Lucydog absolutely will not let me cut her toenails. The few times I’ve managed to succeed at trimming her nails, I’ve either had to sit on top of her or I’ve had an accomplice. She’s really good at wriggling out of my grip and running away, and she’s got really dark, tough nails, which makes it tougher than just a simple snip of the clippers. Usually I just resort to having the kennel doggie hotel people do it when she goes in for a visit.
Unfortunately, she hasn’t gone to thekennel doggie hotel for a visit lately so her nails have gotten quite long. I already had plans to take her by the groomer’s shop at Petsmart when she managed to crack one of her back toenails while we were in Memphis for a visit, leaving a trail of blood all over the Modern Parents’ house (better theirs than mine, if you ask me.)
The Modern Dad, a family practice doctor who wishes he was a vet, took good care of her, rubbing some sort of concoction on her nail to stop the bleeding and then covering it with Neosporin and a Band Aid. So resourceful, the MD is. But, as I’ve monitored her toenail’s recovery, I noticed the quick had gotten super swollen, so I decided we were going to visit the vet’s office this morning for a check up, just to make sure her toe wouldn’t get infected.
And wouldn’t you know, the Modern Dog was not only perfectly behaved for the vet, she also let her cut her toenails without so much as squirm. Twit.
(Don’t worry, Lucydog is fine. The vet just cleaned out the nail and gave us some antibiotics to fight any potential infection. Don’t feel sorry for her.)
Mystery dog ailments are the most stressful thing ever for pet parents. I totally freak every time.
(I’m a tad high strung about my puppies)
We own a Jack Russell that was fine with having her toenails cut and then all the sudden you couldn’t do it to save her life. She would buck and squirm and yelp. We finally took her to the vet’s office and it instead of forcing her on her belly they laid her on her side and stood behind her and she was fine with it. The Vet said that position seems to work with dog’s that don’t like their nails cut.
Mawhahahahahahaha. Sorry to laugh at your pain. I only do because it’s my pain as well. Macy Mae is such a freakin’ brat when it comes to getting her toe nails clipped. Buttmonkey.
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So glad The LD’s nail is fine! And yay for the Modern Dad’s creativity.
It sounds like you have a good vet at least. I asked my vet to clip my beagle/German shepherd mix’s nails and the techs started passing the job off on each other. The losing tech actually grimaced when I asked her how to cut my chocolate lab’s. She told me to just go throw tennis balls for them on concrete. I bribe my lab with peanut butter and treats, and it works for me.
I feel your pain. Olivia has her very own jar of peanut butter that she jams her whole nose into as a distraction when I cut her nails. And then, only if I’m lucky, I get through two and half feet before she flips out.
The nails are my nightmare! One of my dogs is so terrified that she is frozen until we are done, which works well for our purposes. The other dog yelps like he is dying every time we come close to him with the clippers, so he has to be done professionally. Basically he is a brat.
Argo went through a phase where he was breaking his toenails every month or so. It was awful. But the last time he broke one, I also had the vet double check what looked like an allergy bump to me — that’s when they diagnosed the cancer. And, since we caught it so soon, and he’s doing well, I am forever grateful for that broken nail.
Poor kidlet! Even trimming my kids’ nails, I’ve nipped a little too close leaving a trail of blood. General FYI, corn starch or flour is good to stop the bleeding. If that doesn’t work, as a last resort use super glue. Lucydog, take your medicine like a good girl for your Mom!