The necessity for Frenchie nails trimming has many reasons.
For most of us, dogs with long nails are unsightly. No dog wants to be seen with overgrown claws!
Just like our nails, if left to grow too long, a dog’s nail will split and this does not look pretty.
French Bulldogs love to play, but nobody wants to have the skin scratched and cut because their dog’s nails are too long.
Keeping your Frenchie on a regular nail trimming routine will prevent accidental scratches during play sessions.
Your vet will also appreciate it when your Frenchie goes for his vaccinations. They don’t enjoy the scratches either!
Most importantly, short nails maintain your Frenchie’s good health.
There are several risks to long nails:
1. Limping
Overgrowth nails mean your dog cannot comfortably place his paw on the ground.
To relieve the discomfort, they will put less weight on their paw.
This causes them to limp.
Although this will stop the pain from the overgrown claws, limping puts pressure on other parts of the body which are now carrying more weight than normal.
This can lead to further medical issues such as joint pain.
2.Infections
Infections- when a dog’s nails are left to grow too long, the nail will naturally begin to curl downwards.
Eventually, the nail will start to curl back towards the paw. If left untreated, the nail will penetrate the skin. This can lead to infections.
For Frenchies, infections are dangerous, as their short face makes breathing difficult.
Infections also raise body temperature.
To try and combat this, dogs will pant to lose heat.
Frenchies are not able to lose heat as quickly as other breeds, so catching infections can be a serious medical problem.
Not only are these infections dangerous, but they are also painful.
3. Twisting
This occurs when a dog with overly long nails gets them caught on something.
By catching the nail, the momentum of this sudden stop causes the toe to twist.
This will cause trauma to the tissue and also risks dislocating or fracturing of the bones in the toe.
How often should you cut a French bulldogs nails?
French Bulldogs were not bred to be active dogs.
Usually, a dog will naturally file down their nails by walking and running on a variety of different surfaces.
Frenchies don’t require the same amount of exercise, so their nails grow much quicker than most other breeds.
To keep your Frenchie’s feet in tip-top condition, their nails should be trimmed every 3 weeks.
Leaving them longer than this will result in your Frenchie not being able to place his paw flat on the ground.
French bulldog nail length
To ensure your Frenchie is not at risk of suffering nicks or catching his nails, they should be kept to a short length.
Frenchie’s nails should not touch the ground.
It is important to remember not to cut off a large section of nail in one go.
The centre of the nail contains nerves and blood vessels, known as the quick. It is better to cut just the end of each nail to begin with and take off a little more each week until you reach the required length.
This will make subsequent trimming much more effective and far easier to manage. Once you have the nails at a short length, you will only need to trim them every 3 weeks.