Three Ways To Keep Your Dog's Dogs From Barking
Posted on: 22 April 2015
Mani-Pedicures
If you let your dog's nails grow too long, they can interfere with your pet's gait. Long nails can also grow brittle and break off naturally, leaving your dog vulnerable to infections. Your dog's dew claws are especially dangerous when allowed to grow long; these nails, positioned higher up on your dog's front paws and occasionally on the back, can curl in on themselves, snag and rip off, and become infected.
Trim your dog's toenails at least once every two weeks. If the thought of trimming your pet's nails makes you squeamish, you can delegate the task to your veterinarian or groomer. If you opt to do it yourself, watch out for the quick, which is your dog's nail bed. If you nick the quick, you will have an upset dog and a bloody mess on your hands. As a matter of fact, keep a blood clotting agent on hand, as accidents do happen.
If you are not starting from puppyhood, your dog will not take kindly to this experience. Take a few weeks and practice handling your dog's feet. Keep the interactions light and positive, so when you actually start trimming your pet's paws, the task will be less intimidating.
Hot Toes
Did you know that in the hot summer sun, pavement surfaces can reach temperatures as hot as 140 degrees? Temperatures this extreme can severely injure the bottoms of your dog's sensitive paw pads.
If you regularly go on walks or runs with your pet, check the surface with your own hand first. If it is too hot for your skin, it will be too hot for your pet's paws. Arrange your exercise time before or after the hottest part of the day, but also remember that the pavement can still be scorching even if the sun is going down. You can also invest in special boots made for dogs. Find a high-quality set that offers enough protection and fits your pet's paw size.
As with nail trimming accidents, paws can still burn despite your best preventative measures. Should this happen, take your dog to the veterinarian. Your pet may need healing salve, pain medications, and even bandaging.
Broken Toes
Your dog has twelve individual bones on each paw. These digits sure support a lot of canine weight and are more susceptible to fractures than you might think. You can prevent many fractures by keeping your dog from jumping off of high surfaces, but your dog can break a toe with a simple misstep, as well.
You might not even notice that your dog has a broken toe. If one of the middle two toes fractures, however, the injury will be much more apparent. This is because these center toes support the majority of your dog's weight, so a fracture will more profoundly interfere with your dog's gait.
If your dog's toe is fractured, the toe will be swollen and sensitive. Your pet must receive veterinary care for this kind of injury. Your veterinarian will take x-rays of your pet's paw to see if a fracture is indeed the culprit, and if so, determine what kind of fracture it is. Then, your veterinarian will provide puppy pain killers, and potentially cast it or even perform surgery.
For more information, speak with experts like All-Pets Hospital.
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