# Pedicures and ear cleaning



## Teddy Bear (Apr 11, 2015)

Anyone with some advise on pedicures and cleaning ears?

*Pedicure issues!*
I'd like to trim Teddy's nails on my own instead of waiting for the vet to trim him when he goes for infrequent grooming sessions.
His nails are getting long and seem dry.

Teddy hates getting his nails trimmed. Not sure if its the nail cutter that isn't good (its a pet nail cutter) or if its just because its dry or I'm cutting it wrong? I made sure not to cut the quick but he was still trying to pull his paws away from me.
His paws also seem a little hard and slightly dry. 
Would it be ok to moisturize nails and paw pads (or is it supposed to be dry) with organic coconut oil or olive oil?

Could I also use an emery board to smooth the nails (if he lets me)? I've seen lots of recommendations for automatic pet nail files but they're not available here. If yes, do I moisturize hi nails before or after?

*Ear cleaning*
Teddy could do with some ear cleaning (he has no infection or visible issues - just for hygiene).
When I was searching online, I found some recommendations for putting diluted vinegar in his ears for a few mins then wiping off with cotton wool. Seems a little dangerous?
Do you have any recommendations or advise on natural ear cleaners (again, none available in shops here so need to find home made solutions)?

Thanks for the awesome advise as always!!


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## Pucks104 (Aug 16, 2012)

Steep green tea like you would for drinking. Allow to cool completely to room temperature. 
Use cotton balls to dip, squeeze out slightly then wipe in an upward motion to clean debris or dirt from the part of the ear you can easily see. The use a cotton swab, dip in the tea, and clean nooks and crannies that you couldn't get with the cotton swab. You can go into the ear canal a bit and then drag the swab gently in an upward motion to clean the ear canal. Dogs ear canal are L shaped so you can clean into the canal without damaging the eardrum. Just be gentle. Don't have the cotton balls or swabs drippy wet with the tea. You want to clean gently without filling the ear with liquid.


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## Tux's Mom (May 24, 2016)

Trimming nails is best if done OFTEN. I use a very small guillotine-type clipper that is about the size of manicure scissors. The longer time you wait to clip, the longer the blood vessel will grow inside the nail, and the more nail material has to be cut. I've discovered Tux is more relaxed if I clip while he is in a chair along side me or draped over my lap. I also use a very small electric beard trimmer (the size of a mascara wand) to trim the fur around his pads.

You can pull hairs out of ears with your fingers. Do it often while the hairs are fine. Occasionally I'll use tweezers but I've only had to do that once in 9 months. Some dogs don't require it. Each dog is different.

I don't know about dry paw pads.


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## Teddy Bear (Apr 11, 2015)

The blood vessel is already far into the nail. Does that mean that it's unsafe to trim his nails now?
Any way to correct my error in not trimming often or is it too late?

He also has lots of long hair in his ears. Should I pluck them all?

Thanks for the green tea advise. One more reason to love green tea :grinning:


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Teddy Bear said:


> The blood vessel is already far into the nail. Does that mean that it's unsafe to trim his nails now?
> Any way to correct my error in not trimming often or is it too late?
> 
> He also has lots of long hair in his ears. Should I pluck them all?
> ...


When the nails are long, there are a couple of options. The slow, clipper way is to get into a regular habit of taking SMALL amounts of nail off very often (like a couple of times a week) clip tiny bits at a time, just until you can see the lighter, softer center of the nail, then stop for that day. You can tell if you are about to cut too short, by putting a bit of pressure on the clippers without actually cutting. If the dog shows signs of discomfort, move the clippers out a bit more toward the end of the nail. It can also help if some nails are white, because you can actually see the blood vessel in white nails, so you know where you can cut. That can can give you a guide for any dark nails.

Using a Dremel to grind the nails is an excellent way of shortening nails, because the process of geinding the nails actually causes the blood vessel to retract. You still have to do it very frequently grinding to get the nails worked back to a normal length.

The last way is the most drastic. With very severely overgrown nails, sometimes the only option is to have a vet sedate the dog, cut the nails WAY back and cauterize them. Then the owner can, hopefully, maintain the nails at a reasonable length.


