whovian
Junior Grey Lover
River (a.k.a Iruska Cool Chic) has claimed me as her "friendbeast"
Posts: 171
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Post by whovian on Nov 27, 2013 10:41:14 GMT -5
Hello! When River first came home over Labour Day weekend, her nails were super long. I got them cut professionally the first time, but they couldn't take much off because the quick had advanced so far. I have been using my dremel to trim them every 2 weeks since then, and the quick has receded some, but not much. Even freshly trimmed, her nails are so long that all of them still click on the floor. More importantly, I can't find any dog booties that fit over her feet. Her tails are so long that even in extra-large dog boots they jam up against the end of the boot and her heel ends up in what should be the ankle of the boot. (using Paws boots and Dog-E-designs boots as well as several I tried from Petsmart). I tried trimming then once a week for a few weeks, but there wasn't much growth there to trim off and the practice didn't seem to change the quick length either. Any ideas on how to get those quicks to recede a little more quickly? Or are clicking nails just normal for greyhounds? Sent from my SGH-I747M using proboards Attachments:
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Post by dunnrunnin on Nov 27, 2013 11:15:51 GMT -5
Good morning! Best to just keep doing what you are doing...it will take a loooong time to get that quick to recede. If she didn't have the injury that she did when you adopted her and she could have been out walking on pavement right from the start, that would have helped. It may help to trim w/ clippers 1st, then dremel. Good luck w/ the booties...have you tried the Muttluks w/ the suede bottom?
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whovian
Junior Grey Lover
River (a.k.a Iruska Cool Chic) has claimed me as her "friendbeast"
Posts: 171
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Post by whovian on Nov 28, 2013 22:26:33 GMT -5
Thanks for the advice! All the websites I'd looked at seemed to suggest that convincing the quick to recede would be a quick process, so I thought that maybe I was doing something wrong. Good to know that we are probably on the right track.
I haven't been using clippers as there really isn't very much to trim. On the low speed on my dremmel, I only have to do about 15 seconds per toe nail to get back down to the quick after two weeks of growth (I know that doesn't mean much as all dremmels are different, but I couldn't think of another way to say it). All in all, I think I have to trim 1-2 mm off of each nail after two weeks.
Do you think using the clippers would be better? River is so relaxed that she usually falls asleep while I trim her nails with the dremmel, so I hadn't really stopped to consider other options. But I'd be open to trying anything.
Have you tried Muttluks? I can't find anything on their website with a suede bottom, but I found the "original" Muttluks with the leather bottom. Are those the ones you mean? They look well made, and I like that the company is Canadian. I am also very interested in the grippy-sock option they carry to help River with the floors.
I got her to wear the X-Large Pawz shoes (green) yesterday and they go over her feet at least. Ultimately, though, I want something that will keep her feet a little warmer as I am a walk-in-all-weather kind of girl and so is River, at least so far as I've seen. She was trotting beside me in her coat and hat with a huge, silly grin on her face and a wagging tail in the -14 windchill this morning. I wish I could say that I was so enthusiastic!
So maybe I will give Muttluks a try next - I just don't know if I should buy them now while her nails are so long and have them be too big later, or if I should wait until the nails are a more normal length. Thanks for the suggestions!
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Post by rubylottie14 on Nov 29, 2013 10:28:45 GMT -5
I think it better to continue with the dremmel. Since she's so relaxed about your using it, it would be a shame to screw things up by perhaps taking off too much nail using the clippers and hurting her which I think is easy to do when you use clippers. I've misjudged it twice and there was quite a lot of bleeding and I felt awful and houndie was naturally upset. The last thing you want is to ruin a good thing - her being so relaxed. I think the dremmel is a far better way of shortening nails since I think it's more controlled,and you can stop the second you see the pin prick of dark matter that means you're getting close to the quick. Once you've taken too much off with the clippers it's too late and you can't do anything about it, where as the dremmel you are taking such tiny amounts off you can stop before any damage is done. I'm jealous that she lets you dremmel away. ETA: I think the dremmel is more comfortable/gentle for hounds, as the clippers put quite a bit of pressure onto the nail, which is often experienced as pain, and it freaks them out.
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OwnedBySummer
Hound Nut
"Summer" (aka Coach Standifer)
Posts: 1,392
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Post by OwnedBySummer on Nov 29, 2013 11:49:28 GMT -5
I wouldn't use the clippers if she's enjoying the dremel. Don't mess with a good thing, LOL! And if the quick is that close to the end, clippers aren't the right tool, your dremel is. I dremel Summer's once a week and I'm not trying to reduce the quick. You might want to dremel more often. I had a previous dog who had long quicks and it took over a year to get them back to somewhere reasonable. So be patient. Are you SURE you're dremeling off as much as you possibly can? Here's a good reference: www.doberdawn.com/doberdawn/dremel.htmlETA: 15 seconds is a lot of dremel time for a nail which doesn't need much dremeling... I'm wondering if your sanding drum might need changing?
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Post by dunnrunnin on Nov 29, 2013 12:10:21 GMT -5
The only "quick" way to recede the quick is to trim them back beyond the quick, which of course would make them bleed...a process I would definately NOT recommend! The only way I would even suggest this is while under anaestetic and w/ pain killers after...and even then, as a last resort if the dog cannot walk properly due to the nails being too long. @ rubylottie...you took the words right outta my mouth...though if you have sharp, high quality clippers they cut through the nail like butter...well, not quite...but it is old, dull blades or cheap clippers that cause trouble. @ whovian...it has been since the late 1990's that I used them (Muttluks), I was pretty sure they had a brown suede bottom but maybe they are no longer avail? Maybe someone who currently uses them can be more helpful, though I do know you need a very snug fit, especially if the new ones have a leather sole, as they will give abit. Too big, they will just fall off/get stuck in a snow drift if you like to off-road on your winter walks
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whovian
Junior Grey Lover
River (a.k.a Iruska Cool Chic) has claimed me as her "friendbeast"
Posts: 171
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Post by whovian on Nov 30, 2013 9:32:34 GMT -5
@ownedbysummer - what a great website!! Yep, I've definitely been using the wrong angle. I've been cutting her toenails at about a 60 degree angle, not a 90 degree angle. So maybe I'm still not getting close enough to the quick. That's the most in depth account of how to cut a dog's nails that I've ever seen. Off to go fix my work! dunnrunnin - I think I will wait on the Muttluks until her nails are a more reasonable length then. In the meantime, someone suggested that I try putting baby socks on her feet and then put the Pawz shoes on over top. The baby socks would provide the warmth, and the Pawz would provide the waterproof outer layer. I don't really like the Pawz option because I find they are often too tight around the ankles of the bigger dogs (the opening size does not increase with the larger boots). River has lines where the boots were when I take them off. But she seems to prefer them over anything else I've tried and doesn't chew at her feet when we get home after wearing them, so I think I will stick with the Pawz for now. Thanks everyone! And yes, I like to brag about how relaxed River is when I cut her nails at every opportunity because it's so wonderful. Whoever was her trainer at the track did an amazing job with her, and I thank this mystery person or group of people every day. Whether I am taking her for a walk (she's never pulled), cutting her nails, cleaning her ears, brushing her teeth, or examining her bad leg, she lets me do everything without a fuss. Someone obviously spent a lot of time getting River to trust people and their various strange methods of taking care of her
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