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trimming nails

rocky

Well-known member
i have just bought a pair of clippers from the pet shop to trim vegas's nails but not sure how much to take off there are a few curled round on his front paws should they be cut at an angle
 
There's advice on clipping nails somewhere in the Library. If you aren't sure what to do it is best to have a vet trim them, and show you how to do it. It is very easy to cut into the quick which will cause a lot of pain and bleeding and can make the dog fearful of having its feet handled at all. A groomer will also do nails.
 
Okay!

If you look at your dogs claws you will see that they are white and then as they get closer to the paw they have a pink line in them? That pink line is the "quick" and you should never cut into it if you can help it, it contains a blood vessel and much bleeding will ensue! Any breeder/groomer worth their salt will admit to having done this several times in their life however! (Usually to a dog they don't own! :yikes: )

To cut your dogs nails work from the underside of the paw as this will give a better angle plus you will cut the nail level with the pad, work out how short you want the nail to be and make a quick cut with the clippers and there you go! If nails are very long then 2 or 3 cuts may be needed before the nail is the correct length.

You can find more info here http://www.thepetcenter.com/gen/nailtrim.htm

HTH??
 
Not sure where you are located, but if you are in the US, you can bring him by the grooming department at Petsmart as a walk-in. They'll make time to clip them right there for you usually and it just takes a couple minutes. I think it is $8, but worth it IMO, because you don't have to worry about cutting to the quick.

The vet will be more likely to show you how though ... :)
 
many thanks i guess as long as i dont go near the quick i'll; be alright. it seems to be just the front ones that needs trimmed he got them done at the vets about 2 months ago and she suggested i buy some clippers and do it myself so here's trying:xfngr:
 
If you plan to cut the nails yourself, I'd have styptic powder close by just incase.

About a month ago Nora had to go into the vet for a dental cleaning and a tooth removed. I asked them to also trim her nails. The next day Nora was out in the snow & ice...and all of a sudden there was all this blood on her foot...LOTS of blood!!! We got her inside and washed her foot off with water and i could see that her nail had been cut very close to the quick and the snow/ice must have broken off a piece of her nail.

Anyway......I was shocked to see so much blood!!!! I did have styptic powder on hand which is used to clot the blood and stop the bleeding.
 
oh poor wee thing i would just panic if something like that happened. Where do you get the powder can you buy it from the pet shop
 
I use clippers that have a vial of stypic powder built into the handle! It's important to have the powder within reach when you're clipping nails. It's not a scary process once you get used to it, just do be careful. I made Kingston bleed one time and it was just a tiny bit of blood but I felt HORRIBLE.
 
I find a regular road walk keeps my boys nails nice an short. However with regards to their dew claws I clip those with a pair of human nail clippers - the dog ones look so gruesome:eek:

I just nip the ends off - the wierd thing is Oakley will let me do it but won't let me trim the underside of his paws, whereas Merlin will let you trim the underside of his paws but won't let you trim his dewclaws.:confused:
 
Hi all. I have a somewhat off topic question about toenails. Mickey turned six months old today.

The breeder first cut his nails whwen he was about 11 weeks old on Jan. 5. We haven't done anything to his nails since then because they are so short, most of them are actually close to the quick. We walk him about three miles every day on local streets. His nail are very short and blunt. Is it because of the walking on the streets? Does it hurt since they are so close to the quick?

Thanks.
 
well i trimmed his nails no problem the back were fine it was just a couple at the front was very careful not to cut down near the quick the clippers i have are good i was a bit scared to force down the clippers at first not thinking that dogs nails are thicker than ours but feel confident next time they need done i have also got stypic powder from the pet shop today i havent opened it up yet but it looks like cotton buds with a little liquid in the middle at least i'll be prepared if i have any accidents in future as i cant stand the site of blood i'd probably pass out knowing me
 
Filing...

I found that Simon (Ruby Cav) didn't like trimming either. So I picked up a 80 grit nail file at a beauty supply store and used that on him. Well.... he loved it. In fact, as I have him on his back btwn my outstretched legs, he falls asleep frequently!
It can be a bit tricky getting a hold of the nail and getting the fur away from the filing surface, but its worth it to not have th fights and anxiety....
 
advice needed on "curled nails"

Has anyone dealt with nails that have curled. I took Bubbles (my rescue dog) to the vet recently to try and get her nails cut as almost all of them have curled inwards I guess this is because she didn't get any exercise. One was almost sticking into her paw and although the vet did his best to trim it the nail bled. He had warned that might happen because all her nails are almost down to the quick. But they are very badly curled and even walking her on hard ground won't improve them as she is not walking on the tips of the nails. The vet discovered a significant heart murmur that was untreated so he is reluctant to sedate her unless totally urgent. I would be grateful for any advice. Thank you.
 
For bimmerguy

If yours is getting a lot of walking exercise, he may not need his nails trimmed ~ lucky for you! If they seem short enough and you don't hear them "clicking" on the floor when he walks, then they are probably okay.

But you will most likely need to trim his dew claws, if he has them (sometimes they are removed). They are the "extra" nails on the insides of their legs that never touch the ground. Once they start to curl around, they are really hard to trim and can easily get caught on things around the house and the dog will hurt itself trying to pull away.
 
I gave in with Armani and while we were in town today, we stopped at Petsmart and got his trimmed. It was $12 for the nail trim, ear cleaning and a spritz of spray. I thought it was a little high, but he just wouldn't lay still long enough for me to see where to trim.
I have no problem with trimming Trace's nails, but I think Armani might have had a bad experience before I got him.
 
Thanks for the advice Kristy I have looked at the video and I think the peticure might work on Bubbles but her paws are very tender and some of the nails are touching the paws so I will try and get someone experienced to use it! If only there was a way of reversing the "curling nails".
 
a member mentioned these before:
http://www.peticure.com/
i plan to buy a pair because id feel awful if i cut them to far.

Thanks for the advice Kristy I have looked at the video and I think the peticure might work on Bubbles but her paws are very tender and some of the nails are touching the paws so I will try and get someone experienced to use it! If only there was a way of reversing the "curling nails".

Be careful with these types of dremel tools. :flwr: First, they can heat up the dog's nail if you hold it on too long, and also the cavalier's long slipper hair can get caught in the spinning tool. I read somewhere to put a sock over the cavalier's paw and push one nail through at a time to sand it with the dremel tool - this keeps their slipper safely out of the way. You might want to watch a professional groomer do it first on your dog and instruct you as they do it.
 
Be careful with these types of dremel tools. :flwr: First, they can heat up the dog's nail if you hold it on too long, and also the cavalier's long slipper hair can get caught in the spinning tool. I read somewhere to put a sock over the cavalier's paw and push one nail through at a time to sand it with the dremel tool - this keeps their slipper safely out of the way. You might want to watch a professional groomer do it first on your dog and instruct you as they do it.

the peticure comes with a cover so that it doesn't suck in the hair. and you only put it on the nail for a second or two at a time. the website has all kinds of videos to watch on how to do it, etc.
 
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