Saturday, May 4, 2013

Peticure Rotary Nail File~ By Coastal pet

Battery  operated PediPaws on the top
Electric Pedicure on bottom



I happened to be strolling through Ollie’s  bargain  outlet store recently and I came across a rotary dremel tool for dogs.  I was using the original battery operated Petipaws that came out and few years back which at the time cost only $19.99. Doesn't everything cost only $19.99 on those TV ads?   However although workable, I found it lacking in power and the batteries needed replacing often. It could have been because I have big dogs so it may take longer to do their thicker nails  or it could be that some of my dogs at that time were  chickens and when they saw me coming tucked their front feet under their big fat heads  so I could not get to them very easily, thereby running the batteries down sooner! 

   After the battery powered  Pedi Paws,  I  purchased a normal rechargeable dremel from the hardware store.  This worked fine however a couple years back I was packing for a move to a different state and  I packed this dremel  which has gotten lost among the big black hole of boxes in and around the home ready to be put on that moving truck! Yep, still living out of boxes! It’s amazing though what you find you can do without! I’m sure if I ever get a chance to open those boxes it will be like Christmas! 

While using a dremel from a hardware store works you do have to be careful not to get the dog’s fur stuck as the dremel spins round which is why I liked the  Pedi Paws, it had a cover to prevent that.


Last night I decided to try this electric dremel I purchased at Ollies only because I seemed to be hyped up on an early evening cup of coffee from Dunkin Donut’s.  Since everything runs on Dunkin, I figured why not?     Emma was the victim for this challenge and she did fairly well however I did have to continue to stuff her mouth with biscuits!  Hey, it kept her still and more importantly made the experience more pleasant.    I did have two trim the hair around the nails before using he Peticure as she seemed to have black Smurf feet!


So, how did it work?


   I found  this product to have a long wire which was useful and gave me plenty of leeway to plug-in on one side of the kitchen and use across the room where Emma was laying on her bed.  The wire is in two parts, one  was connected to the dremel and  which plugs into a safety box that goes into the wall socket.  The box itself was rather heavy and bulky, so wrapping it up and putting it back in the box was a bit cumbersome.  However it did not interfere with the actual use of the dremel itself.

The Peticure is fitted with a fur guard just as the  battery operated PetiPaws is, but what I liked about Peticure is that you can change the speed  from slow to fast without  a big difference in the noise of the machine's operation.  Though it did make a difference in the sound  as you tapped the nails.

The Peticure box also contained  about 20 sandpaper replacement pieces.  I believe the original battery operated PetiPaws  came only with 6 replacement  pieces, but it has been a while so don’t quote me on that!

The Peticure fur guard is similar to the PediPaws, the only difference was that the Peticure’s opening was  round, whereas the battery operated PediPaws has more of a tear drop shape. However, the Pedicure’s top rotated to different size holes for smaller to larger nails. I of course used the largest opening.  

I was a bit dismayed by the directions as it is a tool that is geared for use on your pets, yet the directions inside the box are instructions on how to store it safely and how to avoid shock.  There were brief directions on pet use on the outside of the box but if you picked this up at a yard sale and the box was not available you're not going to know how to use it. I think they should put those directions either on the product itself or at least on the same instructions that tell you how to store it.

  If you have never used a dremel  to do your pet’s nails before,  you may think it is okay to just put the tool on the nail and leave it  there until the nail files down or you suddenly smell smoke coming from a burning nail!. This would be a big no, no as you can hit the quick, which is the thin vein inside the nail. Hitting the quick  would hurt the dog and you can bet the dog will remember it for life! If you watch the video below of me doing Emma’s nails you will at least get a sense of the proper way to dremel the nails. It is basically just a tap, tap, tap, checking the nail after each tap.

Whenever you trim the nails make sure to have something to stop the bleeding should you hit the quick.  Stypic powder, flour, or cornstarch will work and if you don't have any of that around as let's face it, if you are like me and don't cook, the above products may be a rarity in the home, then    you can soften a  bar of soap and run the nail over that.  

    

I would give this product 3 paws up at this time  only because the directions for pet use should be on the same paper of the care of the tool or on the product itself especially since it is electric and has more power. Also a 3 paw at this time because I cannot rate durability  since I have only had it a  day. If it breaks down in a couple of months I will be sure to post it here.  I think it was a bargain to get from Ollie’s for $7.99  as I did see on Amazon it sold from $15.00 to $20.00.   The PediPaws I have had for a few years now and it still works with a change of batteries. If you have a dainty dog where the nails are thin the battery  power that the PediPaws offers it may be enough for you. I found that on Amazon for $10.00.   

Below you can see Emma’s reaction to the Pedicure   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzjVh_O9Pc0&feature=youtu.be