Aww Mr. Oliver!!! Poor little man. He's a tenderfoot!
Do you think he'd be able to be trained to let you touch his feet? You know gradual contact. First just start by touching them with one figner and rewarding him with a treat if he doesn't growl, then build it from there??
I know where you're coming from, my vet (I'm right now looking around a other vets, but not just for this reason) is always willing to use a sedatative, and I'm not too comfortable with it.
All the terriers I've had couldn't stand having their paws brushed, I know it's a terrier thing (granted I've only had terriers so I can't speak for other dogs). Luckily, I was brushing Giz from day one, but I always reward him with treats.
Also, try just massaging Mr. Olver's paws at night and don't even pay attention to the knots. I think just the contact in general and building upon that may be succesful for him!
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