My dog's nails are long and painful. Should I be afraid to see a vet?

The price will depend on the type of sedation used and also varies from area to area and vet to vet. I do not understand why your veterinarian is not giving you a quote. I suggest you call a few vets in your area to find out. You could also take your dog to a veterinarian for the nail clip, but make sure that they know that he is difficult. There are a lot of very good techs that are good at dealing with difficult dogs and with a muzzle (and possibly some sedation before bringing him in, in exceprional cases) they may be able to do this.

If the nails are bothersome or getting torn off, your vet may ultimately recommend having them removed to prevent it. However, if you are waiting to save up for this procedure, keeping the nails trimmed back as close to the quick as possible can help keep them from snagging on things and tearing. Keeping the area clean and dry can also help reduce chances of infection or bacteria getting trapped in the area as well. If Ruby needs care sooner, this site may help give you some options to make veterinary care more affordable: https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/having-trouble-affording-veterinary-care

I'd consider taking Fatman into the vet to have his nails trimmed. Vets and vet techs are really good at doing this to dogs who hate it, and if needed, can sedate him to that it can be done safely. I hope this helps!

The only thing that can relieve this is to have the nail cut at the level of the break, this needs to be done by your vet. the cutting itself should not cost more than 20$ but in some cases it needs to be done under sedation which could cost 50-70$.

It can take awhile for a torn toenail to grow back, but I think it's a good idea to have Otto examined if he seems painful. It is nearly impossible to say how much the visit would cost - veterinary services can vary widely depending on your area and even hospitals close to each other can have different costs for services. Your veterinarian will perform a physical examination and could either recommend pain medication and continued bandaging if the nail looks okay, or might recommend sedation to clean the nail area, antibiotics, pain medication or even x-rays if there are concerns about the appearance of the nail base. I often recommend a cone or e-collar as well to prevent licking. You could always call your vet in the morning and ask about the cost of a physical exam, and then request an estimate for recommended tests and treatments once your vet has a chance to see the nail.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Spock and his owner. It is very nice of you to look after him. You can trim his nails. Just be careful to avoid the vessel in the nail. Start off with only a little at a time. Sometimes if the nail are white you can see where the vessel is. Unfortunately if they are black it will be harder. You can have flour on hand to put on the nail if it starts to bleed. The back nails tend to get nicked easier. If you are worried most Vets will have the technicians do the nails for cheaper if Spock is a client. So if you know his Vet's number you can call and see if that is an option. Good luck and I hope this helps!

Just like people, dogs' nails are constantly growing. Some dogs require nail trims as often as every 2 weeks, but if a dog spends more time walking on concrete, they may be able to go several months between nail trims. Concrete acts as a bit of a nail file, so the abrasive surface can help to file nails on dogs of all sizes. Since you're nervous about clipping Kiki's nails, you may want to try using a Dremel to help file them. Some dogs are afraid of the loud noise, but others are more agreeable to this than clipping - the only way to find out is to give it a shot. Since you're uncomfortable clipping her nails at home, the only other option is to continue taking Kiki either to a groomer or a vet every few weeks/months to have her nails clipped. There's a blood vessel (often referred to as the quick) inside of each nail, which is what can bleed if it's nicked. You can use styptic powder from the pet store to help cauterize any mild bleeding that may occur, which is the same thing that your vet would likely use. More intensive cautery is rarely needed for nail trims. It's extremely uncommon for vets to intentionally cut the nails back short enough that they'd all bleed because this is extremely painful and largely considered to be unnecessary. Sticking with frequent trimmings is enough to gradually help the quicks to become a bit shorter.