Let Your Hair Down, Check Your Nails

This popular song "Good As Hell" by Rizzo, while a great toe-tapping tune, is just a great way for us to remind ourselves to check up on those pet nails! That's right pop music and pet grooming are now best friends!

Unlike humans, dogs and cats do not have any use for overly long nails. In fact, long nails can cause all sorts of problems including ingrown nails, pressure on joints and even deformation of the foot due to that pressure.

Unless you love the sound of your dog tick-tick-ticking across the floor or slipping and sliding because they are nervous and skittering on their long nails, time for a trim!

What about the cat though? Don't they use their nails to climb? Yes, they do, but they also use their nails to claw at the furniture, your walls and take down the drapes. If your cat is truly an outdoor only cat, they will use their nails for protection and climbing, but they can still be safely trimmed and retain those functions while preserving your furniture.

How Often To Trim

Nails can grow rapidly, especially if your dog is eating a healthy diet! Some dogs will naturally wear down the nails due to how they walk and run and what surfaces they are walking on. Other dogs never wear their nails down naturally due to the shape of their feet. How often will depend a little on your individual dog, but a good guide is every 2-4 weeks. Trim more often if your dog's nails are on the long side, that way the quick will recede a bit more each time.

Cats average about once a month to keep those daggers to a minimum. As cats age, this becomes particularly important as they often stop scratching the scratching post and no longer shed the outer layers of the nail. That's right! Cat nails shed! When they stop shedding the nail layers the nail rapidly grows and the danger of the nail growing into the pads becomes a very real problem. Geriatric cats 10 years and up should have a monthly appointment with you or your groomer to get those nails trimmed!

Mark it on your calendar your have a standing date with your furry friend!