I really need some advice....
Alright I was putting off asking this question because I did not want to sound like a bad mother to my baby, but now I am worried about my little girl. Last year I took Lola to a new vet because when my cat was very sick the clinic that I always go to would not call the vet in for me on a Saturday because "it was his day off". Anyways to make a long and heartbreaking story short I brought my cat to an animal hospital an hour away and I had him put to sleep because the surgery was over 6,000. And my vet could have done it for a lot less... so Anyways I took her to a new vet and he clipped her nails too short. She was petrified. Before this I had always cut her nails and filed them down for her. She will not let me touch her paws anymore. I don't know what to do. Her nails are getting long and I don't want them to affect her legs or her walking. I tried all the tricks in the book. I tried massaging her paws to get her used to me touching them again, I tried giving her a treat when she lets me touch them, leaving the nail cutters near her to get her used to them... everything you can think of I tried. I had my boyfriend hold her and give her a snack to get her attention away from me cutting her nails but she bit him, and that is so uncharacteristic for her. She never bites anyone. I looked into having her sedated to cut her nails, but I am not sure I want to put her through that....
Sorry this is so long, I just need some good advice... Thank you.
Sorry this is so long, I just need some good advice... Thank you.
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Mochi The Corgi on
-
Man i really have the same problem. Although i never clipped her nails too short i can't even get to them. Everytime i try to grab her paw she starts trying to pull it out of my hands and hopping away. It's really frustrating. I take her on 2 walks a day but the nails still seem pretty long.
I was thinking that i'm just going to take her to the groomers and get it done instead.
-
Permalink Reply by Stephanie & Lola on
-
I'm sorry you have the same problem, it's really aggravating! Good luck at the groomers
-
Permalink Reply by Bonny on
-
I have had success by putting Junbug on a down and pressing down gently just behind her jaw (sortof like how a dominant dog would hold down a submissive one). This makes her relax a little, and then I can go on and clip her nails. She is very uncomfortable, but I can keep her laying down without any help by shushing her when she tenses up while I clip away. I have trimmed one or two too short in the past, but now I just err on the long side and trim a little more often. I always do this after a long excercise session so she's tired, and I have heard that using a blanket laid over the head calms them, as well.
-
Permalink Reply by Plato & Sula on
-
Every week I dremel Plato's nails. The first time I tried to grind his nails, he flipped out because he wasn't used to the sound and vibration. The only thing that made him stop was putting the training/choke collar on him, giving it a quick tug as soon as he was about to squirm, and saying "no" firmly. I didn't coddle or comfort him...and it worked! That's the only time I've used the training collar in his life so he remembered. Now he rolls over and falls asleep when I dremel his nails. It might help if you have someone else hold the collar while you dremel.
-
Permalink Reply by Edison on
-
We also slipped up with one of Edison's early toenail trims and now it takes two people to trim Edison's toenails. One of us sits on the floor and wedges him between their legs and holds his torso in place (corgi torsos are very good for twisting) and the other does the clipping. Edison squeaks and howls pathetically the whole time, even while accepting treats, but the treats at least keep him sufficiently distracted that we can get the job done. I think we fed him a whole dinner that way once...
-
Permalink Reply by Heather on
-
My Charlie boy sometimes makes a big fuss, with the howling and screaming, but as soon we are done, he's prefectly fine. He plays with my shepherd right away. I think a lot of it is just high drama.
