Why is it important to have my dog's nails trimmed?

We see several pets come in with damaged nails. If a dog catches a nail when they're running, the nail can rip really short, and then it's hanging off, and it's very, very painful. We get that every week—a dog will come in, and we'll have to remove the nail to make them comfortable. Older pets that aren't digging and running around will sometimes have nails that are so long that they just catch on stuff. In cats, they'll grow in a circle right into the pads and create really painful infections that people don't notice. As a human, why do you trim your nails? It's hygienic and it's going to be awkward to function if you have very long nails.

It's important to have your dog’s nails trimmed because they continually grow. Some dogs will kind of chew on them, but that's rare. A lot of dogs will wear them down with activity. So a dog that's less mobile or more sedentary is going to have nails that grow faster. That's just because they're not being worn down. And then the dewclaws, the tiny thumbnails, those never touch the ground. So those definitely need to be trimmed in all dogs. Some dogs have them on the rear feet, but mostly the front feet. So yes, nail trimming is important because the nails can grow all the way around and cause a problem for them.

Nail trimming is important to prevent nail bed infections and discomfort. If the nails grow out too long, they can break and cause pain to your dog. If you’re unsure of how to trim your dog’s nails, come into the clinic, and we can show you how to do it at home. Alternatively, we can trim your dog’s nails during a tech visit.