Pads, Nails, Face & Fanny
Clients do not need to wait their full 4 weeks, or 6 weeks or 8 weeks to have some “clean up” in certain areas.
Sometimes the hair over the eyes grows too long for the dog to see properly, or, the beard hair is too long for the water and food bowl. We can quickly and easily reshape and trim that longer hair back so that owner and dog are happy and content again.
While they are on the table, I like to check the pads for excess hair and I often find that it also needs to be trimmed back. Keeping the pads clean of hair helps dogs and their owners in two ways.
- Less hair in the pads means less dirt, debris, bacteria and or fungus can sit and breed in dark wet places. This will often create problems for a dog’s sensitive feet. By keeping the pads free of excess hair, keeping them clean and dry, we are doing a good job toward ensuring that our dog has happy, healthy feet.
- A dog sweats through their tongue, their head, their pads and their groin. By keeping the pads clean of thick hair, dog owners are helping their dogs support themselves in regulating their body temperature. In other words, they can cool down faster and easier in hotter months and warm up faster in colder months.
- When a dog’s foot is full of hair between the toes and pads, they are unable to feel their feet properly. They will slip and slide on hardwood floors, ceramic tiles etc. This is especially important for the senior dog who is already struggling to carry themselves safely due to arthritis and weakened muscles and bones. We support our senior dogs by keeping their pads free of hair and their nails maintained to a proper length.