Frequent health concerns

Cutting nails

Cats and dogs have their claws trimmed every two to three weeks. In the case of animals, it is important to start declawing as early as possible.

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Practice

  • Feeling the paws so that the animal gets used to this sensation
  • Touching the paws with nail pliers. It is important that every time you start cutting claws, you let the animal sniff them.
  • During the practice phase, you can cut 1-2 claws at a time and continue cutting others the next day. If the pet does not express fear/discomfort, you can immediately cut off all the claws.
  • It is important to praise and reward the pet during training.
    • With dark claws, cutting the claws is a little more difficult. In this case, you can cut the claws 2 mm at a time. Remember that on the claws of the hind legs, the claws usually extend further. In case of regular cutting, 1-2 mm cutting is usually sufficient.
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    Cutting nails

    Tutorial:
  • Place the toe between two fingers. By gently pressing on the higher tip, the claw will be clearly visible.
  • The cat’s claw has a visible sharp tip and a pink area on the root side of the toe. The skin contains blood vessels and nerves.
  • The nail can be cut from the side, as shown in picture 1.
  • In case you accidentally cut into the area, you can apply potassium permanganate (purple powder) to stop the bleeding.
  • Repeat after 2 weeks.
    • If the animal does not wear down the claws in a natural way (ie running/walking) or if the animal does not have its claws trimmed regularly, this can lead to ingrown claws. This is a situation where the tip of the claw extends into the pad of the paw (picture 2). If the problem worsens, severe inflammation may occur and there may also be significant pain when walking.