Trimming Your Dog's Toenails

How to Trim Your Dog's Toenails (Thanks to Natural Wonder Pets)

Have you ever clipped your dog's nails only to have him yank his foot away and yelp out in pain? If so, rest assured you are not alone. Many pet owners have experienced similar situations with their dogs. It is often hard to know the correct way to trim your dog nails without causing pain. But with proper instruction and a little practice, you could soon be as good as a professional.

Dog Nail Anatomy 101
To get a good understanding of proper toenail trimming techniques, you must first understand basic dog toenail anatomy. Dogs have four toes, also called pads, each having a toenail. In many breeds there is also a fifth toe located on the inside of the leg. The toenail for the fifth toe is called the dew claw.
Dog nails are very similar to human fingernails and toenails. Once the nails have grown out, the ends are dead and are painless when trimmed. But trim too close and you will cut into the quick, which is the living tissue of the nail bed.

Some dogs have white toenails while others have dark brown or black toenails. The quick of the toenail is easy to see in dogs having white nails, appearing as a dark line. However, it is nearly impossible to see the quick in darker colored nails. Dogs, like humans, experience pain if their nails are cut into the quick. This causes a burning sensation, throbbing pain and bleeding, which will leave the nail and quick sore and sensitive for days.

Dog paws are all fundamentally the same except for variations in shape and size. Their toenails, however, will grow at different rates depending upon activity levels and the type of surfaces they inhabit. Dogs who spend a lot of time roaming outdoors or on concrete, asphalt, or other abrasive surfaces will have some natural wearing and trimming of the nails. They may not require manual trimming as often. However, these circumstances may also contribute to nail sharpening. Even if there is no need for a trim, filing or buffing may be required to take away the sharp edges.

Why is Dog Nail Care Important?

There are many reasons why it is important to regularly trim and care for your dog's nails. Not only does improper care cause health problems for the dog, it also causes problems for you and your belongings. Proper dog nail care helps to prevent a number of potential problems, which include:

· Ingrown toenails - causing redness, swelling, and discharge having a potent odor

· Sore feet and legs

· Joint pain

· Discomfort when walking

· Scratches to you, your furniture, and floors

· Punctures to soft floor coverings such as linoleum and vinyl

· Picking and tearing of furniture fabric, carpet, and rugs

What to Use When Trimming Your Dog's Nails
There are several types of manual trimmers as well as a motorized rotary tool available. When selecting a trimmer, you should choose the one that best suits your dog's size and one that you feel comfortable using. Most of all, you should remember never to use regular fingernail clippers to trim your dog's nails.
Although your dog's toenails grow much like your fingernails and toenails, dog nails grow rounded versus flat and they are much thicker. Using regular fingernail clippers to trim your dog's toenails will result in pinching of the toenail, which may then cause it to break, crack, and split into the quick. This is followed by pain, bleeding, and jagged nails.

Tools Needed

When preparing to trim your dog's toenails, you should have the following items ready for use:

· Manual or rotary clippers

· A product to stop bleeding - a coagulant such as styptic powder or pads

· Nail file

· An enamel nail polish - made for dogs

Pain Free Toenail Trimming

Dog nails typically require trimming every three or four weeks. When executed properly using the correct tools and technique it can be a pain free experience for both you and your pet. The basic trimming technique is:

1. Hold your dog in your lap or to the side if the dog is large. Pet and reassure him as you wrap your arm around the middle of his body. (If you are right-handed, use your left arm and if you are left-handed, use your right arm.)

2. After wrapping your arm around the dog, hold his foot in your hand with your thumb on top of the toe of the toenail you are preparing to clip. Continue to talk softly to your dog, reassuring him.

3. Follow the placement directions of your clipper of choice and, with a steady hand, clip a small piece of the nail off at a 45 degree angle.

4. Look at the nail. If you see a dark spot in the center of the nail this is the quick and you should avoid cutting into the quick. If you do not see the quick, trim another small piece of nail and recheck for the quick. (If you accidently cut into the quick, immediately apply a blood coagulant to stop the bleeding.)

5. Repeat the same procedure for each toenail including the dew claw. Depending on the anxiousness of your dog, breaks may be required to calm him down and further reassure him. (Release his foot but keep him in your lap and pet him, beginning again once he is calm)

6. File any rough edges and apply a coat of enamel nail polish to each toenail. Then move on to the next paw.

7. Repeat entire process, trimming the toenails of all four feet.

8. Praise the dog and reward with a treat.

Although trimming dog nails can be a daunting task, filled of apprehension and uncertainty, you can master the process by using proper tools, staying calm, and practicing proper technique. Once you gain your dog's trust and develop a regular routine for trimming his nails, the entire process will become more relaxed and comfortable for both of you.

