by Melody Ryan

Created on: February 16, 2009

For many pet owners, trimming your dog's nails can be a complete nightmare. There are many aspects of trimming nails that can be scary for both the owner and the pet. Some dogs are very uncomfortable with their feet being handled, and there is nothing worse than having a dog yanking his foot around when you are near their feet with a sharp object. Even the anticipation of the dog jerking or yelping when you get close to a nail's quick can be enough to keep an owner vowing to never do a nail trim again. Also, some dogs have black nails which make nail trimming even more difficult for the owner. For dogs that are cooperative for regular nail trims, the typical dog nail trimmers leave their nails jagged and sharp. Newly clipped nails can leave your arms and legs completely scratched up from just holding your pet. In this way, the Pedipaws is also helpful. It leaves your dogs nails smooth and rounded, and it leaves you scratch free.

Recently, a seemingly miraculous product has come out- the Pedipaws Dog Nail Trimmer. This product is nothing more than an old-fashioned dremel, a rotary tool used for sanding, polishing drilling, engraving, etc. This Pedipaws product is nothing more than a new use for an old product. Having worked at a veterinary office for eight months, I have heard my veterinarian recommend to numerous clients to get just a regular dremel from Sears rather than wasting money on an official "dog" nail trimmer. The Pedipaws Dog Nail Trimmer definitely works, but it is priced slightly higher than the actual power tool dremel. These products work exactly the same, so why pay for the name? For those of you who would rather have the cute nail trimmer with the official dog nail trimmer name, then go for the Pedipaws.

Aside from pricing and product originality, this nail trimmer definitely works. The main convenience is that it takes away the fear of chopping blindly into your dogs nails; however, before beginning use, the owner should make sure to get your pet used to the product. Any Pedipaws or dremel makes a fairly loud humming noise, which can be frightening for some pets. Before actually using the Pedipaws on your dog, you should turn it on and get your pet used to the noise. It also helps to handle their feet, massage them, and play with them while the Pedipaws is on. It helps them to not be scared of the humming and to also somewhat associate the noise with their feet.

When you feel your pet is ready, try the Pedipaws on one nail. It is very helpful if you have someone else hold your dog for you in a way that makes them feel comfortable. If your pet seems to be fine with the noise and sensation of the Pedipaws, it should be fairly easy to get their nail trims done. Lightly tap each nail with the Pedipaws and stop when you are reaching the quick or when you feel you have filed enough of the nail down. With long-haired dogs, be careful that you keep the hair out of the way, because the Pedipaws or dremel will easily catch the hair and get it tangled and twisted in the trimmer. This will also cause your dog to continue to be frightened of nail trims- Pedipaws or not.

All in all, the Pedipaws Dog Nail Trimmer is a great product, but is just a slightly different version of the already-existent rotary dremel. Whether you go for the dremel or the Pedipaws, nail trimming is made a lot easier and produces an overall better outcome.

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