on the rear side to keep the hindquarters well-centered and stop your dog from jumping off the table.
The animal is allowed to rest for 10 – 20 minutes while the drug takes effect. Once the procedure is done, the animal is given a reversal, antisedan, which reverses the effects of Dexdomitor/Torbugesic. Antisedan is given into the muscle, and generally, your pet is awake in 10 – 20 minutes.
Medications used to tranquilize animals can produce unintended side effects. However, airlines and professional pet transport companies forbid any form of sedation because it increases health and safety risks for dogs and cats. Sedated animals lose muscle control and cannot maintain their balance.
The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA) reports that anxious or aggressive dogs may require a sedative to reduce distress to the animal, and keep the veterinarian safe during any treatment.
It might take awhile for your pup to get comfortable having his nails trimmed again if you've cut into their quick, but they will forgive you. Be sure to give him lots of treats and praise every time you get out the nail clippers; that will help make the experience more positive.
For overgrown dog nails, you'll need to clip long nails weekly. This gives the quick time to recede toward the paw. Once your dog's nails are finally at an acceptable length, keep trimming back his nails on a weekly basis. If you skip a week or two, your dog's nails will start touching the ground.
Survival instinct
The main reason dogs hate getting their nails clipped is because of the pain. It doesn't hurt them if they are clipped correctly but if your dog has been cut too close to their nerve in their nail, even once, he will remember it.
Adult dogs may be fearful of the clippers and the sound they make, especially if they had a previous bad experience (having the nail trimmed too short or “quicked”). Desensitizing older dogs to nail trimming takes patience. The process cannot be rushed.