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All Natural Dog Care

Laboratory studies of ingredients in seven popular flea and tick control products reveal adverse health effects in all animals tested. The effects of these well known and aggressively marketed products range from convulsions, body tremors and labored breathing to thyroid cancer, brain lesions, and liver and lung tumors. Yet TV commercials with trusty looking veterinarians pitch only the happy side of these products.


Which flea and tick pesticide are you using on your dog and/or cat? If your favorite treatment contains the active ingredient Fipronil, Imidacloprid, Methoprene, Permethrin, Pyriproxyfen or the inert ingredient Butyldydroxytoluene, Butylhydroxanisole, Carbitol, Ethanol, or Polyvinlpyrrplidone, you need to know about the not-so-happy side of these products as well.

If you think your veterinarian or local pet store would never sell you such a sinister poison, think again.

Advantage (Bayer Corporation), Adams Spot-On Flea & Tick Control (Farnam Pet Products), BioSpot Flea & Tick Control (Farnam Pet Products), Defend EXspot Treatment (Schering-Plough Animal Health), Frontline Top Spot (Merial Limited), Frontline Plus (Merial Limited), and Zodiac FleaTrol Spot On (Wellmark International) - all contain one or more of the aforementioned active or inert ingredients.

Toxicology and morbidity findings from these pesticide products were gathered over a decade of laboratory testing by the United States Environmental Protection Agency; Occupational Safety & Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor; Extension Toxicology Network; Journal of Pesticide Reform; Pesticide Action Network North America and other sources, with additional information supplied by Material Safety Data Sheets.

Most testing was performed for the benefit of new product manufacturers in order to qualify for EPA registration. Scientists overdose laboratory animals to determine how much of the product will kill 50% of the test population. Information is then extrapolated and assumptions made that may apply to domestic animals and human beings.

According to laboratory tests, Fipronil (Frontline Top Spot and Frontline Plus) is a neurotoxin and suspected human cancer agent. Fipronil can cause liver toxicity, thyroid cancer, kidney damage, raised cholesterol, lack of coordination, labored breathing, miscarriages and stunted offspring.

Laboratory testing of Imidacloprid (Advantage) on mice, dogs and rats shows this insecticide to be neurotoxic to laboratory animals, also causing a breakdown of coordination, labored breathing, lesions of the thyroid, reduced birth weight, and increased birth defects.

The synthetic broad spectrum pyrethroid insecticide Permethrin (Adams Spot-on Flea & Tick Control; BioSpot Flea & Tick Control; and Defend EXspot Treatment) shows indications of being an endocrine disrupter and the cause of lung cancer and liver tumors in laboratory animals.

Methoprene and Pyriproxyfen (Zodiac FleaTrol Spot On; and BioSpot Flea & Tick Control) are known as insect growth regulators (IGR), both of which restrict the growth of fleas to the juvenile stage where reproduction is not possible. Laboratory testing reveals that Methoprene causes enlarged livers and degeneration of the kidneys.

Unfortunately, few people actually read EPA test results. Fewer still want to hear about the many laboratory test subjects (unwanted dogs and cats) killed during and after the studies in order to determine damage to specific systems and organs. But it only takes a few people with straightforward thinking to bring about change. Are you ready to stop this insanity? There are effective alternatives, as you know.

Today there are totally natural flea and tick remedies - completely harmless to kids, pets and the environment - made from pure botanical essential oils. Some natural products work fairly well, some don't, and some work much better than the toxic stuff!

The mode of action - the way these natural remedies kill fleas and ticks - is to disrupt the insect's ability to function by blocking a substance called octopamine. In nature, certain plants have developed a natural defense against bugs. These "octopamine blockers" in plants are extracted as oils and used as active ingredients. Octopamine is to an insect what adrenalin is to a human. When blocked from the system, the insect quickly dies. No muss, no fuss. Nobody gets hurt but the bug.

Please begin today to stop supporting the heartless laboratory testing of innocent animals, the insidious cover-up and rush to market of big business, and the unwitting harm we may be doing to our children, our pets, and our planet.

Please check out the natural flea and tick remedy I recommend most highly, TripleSure, by clicking on the link below.

All Natural - Gary Le Mon's day job is in the insured financial services industry, but his evenings and weekends are spent crusading for animal rights, contributing to dog and cat rescue efforts, and making the Earth a greener, friendlier place to live. Learn more

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gary_Le_Mon

Environmental Working Group -- Email

Sometimes I just like to pass on an Email about something I really think matters.

Environmental Working Group or EWG is a group I am involved in and care about. Check out the email below and let me know your thoughts and ideas. Do you belong to this group?

Dear shari,

Over the last several months EWG has made some waves and drawn a lot of attention to the issues you and I care about. I want to make sure you know what EWG has achieved in just the last few months.

