My Mum's little Staffie's claws are way too long. She gets walked regular, 'tho not far as my Dad isn't too able. They took her to a grooming place 6 months ago to have them cut as she doesn't half give a good scratch when she greets you..

Lady in there said they didn't need doing!! My Dad took her again yesterday and she told them the same thing! I'm no expert but I do know when a dog's claws are long. My Mum asked if she could maybe 'blunt' them and she said she wasn't licenced to do this, only a vet could.

My Mum and Dad are pensioners and can't afford big vet bills, the lady groomer is very reasonable and popular. Does anyone know of any solution to this please. I visited them on Sunday and I got quite a nasty scratch from the dog, not her fault. Bless her.

Buy a pair of nail clippers and do it yourself? But be careful, as cutting the quick can hurt the dog and it can bleed like Billy-o. Can you not walk the dog some more? Staffys need their exercise, it's not really fair on the dog that your dad can't go too far...

Selected stores of Pets at Home do grooming and also a separate claw cutting service if required.
No need for an appointment for claw trimming at my local one and they only charge £5. My vet charges £10 which I think is a bit steep..
My Cavalier needs her nails cut even though she has plenty of pavement walking.
I've never been brave enough to do it myself!

http://www.petsathome.com/webapp/wcs...0601&langId=-1

Can your parents register with PDSA? It would help with costs if the dog needs a vet sometime.

i get my cats claws clipped every 3 months at the vets and its only £11 so it shouldnt be expensive at the vet x

Maybe the groomer is right. So long as her claws don't cause her discomfort they aren't too long.

I know what you are saying, she does get a good walk, and it's on the pavement as well as grass, but she doesn't get that 'power walking walk' if you see what I mean! They or I wouldn't attempt to clip them. For the reasons you have quoted.
Thank you




They don't have a PDSA in their area. They tried before but are not in the catchment
Thank you


Their local vet quoted £18 for clipping and £7 for a spray!!
Thank you



I know what you mean but they are really long and tbh very sharp. I just can't imagine they are supposed to be so long
My mum's arm was cut very badly with the scratch
Thank you

Sorry your mum was scratched, and they can take time to heal on older skin. If her claws are white it's not so hard to trim them yourself so long as you have a suitable pair of clippers - nail clippers are often not strong enough for dog claws. But if she has black claws, it's ever so easy to cut the quick and hurt the dog. But maybe all she needs is you to take an emery board to them to get rid of any sharp bits?

Google for 'clipping dog claws' or similar will produce lots of results, and this one shows suitable clippers - I have a pair of sissors type which I use on cat claws. This link is also very clear on how to trim dog claws:
http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/ClientED/dog_claws.aspx

And this one shows the correct length:
http://www.dfordog.co.uk/didyouknow_cut_nails.htm

My corgi's claws are really short and they don't get clipped at all but my daughters bichon frise claws are really long and he has them clipped every 6 weeks but it doesn't make any difference they still scratch to buggery if he jumps up you.

My labrador has never needed her claws cutting in her life but now she's getting a bit older she doesn't walk as far and her claws are growing.
Last time I took her to the vet I asked him for advice about cutting a dogs claws.

Apparently, the deal is that there's no correct "length" for a dogs claws but, instead, they should be clipped so that they're just touching the ground when the dog is stood up.

Basically, stand your dog up (ideally on a table) and look at whether the claws are long enough that they're causing the dogs toes to bend upwards. If they aren't then they're a suitable length.

You CANNOT tell if the claws are the right length just by looking at the paw alone. The dog MUST be stood up so you can see how the claw rests against the ground.

If the claws cause the toes to bend upward, or the claws twist sideways on a flat surface, they're too long.

The correct way to clip a dogs claws is, again, to stand the dog on a hard, flat surface, clip a tiny amount off the claw then put the paw back down again and check if the claw is still causing the toe to bend.
If it is, repeat the process until the tip of the claw is just a fraction above the ground.

Bear in mind that dogs can have "hooked claws" which aren't straight.
My spaniel has got a claw like this. It looks like it's much longer than it should be but, as before, the trick is simply to see how it looks when the dog is stood upright. As long as it's just touching the floor it's correct even if it looks weird.

[quote=cats_five;52443825]Sorry your mum was scratched, and they can take time to heal on older skin. If her claws are white it's not so hard to trim them yourself so long as you have a suitable pair of clippers - nail clippers are often not strong enough for dog claws. But if she has black claws, it's ever so easy to cut the quick and hurt the dog. But maybe all she needs is you to take an emery board to them to get rid of any sharp bits

Google for 'clipping dog claws' or similar will produce lots of results, and this one shows suitable clippers - I have a pair of sissors type which I use on cat claws. This link is also very clear on how to trim dog claws:
http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/ClientED/dog_claws.aspx

And this one shows the correct length:
http://www.dfordog.co.uk/didyouknow_cut_nails.htm[/QUOTE




Yes, they are black...Thank you for the links..Sadly they won't attempt it with clippers. Can a 'normal' emery board ( we use for our nails ) be used? This is a very good idea and one they would try. Thank you for your kind concern


This is the problem. She's such a riendly wee soul and everybody loves her and makes a fuss of her, but they jump back when she jumps up to greet them as they know they'll get scratched..
Thank you


Very informative and I am going to do this test..Many thanks

If she has any particularly sharp bits on her claws an emery board might help, but I've never tried.