Is there a medical reason to cut a dog's nails?

My boyfriend keeps his dogs outside in his backyard (he is a good pet owner - he built a dog house, etc). But he doesn't see any reason to cut his dog's nails, and his little boy is complaining about it, since he plays with the dogs. Is there a medical reason I can give him to cut the dog's nails, so I don't seem like I'm just nagging?

If they get too long they can split but generally dogs that are outside wear um down with no need to cut them.

the medical reason is for the boy, and that reason is so he doesn't get cut by the dog, if someone gets cut by a dogs nails (especially if the dog lives outside) there is a huge chance of infection.

Tell him the dog could rip a nail off by accident which would cause him great pain!

they are uncomfortable when their nails are too long. Eventually they will curl around and into the dogs paws. causing bleeding and major pain. It's just uncomfy- one of the complaints about dogs in puppy mills is that they leave their nails alone- and they do curl and cause pain!

If the dogs toenails aren't worn off from walking outside, then they get long enough to cause problems with how he walks, And the longer they get, the harder it is to trim them.

if you dont cut the dogs nails they will get long sharp and painfull for the dog they do wear them down a little on the concrete but its best to keep them short ,,,good luck and please stop nagging its important for the dog too,,,,

Depending on how big the nails are, they can affect his balance and his ability to walk properly. Pets should have their nails clipped regularly to prevent this. In the wild, normal wear and tear would take care of this, but pets don't get the opportunities to wear down their nails.

I don't know about the dog getting sick, but whenever i go long times without cutting my dogs nails they look like the are having a hard time walking like the nails are hurting them in a way, whenever that happens they don't feel like running or anything, but now I've gotten better about cutting there nails and there are no problems like that.

The nails can get overgrown and curl. Causing the dog to walk improperly and possibly infection ! My dog has bad nails that need to be trimmed often. When there are not trimmed she licks her feet till her feet are raw ! Probably because it hurts her !

Get nail clippers and cut them when your at his house!!! lol Just tell him if they get to long they start to hurt the dogs paws, they will start to curve and will star growing under the paws, you need ot keep nagging him and tell him to clip his dogs nails!! or tell him you will do it!

you're supposed to cut their nails because if they get too long, it's uncomfortable for them to walk. and depending on what kind of surface, it can cause them to slip or such and possibly hurt them. make him see it from their point of view. how would he like it if he had to walk using his hands and was never able to cut his finger nails? i'm assuming he's like the majority of men and keeps his nails super short.

Some dog's nails can be fragile and break off if you don't keep their nails trimmed. As for reasons why the dog's nails she be cut: His son.

There is no medical reason. It's best to take the dog for a long walk on sidewalk or concrete, and this will file the nails down. It's more of a grooming thing.His boy being scratched should be enough.In other word's "it's nasty and it scratches".

well u can say that if the dog jumps up on his little boy and his nails are 2 long then he my get scrapped really bad.......or u can say that the dogs nail could get stuck on something and get the nail ripped off...these my work but there really isn't a big medical reason

The nails will continue to grow, just like human nails, and will eventually cripple the feet. When the nails are too long the dog cannot put his foot down properly and it will be painful to walk. If the dog spends a lot of time walking on rough surfaces like concrete, the nails can wear down on their own, but otherwise he must get them cut. If the nails are not cut regularly the vein inside (the quick) will grow longer as well, making it dangerous to cut the nails without professional assistance. Have him take the dog to a vet or groomer to get it done.

OK, easy answer. Look at the dogs feet. Do the nails touch the ground when the dog is standing still? Do the toes look relaxed and normal? Do the nails hit the ground and displace the toes at all? If you said yes to the last question you need to trim their nails. Otherwise they are doing a good job of wearing them down themselves. A lot of dogs need to have their front feet trimmed, but the back ones may keep short thru wear on their own. If the dog has his dew claws (those claws on the inside of the lower leg) those will need to be trimmed often or they will keep growing until they puncture the back of the leg.

Yes there are real reasons why you should cut your dogs nails. The nail can curve all the way around and cut into his skin when he runs or walk. Sometimes you don't see the small cuts on your dog and if your dog doesn't let on it could get infected. Treating infections in dogs can be very costly.Also, by not cutting them down the "quick", or dogs flesh on the inside of the nail, keeps growing long too - therefore making it harder to cut his nails as time goes on. The problem with the quick is that it bleeds if you cut into it. It's hard to make it stop once the bleeding starts. They even sell a powder to use to stop the bleeding when the quick has been cut. The good thing is that you can ask your vet to do it if you don't know how or are afraid to. He will also give you many more reasons why the dogs nails should be trimmed. Just ask.If you don't want to get your dog to a vet for a good nail trimming take the dog to a groomer. They are used to doing it and will know exactly where to cut.

A couple actually- The dog walks around in its own feces- I don't care how clean he keeps the area, it happens at times- kid gets scratched, and the feces on the nails causes the child to get infection- as for the dog, nails that are not kept trimmed can impede the dogs ability to walk normally- I've seen dogs that actually had to walk backwards to avoid hurting their feet when the nails grew to long. Be careful, and have septic stick or quick stop on hand- if you hit the quick, dap on the septic to slow the bleeding. The longer the nails are allowed to grow, the further into the nail the quick will be- sometimes you can see it if you hold the paw up to a bright light!!!

he mite not see ,any reason , but there is one , it called taken care of your dog feet, as they dog walks, they balance o n there toes, if you dont cut them , they get too long,then split, and can really injure your dog, do the dog a favour, go cut his nails ............ nagging no way , this is just good care of your dog .....