Product Review: PediPaws vs. Peticure

One of the joys of being a responsible pet owner is making sure your pets are properly groomed, either professionally or at home. Luckily all three of our dogs are short haired and do not require periodic haircuts…unless we feel like it. It’s not so terrible in the warmer months when we can give the dogs a bath outside but Andy has forbidden me to wash the dogs in the bathtub or shower for fear their ridiculous amount shedding fur will clog the drains. Fair enough. We agreed that it’s worth adding to our budget for the $16-$18 PetSmart charges to groom them (includes a bath, blow dry, brush, clean ears and trimmed nails).

 

That being said, the dogs’ nails grow at an alarming rate which means we have to do some upkeep in the interim. And they hate getting their nails trimmed with a capital H-A-T-E. I have tried many things in the past – treats, trying to get one or two while they’re sleeping, being nice, being mean, and I always pay to have the vet trim them while we’re at a visit. I once was charged $18 and all they did was get a tiny bit from a couple nails on Putter b/c he struggled and screamed so much. Oh yeah, Putter screams. Like a little kid being tortured. I should record it sometime; it’s hilarious…only because he’s not really in physical pain, just freaking out. When we have the dogs’ teeth cleaned I always make sure they trim them really short. (P.S. – That’s not cheap either.)

 

So, we finally decided to check out some of the latest gadgets to try to properly care for their nails. Here are our findings/review on these tools:

First, we tried the Pedi Paws. I had a 20% off coupon for Bed Bath & Beyond (and a gift card from the wedding come to think of it…) so it was around $18.

 

Pros: lightweight, inexpensive, not too noisy, has a guard to put the dog’s nail in and maintain a level of safety.

 

Cons: Not a lot of power; not sure how long the sanding wheels last (it comes with two).

Verdict: Had moderate success on my 8 lb Chihuahua but the pugs’ nails caused the sanding thing to stop. If it had more power it would be better, but it’s probably suitable for really small dogs. I gave it to a co-worker to try with her Jack Russell Terrier.

 

Next, we decided to up the ante and go for the Peticure Safeguard that attaches to standard dremel tools. This. Thing. Is. Awesome!!

 

Pros: plenty of power, has multiple openings on the guard to adjust to the size of the dog, fast,

 

Cons: a little more expensive (we got it on eBay for around $38), 4-6 to ship if ordered directly from the company, a little noisy (but surprisingly not as bad as I expected), can get carried away if you’re not careful, and you must be careful and try to actually shape the nail or it will just sand down at whatever angle.

 

Verdict: I repeat – this thing is AWESOME! We had all three dogs done in probably 10-15 minutes. Of course they didn’t enjoy it, but they all behaved surprisingly well. Even Putter, who unfortunately did get nicked enough to bleed. L In the future we will just do a little at a time to maintain their nails and be extra careful not to do too much. I felt absolutely awful when I noticed the blood, but I chased him around the yard trying to get a better look and he just wanted to play so it didn’t appear that he was it very much pain.