feathers on toes

[ziggy]

hi all,just wondering what you all think,,i like to keep jaspers hair long,as it,s very lovely and wavy,however i was told two different things with regards to long feathers on the feet/toes,,one told me that if the hair was long,grass seeds would not be able to get in,and cause pain,the other said grass seeds get in easier if the hair is short,,which one is true,as seeds are a big worry,luckily he has never had the problem,,but i would like to know for sure and do the best thing for him :wink:                    

[Jane S]

Leaving hair long on the feet does not protect the feet from grass seeds etc. I frequently have to get my tweezers out to remove seeds & other bits of debris from the feet of Cockers that come to me for trimming (where the feet have got very hairy & overgrown). Neatly trimmed feet look much nicer & it is easier to detect any grass seeds in short hair before they get in too far & cause a problem.

Jane                    

[Pammy]

Another reason to trim the hair on the feet especially underneath - is if you don't it gets matted and forms lumps that makes walking very uncomfortable.

Leaving the hair long can also disguise the length of the claws meaning overly long claws may go unoticed and that too causes problems for the dog concerned.

hth                    

[ziggy]

thanx to you both,,going to trim his feet now!!


 :wink:                    

[ziggy]

jasper has now got lovely trimmed feet,i,ve done all in between the toes,thanx for the advice,, :wink:  :wink:                      

[Shell]

Hey guys,

Was just about to start a thread on this topic ... How short should I trim the fur on the bottom of the feet - that grows between the pads?

We haven't had problems with grass seeds yet but I am constantly check Bailey's paws to be sure - at the moment he has quite long fur on the bottom of his feet - its not matted but it covers a lot of his pads and he sometimes chews at it himself.

I've been tossing up the benefits of cutting it short because I thought it may protect his pads a bit .. but if it could cause him discomfort (thus the chewing) ...

Your advice would be invaluable as always                    

[Pammy]

Cut it flush to the pads   - don't go inbetween the pads. Keep your scissor blades flat against the bottom of the paw cutting any fur that is longer than that.

hth                    

[ziggy]

hi,since trimming his feet,jasper no longer chews them :wink:
thanx for the great advice,,


ziggy and jasper                    

[suki1964]

Cut it flush to the pads  - don't go inbetween the pads. Keep your scissor blades flat against the bottom of the paw cutting any fur that is longer than that.

Is cutting between the toes not a good idea then? I have had to in the past with my last boy when hes gotten caught up in chewing gum. It was a fight and he yelped and Id hate to think I had done more harm then good

Suki                    

[Pammy]

If you have to for example if they get gunked up with something then you can - you just don't need to  - it can make their feet look odd and as you found - they don't like it either