This month we speak to Stacy Brook, a Registered Veterinary Nurse, who also has a business specialising in nail clipping and nail maintenance for pets. She visits dogs, cats and other animals in their home to provide a relaxed and thorough nail care service.
What inspired you to get into nail clipping and maintenance for pets?
I run a successful flyball team with my dogs. As with all dog sports, particularly those requiring high speed and agility, nail maintenance is really important, so I did a lot of my own research into the best tools and methods of nail management in order to get best from my dogs.
Combine that with being a Veterinary Nurse and experiencing first-hand how stressful many pets find the experience of having their nails cut in a veterinary environment, where there are frequent time pressures and pets are often in a heightened state of anxiety and fear.
I thought to myself, doing this in a pet’s own home where they are comfortable, with more time and plenty of encouragement would be a great idea; and thankfully lots of pet owners felt the same!
I use really high quality nail clippers that slice the nail like cutting through butter and use a technique called an alternative angle cut method, which takes longer but is a better form of nail maintenance.
And what do you love most about your job?
I love meeting all the different characters of animals; not just dogs and cats, but I also have some fabulous guinea pigs and rabbits which I visit too.
I get rewarded by seeing the difference I can make to the animals too, in reducing their worry, and genuinely improving their quality of life. I have had some great feedback from the owners about this.
What are the benefits of doing this for dogs and cats?
Nail maintenance is so much more important than many owners perhaps give it credit.
In dogs, overgrown nails can lead to structural changes. When nails are too long, they alter how a dog distributes it’s weight, affecting balance and posture. This can result in a flatter stance, making walking – especially on smooth or hard surfaces – more difficult and uncomfortable. Overlong nails can permanently affect joints, particularly in the toes.
And with older dogs, they experience muscle loss leading to a squarer posture. Long nails exacerbate this issue by altering their stance and movement, forcing them to compensate in ways that can put strain on their joints and muscles.
As cats and dogs age, they naturally change how they use their feet due to reduced activity and/or arthritis. In older pets, overgrown nails can curl and grow into the paw pads, causing pain and infection – something that rarely occurs when they are younger and more active. We see this a lot, particularly in older cats.
How can an owner spot if their dog’s nails need looking at?
A common sign would be hearing the clicks of nails when your dog or cat is walking on a hard floor. I also recommend just regularly checking around the pads and looking for over grown fur on the base of the feet, which can be another good indicator.
Once owners become more aware of this and start checking more regularly, they become more aware of when it is needed. Some dog’s I see every 4-8 weeks, others every 3-4 months, and that might change as they get older too.
Any tips for doing this at home?
As with anything sensitive like ears or teeth, getting your dog used to this from a young age helps with desensitisation, especially for pets that perhaps see a groomer much less regularly.
Plenty of positive reinforcement and treats will also help.
And finally, good nail maintenance when they are young will help reduce joint and structural issues as they get older.
