cutting dogs nails.

Question
I have a 10 year old full rough collie.  We live in a tropical climate and I have ben having trouble handling his paws. Firstly, it is difficult for him to stand as he cannot get a grip on the floor.  He has very long paws but very thin.  8cm long (10cm including nails) and only 3 cm wide.  I have tried numerous shoes and socks but his nails are a problem because of their length.  They poke through or erode any footwear.  As well, he cannot stand without the nails seeming to push into his paws.  I have had him to several vets to have his nails clipped shorter but they are all reluctant as the quik extends a fair distance. Is there anyway to give the dog an anesthetic and clip all the nails short.  Will it be painful once he wakes up.  How long will the pain last. He is constantly licking an chewing his paws, and without shoes or socks the ground insects, hot pavement, and sharp blades of grass make it very difficult for him to live and get around.

Answer
Sorry for the delay in answering, I wanted several of the Dr's opinions on this matter and most of them couldn't give much of a helpful answer based on your Collie's age.

The issue with being 10 yo is that sedation becomes a high risk factor and it is tough to weigh the risks of your pup's discomfort vs possible loss of life. If sedation is possible, then the best thing would be to have them all deliberately quicked short and bandaged. He would be sore, for sure, but it would heal (based on your dog's health) usually within a few weeks. Some poodles have this done when they are younger as a cosmetic thing (not something I would recommend for cosmetic reasons, but it is done fairly often) and recovery is pretty quick.

10 years of age is the typical cutoff point, but if he his relatively healthy, a blood panel can be done to see if he is tolerant of the sedation and you can make a decision going forward.

If it is determined that you should not be sedating at this point. The best recommendation is to find a vet clinic or groomer who would be willing to work with you to come in often and use the dremel tool to get as close to the quick as possible, possibly just to the point of the small red dot (where the quick has been touched, but it wouldn't be very painful, like a cuticle pinch for us)...This exposure will help the quick to recede, but not quickly. The hope would be that if you brought him in weekly for this dremel nail treatment, they would work out a discounted payment for you for the frequent visits (I know we would do this, but I can't speak for your local vendors).

Lastly I could always recommend trying to find a caring vet or groomer who would show you how to dremel a few toes yourself (a good cordless dremel would cost about 40-50 dollars, can be found at Walmart, Home Depot, etc) and tip them well. Then you could work on managing it at home and possibly end up saving money (it would be about 4-5 visits before you broke even at my store).

I wish I was local so I could help you with this. I hate when a dog's nails or so long they strain the foot.. I can only imagine how achy it must be. I hope you can find someone who will help you in this endeavor. Good Luck to you and your collie.