First things first; I needed to get this little rag-a-muffin up into the hammock. Her paws were full of burs and I needed to get her off her feet.
Ms. Millar’s Safety Note: “When a dog looks like a rag-a-muffin, they are often in pain from the mats pulling on their skin. That ‘mean’ attitude is usually just them telling you it hurts! Take it slow and use plenty of praise.”
With her feet being my main concern that’s where I started. It took a good part of an hour to clear out the hair, debris and burs from all of her paws.
Neglected nails do more than just click on the floor—they can permanently deform a dog’s toes. When nails are left this long, the quick grows right along with them, making it impossible to cut them short in one sitting. My approach was to dremel back to the safety line so the nail could at least sit flat against the ground. This ‘trains’ the quick to retreat back into the nail bed over several weeks. It’s a process that requires a commitment of two or three frequent visits to get the feet back to normal. Sadly, without the owner following up on those subsequent appointments, the progress we made was lost.
This lil pupper was not the friendliest, but in its condition it was understandable. When she was completed she was a cutie pie!
