Toenails and Hardwood Floors don't go!

Toenails and Hardwood Floors don't go!

Recent trends have homeowners putting in hardwood or laminate floors like it is going out of style. Unfortunately if you have dogs (and even cats) toenails click and clack and scratch ....

We often have dog owners coming in wanting the toenails cut as "short as you can get them because they are clicking on the hardwood floors". Guess what? No groomer can get the average dog's toenails short enough to prevent noise. Even my own dogs nails click on the wood floors!

A dog’s (and cat’s) toenails have a “quick” or a blood vessel. This “quick” grows as the nail grows. Generally speaking the more often you cut the toenail the further back the “quick” will be located. If you cut a toenail into the “quick” then it will bleed. While no dog has ever died from the “quick” being cut it can sometimes difficult to get stopped. Though groomers and veterinarians use a styptic powder to stop the bleeding occasionally the bleeding will start up again when the dog walks on the pavement or carpet or gets the toenail wet. So most groomers attempt to cut the nails without hitting the “quick. Besides the mess involved it is also often painful for the dog to have the “quick” cut. Also we find as groomers that nothing upsets an owner more than having a dog return home and jump on the clean white sofa or bed covering and start leaving bloody smears everywhere!

There are two methods of cutting a dog’s toenails. One, which most groomers and veterinarians employ is using a toenail clipper and just cutting off the end of the toenail. There is also something called a “Dremel” tool which is an electric grinder which grinds or files down the toenail. This method takes some time and needs to be done on a regular basis to keep the nails short. With dogs that have their nails cut by a “Dremel” tool this usually involves starting a dog at a young age so that they can get used to the noise and sensations of having their nails cut with this method.

Part of the reason for long toenails (beside the obvious of not having their nails their nails cut regularly) is the average pet dog’s sedentary lifestyle. Toenails will generally file down naturally when the dog is walked on a hard surface such as pavement. A brisk walk on pavement several times a day will be far more effective in keeping toenails short than anything else – besides it is healthier for you and the dog so get out there and walk!