Well as most of you know, mum always keep our nails as short as possible because she cringes at the sound of our nails clicking on the floor. Most of the time she will try to file our nails instead of cutting them because we simply hate the nail cutter and occasionally end up bleeding when she cut into our quick!
Even daily walks does not wear down our nails much because 50% of the time we are walking on grass instead of pavements/roads. Mum tried out numerous dog nail filer products available on the market, ranging from the normal dog nail file emery boards to electric nail grinder. Normal emery boards takes forever to file down our nails, it's only good for smoothing out rough edges. The grinder isn't too bad but somehow you have to hold the grinder at a 'correct angle' when filing, else the nail sort of 'trembles' as you file etc.
Even daily walks does not wear down our nails much because 50% of the time we are walking on grass instead of pavements/roads. Mum tried out numerous dog nail filer products available on the market, ranging from the normal dog nail file emery boards to electric nail grinder. Normal emery boards takes forever to file down our nails, it's only good for smoothing out rough edges. The grinder isn't too bad but somehow you have to hold the grinder at a 'correct angle' when filing, else the nail sort of 'trembles' as you file etc.
Recently we learnt a great tip from the Dughallmor Beagles. Their mom file their nails using grip tape (the ones you stick on skate boards to prevent slipping). So our mum decided to try it out too. Our silly mum didn't know where the skate stores in Singapore are located, so she went to the DIY / Self-fix store instead but the store does not sell grip tape for skate boards. Instead the sales person recommended another type of adhesive grip tape from 3M that is also used for anti-slip purposes. Basically it looks and feels like the coarse material on the road, and comes in a roll (see pic below).
3M Grip Tape, available at DIY / Self-fix stores
You will need to cut out a piece of the tape and then stick it on 'something' (like a ruler or a small box etc) and then use it just like an emery board for filing nails. True enough, it works really well filing down my nails! However, it takes a bit more effort to file Barley's thick nails, and black specks of dust comes off from the tape as you file, hence wearing off easily. But it does work better than most dog nail file emery boards you find from the pet stores!
And it was by chance recently that mum discovered yet another great tool. It's a foot/heel scrubber (those meant for hoomans) made of steel (see pic below). Basically it is those very tiny raised steel dots you see that really does the job. Thick nails (like what Barley has) gets filed down amazingly in just seconds! It really works like magic! The best part about it is that it doesn't seem to wear off yet even after using it for a few times!
Foot/heel scrubber, available at all Daiso stores
The Verdict
3M Grip Tape (Rating: 8 / 10)
Pros:-
Foot/Heel Scrubber (Rating: 10 / 10) - File nails easily.
- Works better than most types of dog nail file emery boards.
- Costly ($20+).
- Requires much effort when filing thick nails.
- Black dust specks coming off the tape as you file.
- Wears off easily after a few uses.
Pros:-
- Cheap ($2).
- Tiny raised steel dots file nails very very easily.
- Does not seem to wear off even after using it for a few times now.
- Comes with an ergonomic grip handle.
- File thick nails down in just seconds (WOW!).
Thumbs up for the steel foot/heel scrubber! Cheap and good! Mum is guessing those foot/heel scrubbers made of pumice stone could also do the job pretty well, but they may also wear down easily (though we haven't tried it). Maybe you guys out there would like to get your mom to try out and let us know which one works best for you!
So, bye bye to horrible nail cutters and HOORAY to no more bleeding due to cut quicks!!!! WOO!!!!
