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Chapter 11 Clinical Techniques 191

(a) (b)

FIGURE 11.2 (a) Cats’ and (b) dogs’ toenails. Source: (a) Wikimedia Commons. Used under CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/
wiki/File:Cat_claw_closeup.jpg.

FIGURE 11.3 Silver nitrate stick.

thumb under the pad, as demonstrated in Figure 11.2, along the length of the blood vessel, the toe hurts when
on either side of the paw. Move in a straight line across you touch it. Be ready for the patient to cry out and jerk
the foot so you don’t miss any nails. Dewclaws are their foot away, some may even try to bite. If you are
equivalent to our thumbs and are located a bit further restraining for the nail trim, make sure you control the
up on the medial side of the foot. Some will have front head to prevent biting. Talk soothingly and offer up treats
dewclaws, some will have dewclaws on all four feet. as the procedure progresses. If you have a feeling the pet
Always look for them as they may or may not be there. will bite, apply a muzzle as described in Chapter 8.
Some breeds of dogs will have them removed at 2–3 Mark the patient’s file, indicate if any toes were
weeks of age. If they are missed, they can grow into the clipped too short and the patient’s behavior during the
pad and cause the patient pain. Some cats are polydactyl nail trim. This will help future personnel get ready for
so look carefully for extra toes in between or alongside this patient if a muzzle or sedative are needed.
the usual number of toes.
Figure 11.1 demonstrates the angle of the first clip
just deep enough to take the tip off. Then you angle the Clipping Birds’ Wings
clipper to either side of the nail and across the top tak-
ing more of the wall off around the quick. This allows Birds are now the fourth most popular pet in the United
you to shorten the nail wall and will make the blood States. Along with other procedures like nail trims some
vessel and nerve recede giving the owner more time bet- of the larger pet birds will have their wings clipped. This
ween nail trims. Once you get one nail clipped use that doesn’t keep them from flying, but they won’t get far or
as a guide for the first cut on the next nail. Notice in be very graceful. Some feel this is an unnecessary
Figure 11.2b the nail trimmer is positioned almost at the procedure and psychologically does more harm than
finished level of the two adjacent nails. This will increase good. It takes away the bird’s means of locomotion and
your efficiency and reduce the amount of time needed can make them vulnerable to attacks by household pets.
to restrain the pet. If your clinic does wing clips you may be asked to restrain
Care must be taken not to clip the quick (Figure 11.2a) the bird or to do the actual clipping. The restraint
which will bleed and cause the patient pain. If you do clip procedure is described in Chapter 8, so we’ll concentrate
the blood vessel, wipe it off with the cotton ball and apply on the clipping procedure.
the silver nitrate stick or styptic powder to the nail. Hold First spread the wing out (Figure 11.4) to look at the
it in place for a count of 10 and then release. If using the medial side of the wing to check the primary or flight
silver nitrate stick remember that it stains clothes, skin, feathers 1–10 for blood feathers. Blood feathers are
and Formica countertops; it also seems to sting. For this developing feathers and will have a bright red shaft
reason or because you have clipped the nerve which runs which is the blood supply to the feather. Blood feathers