[Donald8391]

Is it OK to not trim dog nails?

[twinkiedooter]

No, it is NOT okay not to trim a dog's nails. It's like letting your fingernails grow to outlandish lengths and you wondering why you can't pick up a coin, etc. due to your long nails. A dog's nails are usually worn down when they walk on concrete, asphalt, etc. but if the door is an indoor dog the nails must be trimmed. The nontrimming of the nails can result in the dog not walking properly. This is very serious and nothing to be taken lightly.

If you can't trim your dog's nails yourself, take to your groomer or vet's office and have them do it. It's not that expensive to have done on a regular basis.

[beeayoutifulove]

You really need to trim the nails, and if you can't then you should take the dog to the vet or groomer to get them trimmed. Their nails do not stop growing, just like yours. When their nails grow, they may grow outward, but will sooner or later curl under. It is true it will disrupt their walking even before the curl, but in worst case scenerios the nails even curl and grow into the dogs paw pads. When these nails are cut they cause bleeding from the pads, the possibility of infection, and depending upon where the quik (vain in dogs nail) is located, could cause bleeding from the nail as well. If you let their nails get too long, not as serious as them growing into the pads, but long enough to disrupt normal walking, they take a while to be able to be cut back due to the quik having grown out further, and takes more work in trying get the quik to grow backwards in a sense. When this happens, you can only take so much off at a time so as not to cause pain to the dog by cutting the quik, and in between trimmings need to file the dogs nails by walking them on concrete, etc, to cause the quik to shorten. So it's best to routinely cut the nails (about once a month or so) to keep them a healthy length. If you're planning on doing it yourself, I suggest getting regular nail clippers. Your dog may take a little time to get used to it as well, you just have to keep at it if not, rewarding good behavior. Sometim dogs don't mind, others do, just depends. But if your unsure about cutting them yourself, most groomers or vets do it for under $10.

[Silverfoxkit]

They also have those new electric pet nail filers, which are suppose to work better then cutting. I haven't tried it myself yet, but it is worth the though.

[rex123]

You know I have heard people say that if your dog gets enough exercise on pavement that that will file his nails down enough and you don't have to cut them. However I would not suggest this.

Dogs nails grow fast it seems as though I have to clip my dog's nails every week. If they get overgrown it can cause a great deal of damage and pain to the dog. If you have the money you could always get them cut at the vet. If not then go out and buy a pair of clippers, just watch out for the quick its easy to see on dogs with white nails but not with dogs with black nails. My dog has mostly(except for 1 or 2) black nails I have to turn him over to clip his nails as the quick is more visible on the underside of the nail. And like everyone has suggested a PEDI-PAWS would probably be a good idea.