Stressing about splitting nails

I have a two year old male Border Collie whom I have had for five months. Someone knew he was looking for a home and I decided to have him.
He is an absolute sweetheart but he has rather large feet with long fast growing claws which are very brittle and keep splitting.
He is a very nervous boy but is slowly coming along nicely with me but I recently found out he had been hit quite a bit in his previous home so it's no wonder he is nervous. My problem is when I have taken him to the vet about his claws which have split, in spite of being muzzled, the vets cannot stop him from snapping and he gets very stressed and the only way they have been able to clip his claws is to anaesthetise him. This cannot be good for him in the long term.
The vet suggested giving him biotin but so far this hasn't done much.
He gets several walks on pavements each day but I am at a loss as to what to do for the best.
Incidentally when he came to me, his coat was dry and dull-looking and now it is lovely and glossy and he has gained  weight which he needed. So I think his diet is balanced.
Has anyone got any ideas because I don't want the poor lad to suffer too much more as he is gaining confidence and I want him to continue.
Sue Delaney, Worthing, West Sussex

We covered a similar question not long ago - so do check out the answers to see if there's anything that might be helpful. Click here.
As a Beardie person I'm always a little nervous when someone mentions nail problems as our breed is one of those that does suffer from autoimmune problems and nail issues can be one of the first signs.
SLO is an autoimmune disease of dogs which can cause severe claw problems in otherwise apparently healthy dogs. It can result in the loss of claws from more than one paw - eventually all claws may be lost. Other symptoms may include: receding quicks, secondary infection (often with a strong smell), claw splitting (usually down the back of the claw), pain, distorted/twisted claws and lameness.
Might be worth asking the vet whether he or she thinks the claw problems may be autoimmune related? It may just be he has suffered from very poor nutrition in his previous home and the nails grown in that period are weak, things may improve as the new nail growth starts coming through.
It might be worth investing in a tool which grinds down your dogs nails, then you'd be able to do this at home - but it would take lots of positive reinforcement to get him to accept the noise and the vibration.
I found a Dremel 761-03 Cordless Pet Nail Grooming Rotary Tool sale for about £36 on Amazon - and I believe Oster also do a version, too.
Dog groomers tend to be very confident at doing nails and a good local one may help you - especially as their shop would not have the same smells as a vet's surgery.
I would enlist the help of a good dog behaviourist who should be able to help you with a plan on how to introduce the nail filing tool and recondition your dog's behaviour so he is less fearful at the vets, too.
Do let us know how you get on,
Beverley Cuddy, Editor

Any tips for splitting nails?

I have three beautiful, happy and healthy Jack Russells. One of my boys, Trevor aged seven, has always loved chasing a ball. My problem is that every now and then he must land awkwardly having jumped to catch his ball, and splits a nail. This isn't just when ball chasing, it can also happen if running on uneven ground, such as rough moorland or around rock pools at the seaside. It is not always the same nail or same foot. Obviously when this happens it's very painful for him and bleeds quite badly for a few seconds. My vet has confirmed that Trevor (and his nails) are in tip top condition, and has come to the conclusion that poor Trev is just unlucky and maybe his stopping/landing techniques are to blame. I wondered if cod liver oil might help, but as my boys are fed a top quality complete food with some BARF, I don't want to over do the vitamin A, or anything else. My other two boys Graham and Wilf never have any such trouble. To put this in perspective, my boys get daily long walks and plenty of exercise in varied locations. This nail problem only occurs maybe about twice a year so I can't say it's frequent. It's just that being so distressing for him (and me!) I wondered if anyone had any ideas. He definitely won't wear those doggy boots!
Many thanks
Sara Marlow, Huddersfield

Richard Allport, alternative vet, says...
It seems unlikely to me that Trevor is just awkward at landing, and even if the nails look fine, I’m pretty sure there must be some weakness in them. Supplements of Zinc and Biotin will help strengthen the nail. Give them a try and see if Trevor can avoid his ‘split ends’!