Review - Pedi Paws

Ok, so recently I have been having a hard time trimming Kuma's nails.  They are so big (not long, just big) that they really don't fit through the opening in a normal pet nail trimmer.  I can fit the very tip through, but that is it!

So today I was running errands and stopped at Fred Meyer.  I happen to see the Pedi Paw package in the "As Seen On TV" section.  After tearing the package open in the aisle, I saw the the guard opening was big enough to fit Kuma's nails through.  I was thinking "Score!!!"  Yeah, not so fast.

The Pedi Paw runs on 2 C batteries.....no problem.  I have a kiddo, with a thousand toys, so we have batteries everywhere.  I loaded the batteries in and screwed the end back on and hit the on switch.  Nothing.  Turned the thing off and then back on.  Still nothing.  I rummage around and find 2 more C batteries, thinking maybe I happened to grab old ones (YES, Taylor does put old, dead batteries back in the new battery bin).  Insert new batteries, screw cap back on, and hit the power switch again.  Still nothing.  Really????  What in the heck?  How do I always manage to grab the broken/busted item?  I bang on the Pedi Paws for a minute and then jam MY nail through the guard to see what is going on.....bingo!  I now have a slightly ground corner on one of my acrylic nails.  *shrug*  At least the thing works.

Once I see that it is running, I get a hold of a sleepy Kuma.  I had already grabbed my good scissors, so when I sat on the floor with him, I was able to trim the long hair out of the way and get to his nails.  After trimming and trimming, I finally saw nails!  Aha!  So I grab the Pedi Paw machine and turn it on.  It doesn't make enough sound to bother the dogs, so that is a good thing.  Kuma doesn't mind noise since he is used to being groomed and having a dog dryer used on him.....now that is noise.  

After grabbing Kuma's big ol' hoof, I gently put his nail through the opening in the top guard cover.  The nail then is filed down by a rotating disk that is like a heavy grit sandpaper.  The nice thing about it is that the filing leaves a smoother edge than if I were to trim the nails using the normal guillotine type trimmer that just cuts the end of the nail flat.  If you have ever been scratched/pawed by a dog that just had it's nails trimmed that way, you definitely know what I am talking about.  Ouch!

The down side of this trimmer, at least for me, is that it lacks enough power to grind much of the nail off at once.  I guess for the average person who doesn't have experience with trimming nails, this might be a good thing.  It forces you to take small layer after small layer in order to actually get the nail shortened.  For an inexperienced nail trimmer, it will definitely help prevent the dreaded cut quick.  For me, having a big dog with thick nails, and being fairly experienced with nail trimming, it takes too long.  If you push too hard, trying to take a thicker layer of nail, the machine simply stops.  Not enough power to do more than thin layers.  You have to over-look the not-always-pleasant smell of ground nail dust too.  Kuma and Bella both went nuts smelling the tool when I finally gave him the ok to move.

Overall, it isn't a total waste of $20.  It should work fine for my 4 cats and my parents Lab.  It won't work for Bella though as she is waaaay too ticklish for me to hold on to her paws and slowly grind away.  If you have smaller nailed animals, Pedi Paws might just work for you.