Toenail Trimming vs. Toenail Grinding/Filing

Toenails-

What is the difference between a Nail Trim, and a Nail Grind/File? Which is best for my dog? How often should I get my pets toenails trimmed? Cat toenails?

Toenails are a hot topic in the Pet Grooming world. It’s always up for discussion and debate as to the differences and benefits of all the products, options, and how often your pets nails may need trimming.

Pet toenails are unfortunately one of the more overlooked parts of your furry family members care. Nicely trimmed toenails help alleviate stress on your pets joints, reduce the risk of possible unexpected breaks, avoid the possibility of toenails growing into paw pads, and allow you a small look into the overall health of your pet.

Toenail Trimming-
A toenail trim is a fairly quick and simple procedure. Your pets toenails will be trimmed to a comfortable length, as close to the quick as we can safely get.
Trimming the toenails is usually the quickest option- most pets it takes under 5 minutes to complete.
This option does leave a sharp edge on the toenail- if your pup likes to shake hands and high five, you do run the risk of being scratched after a fresh toenail trim.

Toenail Grinding/Filing-
Most of the time your pets toenails will be trimmed prior to being filed. Some pets are a bit stressed by the trimming, so we may opt to fully file instead. Grinding/Filing toenails of course takes a bit longer than just a trim (usually around 5-10 minutes).
We file your pets toenails with a rotary tool equipped with a Diamond Dremel head. Diamond heads, as opposed to a traditional sanding head, keep the tool cooler on your dogs toenails, and give us the ability to sand them down faster. Less stress for everyone involved.
Filing your pets toenails does allow us to get the toenail itself a bit shorter, and smoother. With a grinding we are able to actually round the tip of the toenail out, and partially expose the pets quick. With frequent nail trimming, this can help your pets quicks recede, slowly allowing us to get the toenails shorter over time.

How Often?
The answer to this question is a bit of a challenge. Simply because, all pets are different! Diet, exercise, and overall health can affect nail growth.  In a perfect world, we would recommend seeing a pet every 2-3 weeks. This keeps your pets toenails as short as they can safely go. But this really isn’t feasible for most families- especially our feline friends that get extra stressed when they have to leave the house.

Most of our furry clients are seen at their regularly scheduled Grooms (every 6-8 weeks on average). We do have a lot of our clients opt for a 3/6 or 4/8 schedule (Every 3-4 week toenail trim/6-8 week groom) to keep their pups toenails in tip top shape.

Our Feline Friends-
YES! We do trim cats toenails as well! We even offer Nail Cap placement for those extra feisty felines.

Due to their nature, and want to scratch on things, Cats have a higher risk of catching toenails, as well as breaking them off. Cat toenail trims are just as quick and easy as dog nail trims, and are just as beneficial! Most cats actually handle the process super well.

Toenail trims are fairly easy to get scheduled for most days we are open.
Our staff would love to discuss these options further to make a recommendation for your pet. 

Small Animal Nail Trims-
We do occasionally see a variety of small animals for a quick visit and nail trim. These include Rabbits, Guinea Pigs, Chinchillas, Ferrets, and Bearded Dragons. We love when the little ones visit! It can be the highlight of our day.