Can't clip nails...HELP! (vet, aggressive, rescue, adopted)

[mikenbacismama]

We have a wonderful Plott mix. He's a great dog, EXCEPT...we are totally unable to clip his nails or bathe him without him totally freaking out. We tried to bring him to Petco today to get his nails trimmed, but once he smelled the entryway, he freaked out & wouldn't even enter the store.

Don't slam me, I know this sounds extreme, but can someone recommend a sedative, natural or otherwise, that we can use to calm him down prior to grooming him? He's about 90 lbs., and is very difficult to keep still.

Thank you.

[leorah]

You can try Rescue Remedy. Your best option, though, would be to take him to your vet. They can give him a mild sedative and clip the nails for you. Your vet may also be able to prescribe something you can give him at home.

As for bathing him, have you considered using the wet wipes sold for grooming? Plotts have relatively short coats, so unless he's really stinky, that may be sufficient.

[mikenbacismama]

Is Rescue Remedy something we can buy OTC?

Thankfully, he's generally not stinky. Just gets a doggie smell on damp days. Would you suggest to try wiping him down with mild baby wipes?

Update on the nails...we had previously considered getting a Peticure to do his nails with, but still figured he's freak out. However, my husband had me clean his neck with the Wahl trimmer just now & he then put in on and let Levi feel the vibration against his paw and it didn't seem to bother him much. So, maybe the Peticure will actually work. Does anyone know if they're sold in stores yet? I really don't want to pay S&H if it won't work for him and I then need to return it.

[leorah]

You can buy Rescue Remedy at many natural/holistic pet supply stores, as well as online: Original Bach Flower Remedies - www.BachFlower.com.

The Peticure is just like a Dremel tool. If you don't have a Dremel, chances are you have a friend who does. Ask around and borrow one. Get a sanding barrel like this: 407 1/2" Sanding Drum / Model: 407. These are available at most hardware stores and Home Depot and Lowes.

Once you have the Dremel and the sanding drum attached, hold your dog's paw securely and while sanding the nail, hold the base of the nail to help eliminate some of the vibration from the tool. Here's a great tutorial on how to do it: How to Dremel Dog Nails @ DoberDawn.com.

Best of luck!

[Honeycrisp]

You might also want to desensitize him - IOW, sit beside him and touch his feet when he's relaxed and calm, just so he gets used to his feet being handled - in time (depending on him, go slow), he may let you clip a nail or 2 - eventually you can work your way up to more but remember, there's no rule that all his nails must be cut at the same time, you dont want him to be stressed (or yourself either). In the meantime, good luck w/ getting his nails trimmed.

PS If he's food oriented, you could even give him a treat after you clip a nail - eventually just one treat after clipping all toenails on one foot, and so on. We did that w/ one of ours but unfort. it didn't help too much and it seemed like she was getting rewarded for being bad - over time though, she did come to accept it, isnt thrilled but holds real still and is really really good. She's small so that may have been to our advantage. She's even accepting of the dremel (grinder) although we just use it at the very end to smooth her nails down.

[titaniummd]

Originally Posted by mikenbacismama

Update on the nails...we had previously considered getting a Peticure to do his nails with, but still figured he's freak out. However, my husband had me clean his neck with the Wahl trimmer just now & he then put in on and let Levi feel the vibration against his paw and it didn't seem to bother him much. So, maybe the Peticure will actually work. Does anyone know if they're sold in stores yet? I really don't want to pay S&H if it won't work for him and I then need to return it.

Peticure is not sold in stores. A Dremel may be (not in my local stores).

I ordered my Peticure Power Professional (corded) through their website.

[Dashdog]

When I adopted Dash as I was putting him in the car the vet from the humane society came out and asked if they had warned me that he did not like to be examined or groomed in any way and got aggressive about it. Nope, no one warned me so I drove away thinking " Oh great just what I need". Most of it was fixed very fast by using food rewards but the nail clipping was a big issue and the first groomer I tried said no way he is too stressed and needs to be sedated.

I then took him to the vets and he said he would give him a little something and try it a few mintues later he came back out and said I am going to have to really knock him out as he is still way too stressesd.

For that first year the vet had to do his nails and really had to sedate him pretty good to do it. Then one day the humane society had an open house and there was a dog wash to raise money. The groomers were all from one local shop and the owner was very experienced. I decided to get Dash a bath and when it got to the nail clipping he pitched a fit and let out some screams that I did not know dogs could make.

That brought everyone running over to where they were grooming dogs to see what was happening. The groomer that owned the shop walked up and told the other groomer to let her try. She told Dash I can make that noise too and she started making screams that matched his and all of a sudden he stopped and just looked at her and she got all his nails done! Since that day he still has never let me clip them but behaves for the groomers now so nail clipping is much easier.

[ShelbyGirl1]

The Dremel tool is sold in any Home Depot or Lowes. You will get a lot more use of it and it works just as well, if not better than the PetiCure. I ordered the "safety attachement" from Pedicure and it was a joke. Waste of $19.99. With the Dremel....let the dog get use to the noise and go slow...even it means one nail or partial nail a day. One of mine was terrified of it..and within a week, he was letting me do all nails. Just takes patience.
The Rescue Remedy may be a good idea too...

[mikenbacismama]

Thanks for the great ideas, guys. I think I'll get the Rescue Remedy for the purpose of trying to calm him before bathing, and we'll get a Dremel tool at Home Depot. Oooh, ooh, we have a $25 gift card we need to use, so we can apply it to that!

[ShelbyGirl1]

Originally Posted by mikenbacismama

Thanks for the great ideas, guys. I think I'll get the Rescue Remedy for the purpose of trying to calm him before bathing, and we'll get a Dremel tool at Home Depot. Oooh, ooh, we have a $25 gift card we need to use, so we can apply it to that!