-
Permalink Reply by Shelby Shirley on
-
I took Sadie to my vet to have her show me how to "easily" trim her nails. Lay her on her side, feet out straight and put her head under your left arm just under her jaw (if you're going to use your right hand to clip her nails or vice versa)j. Put enough pressure on her neck/jaw/head area so that she knows you are in control. Hold her front left foot (it's the bottom foot so she can't push off the table with it or you may need to hold both feet at once) in your left hand and use your right arm to put pressure on her lower body/back legs and hold her back feet. Put enough weight/pressure into it that they know you are holding them in that position until you are ready to let them up. When they relax or quit wriggling let up a little - if they start to struggle again you add more pressure. The first several times it may be helpful to do this on a kitchen table/coffee table type surface where it's hard, but put a blanket or towel down for them, up high enough to work comfortably at (vs hunched over on the floor for example) and where a helper can stand on the opposite side and do the actual trimming while you hold their feet. Let go of one foot at a time to be trimmed by your helper. Start slow, one foot at a session if necessary. But most importantly practice this position of submission a lot! Watching tv, playing on the floor, on the bed etc. The more you do it the more comfortable they will be when it comes time to actually trimming their nails. The first few times will be a struggle, but she will learn to just relax and trust you. I can now do it on my own without a helper but I lay her on her side at least once a day or more just to rub her belly, play with her feet and just to "hold" her down in this position. I don't let her up until she isn't squirming and completely relaxed, submissive. Now when I trim her feet it takes maybe 5 minutes, no biting, snarling or yelping. Maybe a little wiggling at the start of each session but then I just put more pressure on her until she relaxes and then I let up when she does. Lots of love and treats at the end of every trim. They can't bite you in this position if you put enough pressure on them. I've never had to wrap her in a blanket to hold her or muzzle her. She can't move because you've got a good hold of all 4 feet and pressure from the top. Again, not enough to squish their brains but enough to say "I'm in Charge and you have to lay here as long as I say you have to". Now I hold each paw in my left hand and trim with my right. The back feet can get a little hard to reach so you have to kind of scoop them forward with the crook of your right arm if you're doing this alone without a helper. Again, with enough practice they will eventually lay "nice" on their side and allow (maybe not like) but allow this necessary evil to be done to them. Best of luck - Shelby
-
Permalink Reply by Zach and Lisa on
-
We were actually concerned Midas's claws were getting too short. We take him on walks regularly and his nails kept very short almost to the quick. I was worried so I asked the groomers about it and they said it was a great thing that they were like this because it helps slow down nail growth later in life. We walk him on mainly pavement for about 45min. It really helps to wear them down. We haven't had to get his nails trimmed since he was 9wks. And they are shorter now then they were when he got them done.
-
Permalink Reply by Sylvia on
-
ok thats just awesome. I will be following that sound advice and example with my little one.
-
Permalink Reply by Boots and Superstar! on
-
I had worked at a vet before and I had told clients to dremmel the nails. It is painless, and you wont have to do it everyweek. You can buy the Peticure online or you can buy the dremmel at a Petco. And it is suggested to get a muzzle.
-
-
Thank you =) My peticure is in the mail as we speak. Walking her twice a day on pavement didn't help either. They don't grow longer, they just don't get any shorter lol
-
Permalink Reply by Nicole on
-
Ein is the only one of my three dogs that doesn't fight nail trims. Like for many things, we use the treat system and it slowly started working.
One of my three dogs is a rescue collie. I don't know what happened to her in her previous home, but she had a rough life. Her foster mother found her wandering the neighborhood, nearly naked from severe demodectic mange. It was clear that she had not been properly cared for in a long time. I would suspect that the only experience she ever had with a groomer was after her foster mother found her and started working with animal control to get her treated, because she came to us hating any and all grooming. She'd never stay still to be brushed even let alone nails trimmed. So we started the reward system. If she'd let us brush her a few minutes, she'd get a treat. Gradually, I lengthened the amount of time between treats. Started giving a treat after each foot was trimmed and nails cut. So now, all of the dogs get a treat after their nails are trimmed. Colleen and Tucker still both hate it, but it's easier to get them to comply now. Sir Pig-a-lot (ein) will actually willingly lay on his back (which he normally hates) so you can trim his nails, though after each nail, he tries to get up thinking he's done and can have his treat.
- ‹ Previous
- 1
- 2
- 3
- Next ›
Rescue Store
Stay Connected
FDA Recall
Canadian Food Inspection Agency Recall
Groups
We support...
Badge
© 2024 Created by Sam Tsang.
Powered by
