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1. The Importance of Dog Nail Clipping: Essential Care for Your Canine Companion

   Posted on 12:00pm Sunday 26th May 2024

   The Importance of Dog Nail Clipping: Essential Care for Your Canine Companion

   Regular nail clipping is a crucial aspect of maintaining your dog’s health and comfort. While it might seem like a minor grooming task, keeping your dog’s nails trimmed can prevent a range of health issues and enhance their overall well-being. In this blog post, we’ll explore why dog nail clipping is so important and provide tips for making the process easier for both you and your furry friend.

   1. Prevents Pain and Discomfort

   When a dog's nails grow too long, they can cause significant pain and discomfort. Long nails can curl under and dig into the paw pads, leading to painful injuries. Additionally, overgrown nails can affect the way a dog walks, causing discomfort and even leading to joint issues over time. Regular clipping ensures your dog can move comfortably without pain.

   2. Reduces the Risk of Injury

   Long nails are more prone to breaking, splitting, or tearing, which can be painful and may require veterinary attention. Broken nails can lead to bleeding and infections if not treated properly. Keeping your dog’s nails trimmed minimises the risk of such injuries..

   3. Prevents Infections

   Overgrown nails can harbour dirt, bacteria, and debris, increasing the risk of infections. Regular trimming helps keep your dog's nails clean and reduces the likelihood of bacterial infections that can occur in and around the nail bed.

   4. Enhances Mobility

   Dogs with long nails often experience difficulty walking, as the nails can alter their gait and balance. This can lead to discomfort and a reluctance to engage in physical activities. By keeping your dog’s nails at an appropriate length, you help them maintain proper mobility and enjoy an active lifestyle.

   5. Protects Your Home and Belongings

   Long nails can cause damage to floors, carpets, and furniture. Dogs with overgrown nails may also accidentally scratch people during play or affection. Regular nail trimming helps protect your home and ensures that interactions with your dog remain gentle and enjoyable.

   Tips for Effective Dog Nail Clipping

   To make nail clipping a positive experience for your dog, follow these tips:

   • Use the Right Tools: Invest in a good quality dog nail clipper and keep it clean. Guillotine-style clippers or scissor-style clippers are popular choices.
   • Start Slowly: If your dog is not used to nail clipping, start by getting them comfortable with the clippers and the process. Offer treats and praise to create positive associations.
   • Be Careful with the Quick: The quick is the blood vessel inside the nail. Cutting into the quick can be painful and cause bleeding. Trim a small amount at a time and look for a pale pink oval at the tip of the nail to avoid cutting too short.
   • Consider Professional Help: If you’re unsure or uncomfortable with clipping your dog’s nails, seek the help of a professional groomer or veterinarian.

   Conclusion

   Regular nail clipping is essential for your dog’s health, comfort, and overall well-being. By keeping their nails trimmed, you can prevent pain, reduce the risk of injury, and ensure they can move comfortably. With the right tools and a gentle approach, nail clipping can become a stress-free part of your dog’s grooming routine. We offer nail trimming at the grooming salon which is included in any service we offer or can be done as a stand-alone service, just drop us a message or give us a call to book in.

   

2. Why taking care of your dog’s ears is important.

   Posted on 12:00pm Saturday 23rd Mar 2024

   Taking care of your dog’s ears is an important aspect of grooming and will help keep them clear of knots and clean and free of infections and other health issues.

   Many dogs are already prone to ear infections when they have dropped ears as this blocks the ear canal and doesn’t allow ventilation which can cause ear infections to form.

   Ear problems like infections are also seen commonly in breeds such as poodles when they have thick hair in the ear canal, which can trap any debris, moisture and earwax inside the ear canal.

   If you are wanting to keep your dogs free from infection, making sure they are regularly groomed, and ears cleaned is important part of this process.  This is something we offer included in a full groom or as a separate service if you need their ears cleaning or plucked regularly.

   What are the common signs that your dog is suffering from a potential ear infection?

   There are several signs that an ear problem is occurring in dogs, such as:

   • A strange, often foul odour coming from the inner ear
   • Consistent scratching and rubbing of the ear and head
   • Discharge in the ear
   • Pain or tenderness of the ear
   • Redness or swelling around the ear canal
   • Frequent shaking of the head

   If you suspect your dog has any signs of an ear infection, then veterinary treatment should be sought.  They will be able to check the ear thoroughly and prescribe any treatment needed.

   How to prevent ear infections in dogs?

   There are 2 main things you can do to prevent ear infections in dogs these are regular cleaning and ear plucking. 

   1. Ear cleaning

   There are lots of different ear cleaners available on the market currently but have a couple of different specially designed ear cleaners that will wipe away any excess wax or dirt and also a cleaner that can go into the ear canal which can help remove deeper down wax or dirt. 

   But whichever you choose to use its important that if you are cleaning your own dogs ears you must remember to never put anything like cotton buds down the ear canal as this can cause damage and pain to your dog. 

   If the wax is very dark, almost like dried blood, this means the dog may have an infection called Canker Ear which will require veterinary attention.

   Check your dog’s ears weekly for signs of infection and to clear away any wax or dirt. If you notice an infection or even suspect your dog might have an ear problem, take them straight to your veterinarian for checking out.

   2. Ear Plucking

   Plucking is something I would never recommend for someone to do who is trained to do it like a groomer or veterinary surgeon as it is a delicate procedure.  It should also never be done if the dog is showing signs or currently has an ear infection as this will cause the dog immense pain and may even make the ear infection worse. 

   Ear plucking is where the hair that is coming from inside the ear canal itself and we use a special powder to help with ear plucking.  This is something if we feel may cause the dog distress or the dog isn’t happy with, we will refer you to your vet.

   Both these services we offer here at Noahs Ark Dog Grooming either included in a full groom or as a separate service just give us a call or drop us a message for more information.