SMAll ANIMAL MEDICAL NURSING

NAIL TRIMMING
nail trimming (pedicure) is an important gen-eral care technique. excessive nail lenght results in altered gait and the potential accentuation of lameness problems . excessively long nails are more likely to be traumatically avulesd by becom-ing caught in carpeting , fences and so on. finally , untrimmed nails can become ingrown and can cause cellulitis or abscess formation resulting from local irritation and bacterial contamination. a sturdy durable nail trimmer is required for this procedure . two common types are available (resco and whites nail trim) . in order to avoid cutting pigmented (black) nails too short in the dog. the cutting surface of the nail trimmer should be held parallel to the plamer (plantar) surface of the digital foot pads, and the nail is cut in this plane. in cats the nails can be exposed by grasping the paw between the thumb and index finger and sliding the skin on the dorsum of the paw away from the nail once exposed, the nails can be trimmed as described for the dog .