[NAGDU] advice on nail grinding

Fri Mar 3 02:53:39 UTC 2023

Hi all,

The one thing that you need to be mindful is that you can cause the dog to bleed if you cut too short and the quick. It is wise to error on the side of caution. I took escalators on a regular basis with five of my seven dogs and never had problems with their nails getting caught. The real issue, as I understand it, is the pads of their feet which is painful and can cause serious pain. AS long as you put something on the claw/toe nail immediately to stop the bleeding it shouldn’t be fatal. However, it is something to be aware of when considering how to trim your dog's nails. We learned more about problems trimming nails of pets when our rabbit would catch his nail and pull them out. When I have cut my dogs nails I only cut a little off of the end of the nails. In general, dogs nails should ware at appropriate  levels if they are worked out on the streets and sidewalks. Vicky is the first of seven dogs who has had any problems with nails. She does get worked and it fed what the others were fed but we haven't found her personal balance. The fish oil supplement seems to be helping. I go back to the vet next month to check progress. 

-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Al Sten-Clanton via NAGDU
Sent: Thursday, March 2, 2023 1:27 PM
To: Tracy Carcione via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Al Sten-Clanton <albert.e.sten_clanton at verizon.net>
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] advice on nail grinding

Well, this is yet another job I didn't know blind people could d, or do very well, so cool!

Does anybody here think a regular nail file would work?  I'd obviously 
need to be careful about the point of the file, but that's what I use on 
my own nails.

Thanks for any thoughts!

Al

On 3/2/23 15:28, Tracy Carcione via NAGDU wrote:
> I trim the nails so that the tips are slightly upturned, and the nail is
> about the same length as the fur around it.  The first few times it might be
> a little longer; I forget.  My goal is to keep them short so my dog can be
> as safe as I can make him when we need to use an escalator.
> My understanding is that, if you keep the nails consistently the same
> length, the quick also stays short.  The quick grows longer as the nails do,
> which is why I do them weekly.  The quick has the blood supply, and I know
> from personal experience that cutting or breaking a nail into the quick
> hurts like crazy.  But, as the dog's nail quick is staying short, and I'm
> always trimming about the same amount, I think it's no more bother than
> trimming my own nails is to me.  They're not super-keen on the vibration,
> but they can deal with it.
> Tracy
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Janell via NAGDU
> Sent: Thursday, March 2, 2023 2:57 PM
> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: nellie at culodge.com
> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] advice on nail grinding
>
> Tracey,
>
> I love your technique with the nail trimming.  I am patiently awaiting for
> my 3rd guide dog, and I will keep this in mind!  Thanks for the suggestions,
> Janell The one question I have is: how do you know when the nail is short
> enough, and I don't want to get them too short?
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Tracy Carcione via NAGDU
> Sent: Thursday, March 2, 2023 1:39 PM
> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: carcione at access.net
> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] advice on nail grinding
>
> I have been grinding my dogs' nails for around 25 years now, and never hurt
> a dog in the least.  I have to be careful not to catch the paw pad, but
> that's easy to avoid.  I do nails every Sunday, so they never get very long,
> and each paw goes pretty quickly.  I bought a plug-in nail grinder from
> Amazon, because I got tired of the battery not being charged when I was
> ready to use it. It also has a variable speed knob, so I can set it to the
> speed I want and change it if it doesn't seem right.
>
> I started doing it for Igloo about a year ago, and this is what I did, as
> best I recall. Most of it is what I still do.
> I put a handful of kibble in my treat bag and hooked it on my waistband.
> Then I command Igloo to lie down where I want him to be.  When he's down, I
> hold a kibble a little back and to the side, so he turns a bit onto his side
> to get it.  Then I tell him to rest.  I start the grinder and do the 2 back
> paws, which are sticking out nicely to the side.  I give him a kibble when
> we finish each paw, and I don't stop the grinder until the paw is done.
> Then I do the front paws, which are a little harder because he won't lie
> totally on his side.  When I'm doing the paw nearest me, I put my foot
> behind his elbow so he can't move it.  When we're all done, he gets the
> jackpot--a nice handful of all the kibble that's left.
> I think, when we started out, I might have only done one paw the first time.
> If he started jumping, wiggling or complaining, I scolded him gently and
> reminded him to rest.  I want him to know that doing nails is something I
> want him to do, and I'm not taking any silliness.  Within a couple weeks, I
> was able to do all his paws, and now, when I get out the treatbag and the
> grinder and call him, he comes running and flops down in the spot ready to
> go.
> It probably helped that my old dog Krokus lives with us, and I did Krokus
> first the first few times, so Igloo could see what was happening and how his
> packmate was handling it.
> Igloo is a lab.  Some of my friends with shepherds have to work harder.
> Some shepherds are such babies! :.)
> Tracy
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Marj Schneider via NAGDU
> Sent: Thursday, March 2, 2023 9:21 AM
> To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
> Cc: Marj Schneider <marjschneider at bellsouth.net>
> Subject: [NAGDU] advice on nail grinding
>
> Hello All,
>
>
> Can those of you who use nail grinders to keep your dog's claws short give
> me suggestions on how you accustomed your dog to the experience?
>
>
> I bought a grinder from Amazon, based on the recommendation of a fellow
> Seeing Eye grad who uses one with more than one dog. I've been back from
> Seeing Eye for about two weeks with my new dog and have tried turning the
> grinder on to its low speed and putting it next to his paws. He pulls back
> the moment I try putting a claw on the grinding surface. He otherwise hasn't
> minded his feet being handled, though I haven't tried a more typical claw
> trimming approach yet, something I need help to accomplish. I'd rather be
> able to do the task independently if I can just get my dog comfortable with
> the experience.
>
>
> I'd appreciate any tips on this.
>
>
> Marj
>
>
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