The Toenail Debacle
Anyone that owns a dog knows the trials and tribulations that go along with the dreaded nail trim. My question, I pose to you today is, why should it be so hard?
Wouldn’t it be totally cool if we could give a doggy pedicure the same way people got pedicures? Picture it… Fluffy walks into the nail salon and gets a 15 minute water bath on all four feet. Then she enjoys a nice little paw massage. Fluffy is just loving her feet being touched as she gracefully lifts each paw for each nail to be delicately trimmed and filed. Ha ha ha…. I wish!
Unfortunately, it is more like this scenario…
Frank, a 2 year old male dog came in for a wellness appointment this month and also needed a toe nail trim. This was a new client, so we didn’t really know much about this client or patient. When the client checked in, she did make sure that my receptionist knew that she actually used another veterinarian previously, but they were too aggressive with Frank during his nail trims. Hence, that is why she was using us that day.
My assistant went into the room to get a brief history and TPR (temperature, pulse, respiratory). The owner told my assistant that Frank was a great dog, BUT he didn’t like his feet messed with.
As we began the exam, it was understood very quickly that Frank not only didn’t like his feet to be touched but he did not want you touching him anywhere. He was very aggressive and took a bite towards my face. I don’t know about you, but if you have ever had a dog bite, it is not a fun experience. We stopped at that point and asked the owner to hold the dog’s head. When the owner is acting scared of her own dog, that also causes us to hit the pause button.
In my experience, when the owner is present, the dog tends to be more aggressive. Now, this is not ALWAYS true. However, in this case, since the owner was putting off tension I felt it was better to remove the owner from the room. The owner did put a muzzle on Frank and let us take him to the treatment area.
Frank was doing very well! He let us draw blood for a heartworm test and give vaccinations. But as soon as we got to those feet it was another story! Frank became a different dog. He thrashed and rolled and growled and lunged at me. All because I touched his foot.
Because of Frank’s outburst it was of course difficult to finish the toe nail trim safely. So we stopped. When discussing this with the owner. The owner did not understand why we could not finish the task. I explained that the safety of my staff and myself was very important and I wasn’t going to compromise that. We discussed other options for his next visit. What is frustrating about this, is that this owner will probably go somewhere else again the next time and will unfortunately experience the same outcome. The problem more than likely wasn’t with the previous veterinarian or staff but rather the dog himself, based on what we experienced with this dog. I know this is sometimes hard for owners to hear… it is kind of like someone telling you that your child is terrible and needs to be disciplined!
Which type of dog would I rather have visit my office? Fluffy for sure! LOL.
Here are some tips to help your dog be more of a Fluffy than a Frank:
When your dog is a puppy play/touch/rub their feet ALL the time!
If your dog is an adult, work with your dog daily! You don’t have to trim their nails daily just touch their paws and reward them when they do well.
At HVC we will spend additional time working with your dog during nail trims. Ask your veterinarian for the same thing. It might be an additional cost and you might be asked to bring them in weekly. But this can make a BIG difference.
If you can’t do any of the above, you can always take your dog for walks on concrete to help naturally file them down.
Remember, that most veterinary clinics strive to provide great care for your animals, but please keep in mind that if your dog can be a handful, keep us informed and know that we want to stay safe too!