Many years ago, when I was relatively new to dog-owning, a friend and neighbor asked if I would take a look at his Irish setter, who was not doing well. The dog was middle-aged and physically very active, but recently had been suspiciously unwilling or unable even to stand up and walk around. The friend loved his dog very much and wanted to know what I thought might be wrong.
I went to his house and there was the dog, curled up on a dog bed, alert and eager to greet me—but he would not stand up. I figured that, as usual, I would end up saying, “Take him to the vet!” I thought of all the serious illnesses for which not walking might be a first symptom—illnesses or injuries that might end this dog’s life. I got down on the floor next to the dog and gave him a thorough going over; that is to say, I checked all body parts for sensitivity to touch, for swelling, for bruising. I checked his gums for color (normal) and his mouth, teeth, and ears. Finally, I worked down each leg to the paws.
There I found the reason for the dog’s unwillingness to stand.
The dog’s nails were about four inches long, curling back toward his feet.
I remember sitting there on the floor holding one paw in my hand and wondering how my friend and neighbor, a very smart guy who cared deeply about his dog, could not have been aware that something strange was going on with his dog long before the dog stopped walking!
I asked, very quietly, when the last time was that the dog’s nails had been trimmed.
I remember the blank look on my friend’s face, and realized he was thinking, “Trim what?”
The dog’s nails had never been trimmed. His owner was an avid bicyclist and often took the dog on long rides with him in the country. The dog was also known to go walkabout on his own—he was not neutered at the time—and spent a lot of time running on sidewalks and city streets. Until recently, his daily physical exercise had been enough to wear down the nails so that they had been functional.
This was a long time ago, but I recall something about my friend’s having an injury or illness that had kept him off his bike for a while, resulting in his dog (and him) getting much less exercise than usual. Whatever the reason, the dog’s nail “ecology” had changed and the dog’s nails had grown to an extreme length without his owner’s ever having noticed. (The dog had very furry paws and his nails weren’t usually visible.)
How is that even possible, you ask?
My friend had no idea that dog nails ever needed trimming. He did not know that, untrimmed, dog nails will continue to grow until they either break off or curve around in a semi-circle to the point that the ends of the nails dig into the pads of the dog’s paws, virtually crippling the dog. This dog had managed to walk a lot longer than most dogs would with nails in that condition—he was tough and strong and used to being very active. Imagine how it must have felt as the discomfort increased.
What did we do to solve the problem?
First, I ran home and got dog nail trimmers.
I came back and trimmed the dog’s nails.
The dog was very cooperative, making what might have been a horrible scene much more peaceful and serene than I had any reason to expect. I’d like to say that the dog may well have understood that I was trying to help him. I can’t know that for a fact, but I still believe it’s true. I would not expect such cooperative behavior from a dog wholly unused to nail trimming. We got lucky.
The first time, I was very tentative about how much nail to cut off. I returned several times over the next few weeks to trim more off each one and to teach the dog’s owner how to trim nails himself. He bought his own nail trimmers and, as far as I know, continued to trim the dog’s nails as needed for the rest of the dog’s life. But what happened to the dog?
The day that I first trimmed the dog’s nails, I ended up taking off a couple of inches, maybe half of the excess nail. I never got near the quick (the part that bleeds when you nick it) because the nails were so very long. Other than the pressure of the trimmers on the nail, there was no discomfort for the dog. There was certainly no blood. When I had finished trimming all the nails, I encouraged the dog to stand up—with a treat, of course! The dog tentatively put each foot flat on the floor, something he’d not been able to do possibly for weeks. He stood, slowly and carefully.
Once he stood, he took a step.
He took another step . . .
He walked!
He walked almost normally!
I don’t know who looked more relieved at that moment, the dog or the owner. Actually, it was probably me—this had been a remarkably easy “fix” for a very serious situation. I know my friend was embarrassed to realize that his own inattention had virtually crippled his dog. I made it clear, as kindly as I could, that if we had not discovered the nail issue when we did, the dog’s life might well have been in jeopardy. When nails are too long, dogs’ bodies adjust to the discomfort by moving differently. Their entire posture and carriage can change. Eventually, extremely serious deformities can occur, causing chronic pain and impaired mobility, shortening the dog’s natural life.
How often should dog nails be trimmed?
That depends on how fast the individual dog’s nails grow. Every dog is different. It also depends on how much nail-wearing-down use those doggy paws get daily. Even a dog who walks miles weekly on city sidewalks in good weather will need nail trims in the winter when he’s instead walking on snow and ice. The best way to know if your dog’s nails need trimming is to look!
I trim nails weekly when I’m being conscientious.
I trim nails on my dogs and on my ferrets, too! Twenty-four paws a week, believe it or not.
I’ll give you more information in an upcoming blog about how to trim nails and how to get your dog’s cooperation so it won’t be a nightmare procedure for either of you!
