01/20/2025
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Let's talk about nail care for cats and dogs. This can be something that you train your kitten or puppy to tolerate at a young age. Putting direct pressure on their toes to mimic a nail trim, or touching their toes and nails often can make them more likely to accept a nail trim over their life time. Some positive training can go a long way! If nail trimmers for pets are cumbersome, you can sometimes get away with human nail clippers for cats. They are smaller and easier to get in between the toes, especially if they have extra toes!
Broken toe nails are rarely an emergency but they bleed a lot and are painful. this can typically be avoided by keeping short, trimmed nails, that are less likely to catch on things. We've seen broken toe nails due to being caught in carpet, the deck, going through the hard crusty layer on snow etc. If your pet's toe nails are long, this can lead to trouble. Older dogs will have less grip when walking. It can exacerbate arthritis if they are carrying their weight awkwardly. It can make them more likely to fall or hurt themselves as well.
For cats, if your cat is not using a scratching post or active, toenails can grow into their foot pads. ( it can happen with dogs too!) This can lead to a very painful condition where they are walking on their toenails as it stabs into their foot pads. This can lead to infection as well.
We seem to see a rash of broken toenails when the ice and snow first appear in winter. This is our gentle reminder to make sure your pet's toes are winter ready!
