what is the best way to sedate a dog so you can trim his toenails?

what is the best way to sedate a dog so you can trim his toenails?

You want to sedate your own dog? Sorry but are you stupid? Take him to a damn vet!

Acepromazine from the vet.

take to a vet or groomer

Take him to your vet or groomer, don't sedate your dog.

bring your dog to the vet and they will do it all for you, if your dog is scared or aggressive they might just put a muzzle on and restrain the dog, its less risk than be put under sedation

take it to a groomer.

beaver tranquilizers, or beer.

You shouldn't need to, if he is scared of the clippers then try carrying them around with you where ever you go, then give him treats while you show them to him. Take it slow.

the vet will do it.
thats the best way to do it
and it doesn't cost much money
if thats what your wondering about

they will even shave it if you
are having trouble with that.

You can get some of that Acepromazine medicine mentioned previously as it will help calm anxious animals. I think the pedi-paws works too. Give him a very low dosage of Acepromazine and he should calm down. If he is an older dog just hold him tight and do it because Acepromazine can cause serious problems in older dogs. I know there was something else but I don't remember what it was.

It is illegal to practice sedation via chemicals (drugs) on an animal unless you are a licensed veterinarian.

Sedate a dog? This isn't surgery! It's toenail trimming!

You need to accustom the dog to having its feet handled to start with. Do this by giving treats while you touch the feet, examine the toes, etc. Sometimes it helps to have someone help you with this.

If you use a trimmer as opposed to a grinder, start by cutting off just *tiny* little snips at first. When the dog starts to get a little restless, give him a treat and quit.

If you're using a grinder or one of the "Ped-i-cure" products on the market (overpriced and underpowered, IMO), you will need to accustom him to the noise, which is usually what the dog objects to. Start by just turning the thing on, not anywhere near the dog. Give him a treat every time you turn it on. Soon he'll begin to associate the noise with a good thing. Then you can begin to move it close to him. Do this gradually until the dog will sit quietly while you touch his foot with the tool.

If you do this gradually and always make it a positive thing, toenail trimming will not be such an ordeal. I doubt he'll ever *like* it, but at least he'll tolerate it.

We had one dog who really objected to having her toenails done. I would put peanut butter on the hand that was holding her foot and she was so busy licking that off that it was possible to do the toenails.

Natural sedation works great, when he is sleeping. My pup was scarred so I tried it when he was resting and he couldn't be bothered. Let me do all four paws without any fuss.

Your should be able to trim your dogs nail without sedation. Have you tried putting a muzzle on your dog, while you quickly trim the tip of the nail that curls over the top. If not your local vet or a professional dog groomer would be able to do it.

I start trimming my Dobermanns nails from the first week they are arrive home, so as adults when the claws are thicker/harder they are accustomed to it

a vet will trim them for you.

Personally I don't like giving (or taking) medicine if I don't have to.

My dog has a fit anytime I even attempt to trim her nails. All that I have to do is show her the clipper and she runs for the hills.

When I took her to the Vet for her checkup, I asked the vet to trim her nails. It took 2 aids and myself to hold her down so the vet could trim her nails. But once it is done, she will be good for a couple of months. My vet charged me $18 because she was so hard to deal with.

Another trick... If you take your dog for a long walk (1-2 miles a day) the concrete sidewalks or asphalt streets will keep the nails in check. The only nails that won't be worn down are the side nails on their front paws. These will have to be trimmed.

my vet does it for free, no sedation