darwinmyvetservice

Nail-clipping in Pets

Fri, 05 Mar 2021 02:47:00 GMT

Why clip?

Nail-clipping is a part of a good grooming routine, which is essential to a pet’s overall wellbeing. Overgrown nails can cause discomfort and impede your pet’s ability to walk, affecting their posture and movement. They can even become so long they begin to grow into the pad of the foot, which is painful and can lead to infection.

How to clip
The nail should be clipped at a 45-degree angle just below the quick (Fig. 1). The quick is the blood and nerve supply of the nail, which is painful if nicked and will cause bleeding, so care must be taken to avoid it. Sometimes the quick can be very long and only a small amount of the nail can be trimmed at a time. Regular clipping will gradually cause the quick to recede over time, effectively shortening the length of the nail.

In clear nails the quick can be easily visualised (Fig. 2). However, in pets with black nails it cannot be seen, and in these cases only small lengths should be taken off at a time. Even one painful clipping experience is enough to cause your pet to become completely averse to the nail-clipping process, so being conservative and cautious is always best. Another tip in avoiding the quick is to apply pressure to the nail with the clippers at the intended place of cutting. You can then gauge your pet’s reaction and if they show signs of pain, move the clippers further down the nail and try again.

If the quick is cut it will likely bleed, sometimes quite profusely. To stop the bleeding you can apply a styptic agent, which can be purchased at a pet shop or veterinary clinic. If the bleeding is mild, firm pressure can be applied.

Training your pet
Some pets have had negative experiences during nail clips in the past which has resulted in a distinct distaste for the procedure. For owners this can make nail-clipping near impossible to perform on their pet. However, your pet can be trained to be receptive to nail trims once again. This can be done by counter-conditioning your pet to the negative stimulus of nail-clipping through positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement can come in the form of treats, toys or pats. For most pets, the most motivational reward is a treat.

Training is best done with two people – one person to hold the pet and distract them with treats, while the other person handles the feet and clippers. To begin with, the pet should only be rewarded when the unpleasant stimulus (foot handling) is occurring. This is done to distract the pet, desensitising them to the situation before leading them to associate the originally unpleasant stimulus with the reward.

Foot handling should only occur for short amounts of time initially, before gradually getting longer and longer as the pet gets used to it. The level of handling should progress in steps – starting small before working your way onto more challenging steps. You should only move onto the next step once the pet has become comfortable with the one before. It is important not to push the pet further than they can cope during any one training session

An example of how the steps may progress:

Touching and feeling the paws with your hands
Isolating the toes (holding each individual toe, one at a time)
Tapping the toes with the clippers
Placing the clippers around the nails
Clipping the nails

Despite all your best efforts and patience, you may still need some assistance as it is not an easy task and one that some pets simply do not enjoy. We are here to help if you would like a demonstration or would like us to clip your pet’s nails for a small fee. Please contact reception to book an appointment with one of the Nurses’.

Figure 1. Diagram of nail showing angle of cut

Figure 2. Image of cat nail showing quick

Obesity In Pets

Tue, 25 Feb 2020 05:34:00 GMT

How can I tell if my pet is overweight?

Due to the different shapes and sizes of different breeds and species, it can be difficult to tell when our pets are carrying extra weight. A good rule of thumb in a cat and dog is to feel the ribs. Ideally the ribs can be easily felt with a minimal fat covering. Our pets should also have a waist when looking from above and the tummy should be tucked up when looking from the side. If you are at all concerned please contact the clinic and we can do a weight check for you.

Why is it important for my pet to lose weight?

Besides the general ease of getting around better there are some life-threatening diseases and situations that can be avoided by keeping your pet at an ideal weight. These include:

Diabetes
Respiratory compromise (fat constricting lung function)
Overheating
Hepatic lipidosis (a liver disease that occurs when a stressful event causes the body to metabolise body fat)
Arthritis
Increased Anaesthetic Risk

How did my pet get so fat?

Are they getting extra treats/ human food?
Is food being left out all day?
Recommendations on the food package is only a recommendation, it may not be tailored to your particular pet
What's in the food your pet is getting (high fat pet mince, high energy biscuits)?
Has your pet's metabolism slowed with age?
Are there others feeding your pet (kids, neighbours, grandparents)?
Does your pet have an underlying disease?
Has your pets requirements changed with a change in exercise/hormones (after desexing)/growth (no longer a puppy)?

What can be done?

Exercise

In many situations diet is more important than exercise. There are many obese pets that are being exercised sufficiently yet still being fed too much. There are other pets who live in households where it isn't feasible to increase the exercise given or the pet has aged and arthritis or other health problems will restrict the amount of exercise.

If at all possible try and increase exercise into your pet's day. Some examples are throwing a ball and playing chase, getting the kids involved, getting some interactive toys. Try and dissociate the emotional value of being kind to your pet with food and treats. Be kind by playing an active game instead.

Diet Recommendations

These will vary with your own particular situation and pet but generally the following will apply:

Feed 2 meals daily and take away any food left over
Reduce the amount of food currently fed or use the recommended amount of a weight loss formulation
Find a measuring container that can be levelled out with exactly the amount of food required to avoid guessing/ using handfuls/ varying the amounts fed
Remove treats completely. If a treat has been fed, reduce the nightly feed that day. There are prescription weight loss treats that can be purchased at vet clinics that may be substituted if you want to feed a treat occasionally.

Regularly weigh your pet

It is important to monitor that the changes you have made are helping your pet lose the weight they need to lose. Ideally a regular fortnightly or monthly weight check will keep everyone on track. You are welcome to come in anytime to weigh your pet and gain further advice if needed.

Osteoarthritis

Tue, 05 Nov 2019 05:37:00 GMT

Osteoarthritis is a progressive disease that is the wearing of the protective layering (cartilage) at the end of bones. Osteoarthritis is a condition that affects many animals of any age. While osteoarthritis commonly affects older animals following gradual degeneration, it can also affect younger animals too, who are either born with joint abnormalities or suffer joint injuries. Common examples of these are dogs that are born with elbow and hip dysplasia (a hereditary abnormality of the joint or its conformation) or dogs that suffer from cruciate disease (similar to a torn ACL in humans).

There is no cure for osteoarthritis and it will progressively get worse over time and impact the mobility of your animal as they get older. However there are a lot of things that can be done to help make your animal more comfortable, improve their mobility and also slow down the progression of osteoarthritis. In cases with particular injuries (such as cruciate disease) corrective surgery can be performed to help re-stabilise that joint and slow down the ongoing progression.

There are also a lot of things other than surgery that can be done for all patients to help slow down the progression of osteoarthritis including:

weight management
exercise modification; lead walking and swimming are both great
joint supplements; omega 3 fatty acids and combined supplements such as 4cyte work well.
arthritis injections
anti-inflammatories if necessary (we may recommend a blood test if these are going to be used regularly to ensure that your pets internal organs will cope with these).

If you have any concerns about your dogs mobility or think it may be showing signs of osteoarthritis then book in for a check up with your regular vet to discuss these options more.