07/01/2024
It important to get your dog's nails trimmed on a regular basis.
A dog's nails are made up of keratin, just like our nails, but inside the nail resides the quick. The quick is a bundle of nerves, tissue, and blood vessels, and in white or clear nails, it appears pink. In black nails, you cannot see the quick, which can lead to accidental cutting of the quick when trimming the nails.
Trimming the quick causes pain, and the nail will bleed, which can be very difficult to stop. Trimming the quick can also be traumatizing to your dog because it hurts, and they will become very averse to nail trims in the future.
Some dogs are just averse to having their feet touched in general, so nail trimming can be a tough chore. However, keeping your dog's nails short is important for many reasons, and pursuing all avenues to keep them short should be attempted.
A dog uses its paws for weight-bearing and distributes the weight in a very specific fashion across the toes. This weight-bearing can be disrupted with injury, arthritis, and anatomical abnormalities.
For example, a dog with elbow pain will walk on the paws abnormally to help compensate for the elbow pain. Long nails will abnormally shift the weight back onto the paw as they will push the toes upwards, which can cause discomfort for the dog
