Nail TrimS at the Veterinary Clinic

Laurie Anne Walden, DVM

Regular nail trims are a necessary part of care for most dogs and cats. However, trimming a pet’s nails isn’t always quick or easy. For animals with arthritis or other medical conditions, handling the paws might be painful. And many animals resist paw handling because nail trims have been scary or painful for them in the past.
 
Because trimming nails at home can be difficult for pet owners, some pets have their nails trimmed at the veterinary clinic, either as a stand-alone appointment or while they are at the clinic for another reason. Animals might also need nail care at a veterinary clinic because of a medical problem like a torn nail or an overgrown nail that has punctured the paw pad. Some animals have no problem with nail trims at the veterinary clinic (or anywhere else). But for animals with clinic anxiety, a nail trim can add to their stress.
 
Trimming pets’ nails can cause problems for people too. Consider these findings of a survey of veterinary clinic staff in Australia:

• About 80% of respondents had been injured while trimming pets’ nails.
• Most dogs and cats showed signs of fear, anxiety, and stress during nail trims.
• Some respondents felt pressure to continue trimming nails even when the pet didn’t need a nail trim or showed severe signs of stress.

 
Making Nail Trims Easier and Safer
For Pets That Don’t Resist Paw Handling
If your pet doesn’t resist nail trims, that is absolutely great and your goal is to keep it that way. Trimming nails at home—for a cooperative pet who accepts nail trims readily—is easier, less stressful, and less expensive than having it done elsewhere.
 
For pets that are not afraid of paw handling, here are some things you can do at home:

• Teach your pet to build positive associations with paw handling and nail trims. Here’s an article on the Veterinary Partner website with detailed instructions for dogs (the same technique can be used for cats): Conditioning Your Dog to Nail Trims
• Never push your pet beyond their comfort zone while you’re teaching them to like nail trims. If your pet pulls away or resists, stop and back up to an earlier training step.
• If trimming nails isn’t easy for you, consider training your dog to use a scratch board to file down nails on the front paws (dewclaws will still need to be trimmed).
• Some pets do well with motorized rotary nail trimmers like the Dremel tool. Others dislike the noise or sensation of these tools. Go slowly, train your pet to build positive associations with the tool, and don’t use it if your pet resists.

 
For Pets That Resist Paw Handling
For pets that are afraid of paw handling and nail trims, talk to your veterinarian about medication options. Scratch boards might also work for dogs that resist nail trims. Fear of nail care is a learned response that is very difficult to un-teach. Once an animal has associated nail trims with pain, that animal might always be afraid of paw handling. The fear response becomes stronger over time with repeated attempts to trim the nails. Antianxiety and sedative medications are humane, kind options for pets who fight nail trims because of fear and stress.
 
These types of medications are used for nail trims:

• Previsit antianxiety medications: These medications are given at home before a clinic visit. They are typically given to the pet a couple of hours before the appointment so they can take effect by the time the pet gets in the car. The goal of these medications is to reduce anxiety, not cause sedation, but some can cause temporary mild sedation or wobbliness as a side effect.
• Sedatives given at the clinic: These medications are usually injections and are given to ease a pet into drowsiness or light sleep. Not all pets need injectable sedatives, but these medications are extremely helpful for pets whose fear isn’t reduced just with gentle handling and antianxiety medications.
• General anesthesia: This level of anesthesia is used for surgical and dental procedures that require an animal to be fully unconscious. At some clinics, pets’ nails are routinely trimmed while they are undergoing general anesthesia for another procedure.

 
Sources

• Chen A, Hall E, Bennington LN, McGowan C, Quain A. “One of the hardest things I have to do in the clinic”: a survey of veterinary team members’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding nail clipping. Vet Sci. 2026;13(2):115. doi:10.3390/vetsci13020115 https://www.mdpi.com/2306-7381/13/2/115
• Yuschak S. Conditioning your dog to nail trims. Veterinary Partner. July 27, 2022. Accessed September 17, 2026. https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=11052217