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## KarMar (Jan 14, 2016)

I've found that a helpful way to get an idea of where the quick is in black nails is to back light. When I'm doing nails, I enlist my mom in holding my phone with the flashlight on behind the nail until I get a clear outline of the quick, then I clip. I am currently in the process of working Nino's nails back as far as I can in order to prevent potential for injuries as he advances in agility. He gets his nails clipped every other day currently (I fell off the wagon and let them get long while out of the show ring) , and I file them to a rounded point with the rough side of a human nail file. I would love to dremel, but I worry with the long hair. I did recently get the tip to poke his nails through pantyhose, so I may borrow someone's dremel and try that at some point.


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## Teddy Bear (Apr 11, 2015)

Thank you all for the tips. Will attempt to trim his nails and clean his ears.
Am sure I will get the most resistance from the pedicure but its got to be done!


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

The only ear tip I have is plucking the hairs out of outer ear canal. I've never done it myself, but have watched the groomer pluck the hairs. She first uses a ear powder and then pulls the hair out with her fingertips. Scout and Truffles ears look clean and have never had any ear issues. I haven't clipped their nails. The groomer clips their nails every 3-4 weeks. She being doing it since they were puppies so it isn't a problem. I think it might be a problem if I did it!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

KarMar said:


> I've found that a helpful way to get an idea of where the quick is in black nails is to back light. When I'm doing nails, I enlist my mom in holding my phone with the flashlight on behind the nail until I get a clear outline of the quick, then I clip. I am currently in the process of working Nino's nails back as far as I can in order to prevent potential for injuries as he advances in agility. He gets his nails clipped every other day currently (I fell off the wagon and let them get long while out of the show ring) , and I file them to a rounded point with the rough side of a human nail file. I would love to dremel, but I worry with the long hair. I did recently get the tip to poke his nails through pantyhose, so I may borrow someone's dremel and try that at some point.


Actually, I haven't had a problem with foot hair with the dremel, because I do their nails wet if I dremel. (this makes the nails softer, whether you are clipping or dremeling) Where I HAVE run into problems on Kodi, if I don't have help, is that since he has a fully mature coat, he has a LONG mustache and beard. The first time I tried, he put his head down to see what I was doing and his MUSTACHE got caught in the dremel! That made him fling his head, which ripped the dremel out of my hand, and ripped a hunk out of his mustache as it was flung across the room. Needless to say, neither of us wanted a repeat of the experience. :frusty:


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## Teddy Bear (Apr 11, 2015)

Managed to trim most of his nails yesterday (whilst he was busy trying to figure out how to open his box of treats. lol).
There were 2 nails that were too close to the quick so I couldn't trim it. Do I wait for his nails to grow a little longer (maybe 2-3 weeks) then check again or is there a way to make the quick recede?

Also, how close to the quick should I trim? is there a recommended distance? I left around 0.3 cm. Is that sufficient?


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Teddy Bear said:


> Managed to trim most of his nails yesterday (whilst he was busy trying to figure out how to open his box of treats. lol).
> There were 2 nails that were too close to the quick so I couldn't trim it. Do I wait for his nails to grow a little longer (maybe 2-3 weeks) then check again or is there a way to make the quick recede?
> 
> Also, how close to the quick should I trim? is there a recommended distance? I left around 0.3 cm. Is that sufficient?


The important part is that you find that little soft, lighter colored core, but go NO FARTHER. If you don't see that core, you aren't getting close enough to the quick to get the blood vessel and were to retract. Go farther, and you will cause bleeding. (and always have styptic powder nearby in case you DO quick him. Don't panic, it's not the end of the world... you want to try to avoid it, but all of mine have lived through being quacked at one time or another. The bleeding DOES stop and they get over it.  )

Unless the two nails were actually broken below the quick recently, I can't believe you can't take SOME off. Jut take the VERY tip, if that's all you think you can do. But if you do nothing, they will keep getting longer, and the quick will continue to grow down too. As Sophie (KarMar) said, he's doing a little every day on Nino, so you don't have to wait long to get enough to clip a tiny bit.


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