We all agree that influencing public policy has a lot to do with being heard by the right people at the right time. At EWG, we've got a knack for just that. Our unique investigations, skilled team of researchers and effective advocacy work well together to catch the attention of decision makers - right when it matters.

We've told decision makers what you want. . . and they're listening.

* We caught food industry giants plotting to mislead mothers and minority parents about the hazards of bisphenol-A (BPA) and spurred grassroots pressure to find a safe alternative.

* Some 14,000 members of EWG's burgeoning online community joined us to ask U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar to oppose uranium mining near the Grand Canyon. And he did. Nearly a million acres of public land has been set aside, preventing the mining industry from staking any claims for at least two years, and possibly as many as 20 years.

* Congressional insiders picked EWG and myself as top grassroots advocates on biofuels for our ability to combine lobbying and research with grassroots power effectively.

* The California State Senate passed the Toxics-Free Babies & Toddlers Act, which we sponsored, to ban BPA in children's food products. If the State Assembly approves the bill, the largest market in the country will join Connecticut and Minnesota whose state legislatures enacted partial BPA Bans earlier this year.

* We asked the EPA to consider the full impact of over-subsidized biofuels on greenhouse gas emissions and penned an Op-Ed published in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

* Five environmental justice leaders joined us for an extensive two-year study that tested them for 75 chemical contaminants. They took their results directly to Congress as a compelling argument for reform of the failed federal toxics law.

We researched, reported and testified for better public policies.

* We released our third annual sunscreen report to help consumers identify safe, effective products and better understand the ingredients in sunscreen. We found that sunscreen companies are reformulating many products to be safer and more effective as a result of our three-year campaign.

* We expanded our ground-breaking work on bottled water safety by reviewing labels, provided by our fabulous fans, and released a report rating manufacturers on their (lack of) transparency. We took this research to Congress where Jane Houlihan, our head of research, testified in front of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

We created and shared important, useful information.

* Our Editor-in-Chief, Elaine Shannon, began writing for the Huffington Post so that we can take our message to millions of readers. Here's an exciting post discussing a ground-breaking study about infertility and bisphenol-A.

* We launched a new blog on Kid-Safe Chemicals where EWG staff and outside experts are discussing emerging science and the need for toxics policy reform.

* I presented our 10 Americans talk to hundreds in California, Georgia, Canada, Wisconsin and Washington D.C. You can watch a short version on our site.

* We launched a monthly informational email series based on our popular Healthy Home Tips guide.

* We won two Treehugger awards for best health and beauty information and best natural health news web sites.

As you can see, we've been busy. All of the staff at EWG is grateful for your support, which we know makes our work possible. With your help, we're doing the hard work it takes to achieve our shared goal: healthy people and a healthy planet.

Sincerely,

Ken Cook
President, Environmental Working Group

Cocoa Mulch; Bad For My Pets

Being someone that watches what is good for the planet, myself and my animals I get plenty of emails. I have news from leading Doctors, scientists and concerned friends. The latest yesterday was about my yard and of concern for my dogs health.

The email was a warning about Cocoa Bean Mulch and the death of dogs. I have always had dogs and usually some other type of animals too, but I had missed this warning. From the articles (back to 2003) I read, Cocoa Bean mulch has been out for quit some time.

Cocoa Bean Mulch is a byproduct of chocolate production, is natural and has a great smell. The problem with the cocoa bean shell mulch is that it contains theobromine, a compound (like in regular chocolate) toxic to dogs. Content of this compound reportedly ranges from 0.19 percent to 2.98 percent.

Now depending on the size of your dog and how much they consume the adverse reactions would be the same as a chocolate overdose. Theobromine affects the heart, central nervous system and kidneys. Toxicity signs and symptoms would include:
*Elevated heart rate and Arrhythmias
*Restlessness
*Stomach upset & Vomiting
*Diarrhea
*Frequent urination
*Muscle tremors & Seizures
*Death

Now if I didn’t put two and two together; cocoa mulch being made from the shell of the cocoa bean and the cocoa bean being used to make chocolate, hopefully someone would tell me. So, I called around to my local stores and asked associates in their lawn and garden departments.

Store #1:
Said; “We usually carry it, but we are out right now, try Walmart.” Then when asked if it would cause any harm to my pets; he said, “There is no danger, it just comes from the cocoa tree“.

Store #2:
Said, “Yes, we carry it but I haven’t heard of any problems”. She then checked the bag and told me, “It says it’s all natural so it should be ok.”

Store #3 (Walmart) said they didn’t carry it.

#4 (My Vet): Reported that they had not heard of any recent reports of animal illness due to cocoa bean mulch but that any product made from cocoa could cause harm to animals. They also told me that there is no treatment or antidote for Theobromine poisoning. Death could happen within 24 hours.


For safer alternatives try nontoxic shredded pine, cedar and hemlock bark or check with ASPCA at;
http://www.aspca.org

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