Importance of Nail Trimming!

[OliverBun]

I’m reaching out to anyone who loves animals as much as I do for some help in winning a disagreement I am currently having with my fiance.

When my fiance and I entered our relationship, I brought to it our current bunny master, Oliver…who I post on here a lot about. My fiance brought a black lab named Bill. 

Despite our long relationship, we both have maintained separate financial and decision-making responsibility for our pets. Oliver gets his nails trimmed on a regular basis. Bill, however does not. It has gotten to the point that Bill’s nails look a bit like claws. I feel so bad for him but have been unable to convince my fiance that it is important to trim your pet’s nails. I just read to him an article from the ASPCA talking about how long nails may cause improper gait and pose a threat of breaking and causing infection. 

His response was “well that’s what could happen, but it’s not happening, so Bill is fine not getting his nails trimmed.”

So I am reaching out here to anyone who can find any resources online or has any personal stories to share that may help me convince my finace that it is important to trim the dog’s nails.

Thanks in advance!

[Sindri]

We have a shi Tzu that has gotten an infection from his dew claw growing into the pad. We have to keep a constant eye on the growth of his nails because they grow fast in turn inward towards him pads. So it is very important for them to get them cut.

[JackRabbit]

Having had a black lab, I can personally tell you that Bill most definitely needs his nails trimmed regularly. Regular nail trims for a black lab who spends time outdoors is different than a bunny though. If Bill goes for runs/walks on sidewalks, digs in the yard, etc., be may only need his nails trimmed every 4 to 6 months because he will wear his nails down some. If your fiance doesn’t want to be the one to trim Bill’s nails (I was always afraid of hurting our Mysti), then he can take Bill for a vet tech appointment and let the tech do them — while there, go ahead and have Bill’s anal glands expressed! I promise the dog will thank him for both!

Long nails are uncomfortable, do affect gait, make it harder for the dog to get good traction on slippery floors, and also hurt like heck when the dog jumps on you or grabs hold of you — anyone who has had a lab knows that they tend to be forever puppies and don’t always know their own strength when they get excited!

[MeketatenBun]

When I was in 4H, I remember this one girl waited forever to clip her rabbit’s nails- as in there she was the morning of fair before showing her rabbit trying to clip his nails. They were curled, but curled sideways so his feet were still flat, but his nails, once trimmed, were still sideways. Of course, because she waited so long to clip them, the quick was farther out into the nail and she couldn’t trim them as far back as you normally could. The judge of course marked her down because the toenails looked “ragged”. The bunny, once clipped, couldn’t walk 100% properly because his nails were shorter and trying to go back to normal position, but still long so they kept him from having flat feet.

Though not a personal story, I’ve known of rabbit’s nails growing so long that they make a complete circle and it’s difficult at that point to properly get a clippers in to cut them at all, at which point veterinary help is needed.

Not to mention breaking toenails, the blood and infection from that, getting caught on something and scaring your rabbit, etc. Oh, and the painful bunny-nail scratches!

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