Going to the vet can be expensive, and for pet owners, that can mean shelling out thousands of dollars for treatment. The pet might be barking up the wrong tree when it comes to taking care of his or her nails, though, and the solution may be at home. To get your pet’s nails clipped and cleaned, we turned to veterinarian Dr. Daphne Moos to find out more tips and tricks to keeping your four-legged friends clean and trim.
No One Else Can Do It for You
You’ll need help from a vet with the big picture of your pet’s coat, but it’s still important to keep the small things in mind, like clipping nails. “Nails can cause unsightly black marks on cats’ coats that can reduce the amount of odor,” Dr. Moos says. “Shaving and trimming cats’ nails should be done every two to three weeks. Also, since cats spend more time in their house than dogs, their nails need to be trimmed more often. So many dogs and cats have spots on their coat, including their eyes, from picking up static electricity from their ears.”
Ask For Help
In more basic cases, there are plenty of natural ingredients that can reduce nail growth, like avocado and the parsley herb curd. “When you want to trim nails, combine olive oil with hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle and spray it on the skin, pedicure tool, or hair,” Dr. Moos says. “This is a great way to start taking care of a pet’s nails without leaving the house.”
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Prep the Pet in the Morning
Vets’ offices are usually packed with paw patients at this time of year, so it’s important to make sure your pet goes in your direction of extraction. “I always recommend the vet take the dog/cat in first,” Dr. Moos says. “It’s important to get all the spots and scratches all over the nail completely off, so they can use a nail clipper carefully to clip them.” At a vet’s office, Dr. Moos recommends, “they take you on the floor to show you the various tools and how they work to remove nails.”
Tip: Don’t Take Your Pet Off Guard
A person might call it the “bite back”, but pain is painful and an anxiety bomb if you’ve started showing a dog/cat around a clinic, assuming they will be unhurt. “Just because you have a comfortable pet and are not afraid of him/her, doesn’t mean you should hesitate to use a nail clipper on your pet,” Dr. Moos says. “All you have to do is let your pet know it’s in the room, gently touch the nail down on the skin, and gently take it off. Any dog/cat will comply with this. Some may jump on the chair or hide in the closet, but if you gently touch and then release the nail, your pet will be fine.”
So, What Can You Do at Home?
One of the biggest things you can do at home is teach your cat or dog what they can do on their own. “A cat or dog should use their kitchen table if it’s dirty or goes to the bathroom at their kennel,” Dr. Moos says. “Nail grooming should start as early as 3 months old, so your pet can learn that going outside to groom their nails is more than OK.”
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