Dog Nail Clipping Controversy, Animal Abuse Debate [Kim Suwan's Animal Report]

Cutting to the Vascular and Nerve Areas, So-Called 'Nail Slicing'
Pet Owners: "Prevents Patellar Luxation" vs "Clear Animal Abuse"
Experts: "Nail Slicing Does Not Help Joint Health"

A dog is having its nails trimmed by a professional. Photo by Getty Images Bank

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] As the population of pet owners steadily increases, controversy over animal abuse has arisen regarding the so-called 'nail blasting,' which involves cutting dog nails almost completely off or even pulling them out. Among pet owners, criticism is emerging that this practice, under the pretext of being for the dog's health, is in fact abuse. Ultimately, it is pointed out that this problem arises from a lack of proper care by pet owners, such as not providing regular walks.

Experts explain that unless the nail problem is due to trauma, there is no reason to cut nails with blood vessels too short.

Recently, on 'GangsaMo' (Gangajireul Saranghaneun Moim), the largest pet-related community by membership, and various online boards, posts related to 'nail blasting' can be easily found.

One member shared a photo of their dog's nails, asking, "Please check the length of my dog's nails," and inquired, "Isn't the blood vessel grown too much at this length?"

The post received replies such as, "The blood vessel is too long. It would be better to prepare a styptic agent and blast the nails," but other members responded negatively, saying, "Nail blasting is abuse. Even a slight touch to the blood vessel while cutting nails causes bleeding and pain, so how can you recommend such a method?" and "If you just take them for walks properly, the nails naturally wear down. Why can't you do that?" Nail blasting, which causes physical and mental pain to dogs, is criticized as animal abuse.

Some dog owners who perform nail blasting claim it is for the joint health of their dogs. For breeds genetically prone to weak joints, long nails can expose them to various diseases such as patellar luxation, so they argue that nails must be cut very short.

Others justify nail blasting by citing reasons such as noise caused when walking indoors or for cosmetic purposes.

The problem is that dog nails contain blood vessels, so cutting them too short can cause bleeding and pain to the dog.

Especially, nail blasting is mostly done without anesthesia, causing dogs to experience severe pain. Additionally, if trauma remains from nail blasting, dogs may exhibit problematic behaviors such as biting when their paws are touched.

Hashtag campaigns such as '#AgainstClawThrowing', '#ClawThrowingOppositionMovement', '#PleaseStopClawThrowing', and '#EradicateClawThrowing' continuing on social networking services (SNS).
Photo by Instagram screen capture

In fact, dogs that get plenty of walks usually have their nails naturally worn down by friction with the ground, so frequent nail trimming is not necessary. Typically, pet owners carefully trim their dogs' nails to avoid touching the blood vessels inside.

As a result, on social networking services (SNS) like Instagram, hashtag campaigns such as '#BanNailBlasting', '#StopNailBlastingMovement', '#DontDoNailBlasting', and '#EradicateNailBlasting' are ongoing. It is pointed out that nails grow long due to insufficient care by pet owners, such as not providing regular walks.

Experts point out that nail blasting, which cuts nails so short as to remove blood vessels, is an unnecessary act that can cause not only pain but also osteomyelitis and bacterial infections.

Veterinarian Kim Eungcheol, on his YouTube channel 'Delicious Animal Hospital Walk,' in a video titled "(What Veterinarians Say) Nail Blasting, Who Says It Prevents Patellar Luxation?" stated, "It is true that when managing dogs with patellar luxation, keeping the nails from getting too long is important," but added, "However, the main causes of patellar luxation and hip problems are genetic, trauma, and living environment from a veterinary perspective. Instead of thinking about preventing these issues by nail blasting, please take your dog for one more walk."

Dr. Kim continued, "Cutting blood vessels can cause inflammation. If nail inflammation occurs in a small area, that is somewhat fortunate, but even in such cases, severe inflammation can lead to problems such as amputation," and warned, "Although rare, if the nerves or blood vessels inside are affected, it can cause osteomyelitis or sepsis, which in severe cases can lead to death."