There is an extremely common problem making dogs suffer and vulnerable to injuries. Do you know what it is?
Dental disease? That is undoubtedly a pervasive problem, affecting 80% of dogs over the age of three. The issue I’m thinking of occurs in over 90% of my new patients.
Ear infections? According to veterinary pet insurance records, this is the number one reason dogs are presented to the veterinarian. The issue I refer to is rarely why the dog is on my schedule, which many veterinarians wouldn’t even notice.
Obesity? Another significant problem. The one I have in mind can be cured in ten minutes for about twenty dollars.
The most ubiquitous problem I saw when I owned a general veterinary practice, and now see in my holistic practice, is one in the same—long toenails.
Dr. Julie Buzby
The importance of nail trimming
At this point, you are either nodding your head in knowing agreement or furrowing your brow in dismay. Either way, please bear with me as I make my case. I promise when I’m done, you will never look at your dog’s toenails the same way.
Wild canines have short, short nails.
In their natural environment, dogs run, climb, and dig. This keeps their nails worn down. But our domestic dogs live on hard-surface floors, lounge around on the furniture, and get walked 20 minutes a day (if they’re lucky).
The byproducts of our dogs’ lifestyle include
- obesity
- behavioral problems
- and long toenails
Proprioception
Dogs’ toes have an abundance of proprioceptive receptors. These receptors feed input to the brain about the body’s spatial position, in relation to the ground and with respect to gravity.
Long nails send faulty information to the brain.
The brain makes adjustments accordingly. The result is a dog who stands with chronic bad posture and moves with an altered gait.
The proof
Let me prove it to you.
Please stand up. Yes, I’d like you to stand up now and curl your toes, simulating long toenails pushing up a dog’s toes. Did you feel the way your body weight shifted? Now please do it once again, but this time, I appreciate the subtle changes you felt in your joints, in your muscles, and even your jaw.
Long toenails significantly affect a dog’s posture
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| Molly’s posture pre-nail trim |
A dog with long toenails can’t stand with legs perpendicular to the ground. Instead, he compensates by adopting the “goat on a rock” stance, where his forelegs are “behind” perpendicular, and the hind legs must come under him to prevent him from tipping forward. (see photo)
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| Molly’s improved posture immediately post nail trim. |
Walking with long toenails can be likened to walking in ill-fitting shoes.
Dr. Julie Buzby
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| Most dogs walk around with nails like this |
When presented with a new patient, I generally begin with an effective (and pain-free) toenail trim after taking the history. This is because it will instantly change the dog’s gait (and posture mentioned above). Then, when I do my gaiting and chiropractic exam, I can focus on deeper issues, not compensatory problems from long toenails.
See the difference a good nail trim makes
My ten-minute short-nail makeover yields a level of instant relief for the dog and potentiates any holistic treatments I then perform. Some of my clients prefer that I continue to trim their dog’s nails after our initial visit. Others are willing to learn to do it themselves, which makes me proud.
I trim my own dog’s nails every 1-2 weeks and recommend a maximum interval of 4 weeks for my patients.
I joke with my clients that Michelle Obama has childhood obesity, and I have dog toenails.
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| Example of short nail trim |
A quality nail trim is the best “bang for their buck” I offer my clients and a profound gift I can give my patients.
Related articles:
Tips for a Healthy Dog: My Favorite Things for Keeping A Dog Fit and Healthy
Further reading:
3 Painful Reasons to Trim Your Dogs Nails
5 Tips for Successful Dog Nail Trims