Pedicure Products for Animals

Just like people, animals require care for their feet. While a pedicure is often seen as a luxury treatment for most individuals, it also serves the very important purpose of maintaining the appearance of the feet and the health of the skin and nails. Because animals have nothing to protect their paw pads or hooves, it is not uncommon for paw pads and hooves to become dry. Animals must have their nails trimmed to maintain proper foot care.

  1. Balms

    • Even domesticated animals, such as dogs and cats, may experience dry and brittle paw pads. You may notice this problem especially in cold winter months. Opie &Dixie's Healing Paw Balm retails for $14.95 as of May 2011. It contains all-natural ingredients with soothing and healing properties. Almond oil works to moisturize and calm inflammation, while shea butter contains vitamins A and E. Vitamin E softens the skin and works to soothe sore paws. Another option for balms for your dog or cat's paw pads is Espree Paw Pad Balm which retails for $10.98 as of May 2011. It works to soothe cracked and tired heals. Bag Balm is a product that provides multiple uses. For cows and horses, the rich, emollient properties of Bag Balm bring soothing relief to dry and cracked hooves. It can also be applied to skin irritations on humans as well. Bag Balm is available in an ointment formula and original formula. It contains petroleum jelly, lanolin and 8-hydroxyquinoline, which works as an antiseptic. This product retails for $8.29 as of May 2011.

    Nail Trimmers

    • There are three main types of nail trimmers for pets: plier style, scissor style and guillotine style. The plier-style has a crescent-shaped blade to show where the nail will be cut. Scissor-style nail trimmers are just like a small pair of scissors and are ideal for small animals with thin nails. Guillotine-style trimmers have a loop through which the nail is placed to be cut. These can work well on large and small animals.

    Ointments

    • For a kitty with an injured paw, applying Heal-Care ointment will help to speed the healing process. The ointment not only helps to heal your cat's paw, but it also helps to clean any infection. Ingredients include Saint John's Wart, which is known to calm inflammation and act as an antiseptic. Olive oil and bee's wax work to moisturize and soothe paw pads. Arnica calms pain and work to eliminate infection. This product retails for $21.95 as of May 2011. Sulfodene 3-Way Ointment for dogs retails for $9.99 as of May 2011. It can be used on cuts, bites, and abrasions. While soothing injuries, it will also serve to protect them from bugs and infection.

    Stop Bleed Products

    • Hopefully during the process of trimming your dog or cat's nails, you will not need to use stop-bleed products. It is extremely important to be careful when trimming the nails of your dog or cat, as this area is very sensitive, and bleeding can easily occur. If you are not comfortable or knowledgeable on how to trim their paws, it would be best to go to a veterinarian who can show you how to properly do this. Cut Stop Stypic Pads help to stop bleeding when you cutt the nails too short. The formula does not cause any pain when applied to nails. The pads can be used for both dogs and cats. A jar of 90 pads retails for $8.49 as of May 2011. Quick Blood Stopper is another product that can be used for this purpose. It is available in both a powder and gel formula. The powder formula requires adding a bit of water to the powder. The product retails for $9.99 as of May 2011.