Dogs nails!!!

[RosiePosey33]

I have a 10 year old chihuahua whose nails grow so curly they end up digging into her pads.

She gets them trimmed every 4 weeks by our vet and they still grow very curly and long.

The problem is the vet said they can only take the tiniest amount off each time as the quicks are so low and gradually they should go back but they never have.

My poor dog! It's only the back outer and inner nails which are the culprits and because she is so light she isn't putting enough pressure on them when walking to wear them down.

Has anyone else had this? What's the solution? The vet can't see her anymore frequently as there isn't enough nail to remove.

My lab is the same. Vet suggests a glass or metal nail file and a gentle file each day, to gradually encourage the quick to recede ( or something like that)

I taught my dog to use a scratch board. It took minutes, she loves it and it keeps her nails really short.

It cost £10 on eBay for one with a treat compartment.

If the quicks are overgrown, having the nails trimmed once a month is not enough to make them recede and keep nails short.

Your best solution is to buy a pet/dog nail grinder/dremel and use it briefly every day. My dog has nails that don’t wear down no matter how far we walk every day (7-10 km), so grinding her nails has become part of her daily grooming routine. I give her a chew to distract her, and by the time she’s finished it, I’m done for the day with her nails. And there’s always a little to grind every day because the quicks are receding (she’s a rescue, so there’s past neglect to remedy).

Hint: be patient! Introduce the grinder slowly over several days (near dog but not on; near dog and on; running handle over dog’s body when on, running handle over dog’s feet when on, finally applying grinder to ONE nail at first, gradually building up to all of them over time). Little and often is the best approach.

There are literally hundreds of these grinders on Amazon.

Amazing thanks everyone I will try a grinder!!

I can see how they work for front claws, but what about the back ones?

Back Nails tend not to grow as much and wear easier. But you can train this too using a pivot perch. I have. Lots of videos on YouTube.

I use a cat nail clipper for my tiny ones, much easier than the regular dog clippers for my bigger ones. Available Pets at Home or anywhere. The tiny ones don’t wear their nails down so much. Clip a tiny bit every week & keep a Styptic Pencil pencil handy just incase you do cut a bit low & it bleeds, any chemist or Superdrug. The white nails are much easier to cut than black ones as you can see the quick so if they’re black just nibble a bit away every few days. Don’t forget to cut the dew claws on the inside of the front legs above the paw.