You can save money and cut your dog's toenails by yourself. Why should you take your dog or puppy to the vet and pay an office visit and the cost for cutting the nails, when you can do it yourself?
Purchase a dog toenail clipper at any pet discount store, or ask your veterinarian to sell you one. Have someone help you hold the dog so that he remains still. You don't want him getting cut needlessly because he moves around in your arms. Place your finger in the middle of his paw and press lightly on his paw until the toes become exposed. He will have to open his toes when you do this.
Next, notice the toenail clipper has a bar that goes across the opening. When you squeeze the toenail clipper, this bar goes down and cuts the nails. Look at his toenail, and notice that part of it is pink and the growth is white or clearer than the rest of his nail. The pink part is called the "Quick" and you don't want to cut this accidentally or he will bleed. If you happen to cut it accidentally, apply pressure to stop the bleeding and call your veterinarian immediately for instructions.
Place the toenail clipper above the quick, and slightly above the white area that needs removing and gently press the toenail clipper closed.
Some dogs have black nails. To tell how to cut these, turn your dog's paw over and look where the nail has a thicker section than the growth area. Use this as a guideline when trying to figure out where to cut the nail. They won't give the appearance of clearer at the top of the nail, so you have to be very careful that you go by the thickness of the nail when the paw is turned over. Any part of the nail that is thick is the "Quick" in this case and should not be cut. This is the part of the nail on the bottom that grows from his paw. The skinnier part of the nail is the new growth that you can cut without fear of cutting your dog.
If in doubt, just clip the very end of the nail off. This will allow just the point of his nail to be cut and at least will end the discomfort of having him claw you with his nails.
Have you ever taken a look at your best friend’s paw and stared in horror at his nails? Are they reminiscent of the finger nails of Tibetan monk you saw in National Geographic when you were a kid, or wait-a-minute, was that on last weeks “Believe It Or Not” TV show - the woman with the 72 inch nails? Wherever you saw it, it is not healthy for your pooch to have nails that circle back on their way to a lot of discomfort when he does his main activity - walking!
There are a few simple steps you can take to avoid this ever happening: First, let’s assume you get your little friend when he is still a puppy. Start off when he is young, trimming those nails, and he’ll think it is just part of life - not a huge “procedure.” Clip off the tip monthly and untidy nails will never get to be a problem.
Okay, now for the rest of us! My little dog seems to think we are doing major surgery on her when we attempt to manicure her toenails. We sneak the nail clippers in, casually, and we spell the word “NAILS” (I do, however, believe she can spell both the word “nails” and the word “bath” at this point.) Sometimes we try to clip them while she is sleeping, but at the first snap of a nail, she yanks her paw back, yelping loudly and scaring us! Mind you, she is under seven pounds, so we are sissies! We always give-up after about two nails, and call the vet and take her in. At the veterinarian’s she hardly whimpers. I can feel her shaking, but it is like she seems to be afraid to vocalize her fear! But her nails get cut, and I would simply write out that $65.00 check...until recently.
Not only am I a sissy, I am a cheap sissy, too. $65.00 is not in my budget for dog manicures, so I have been researching this topic, and I am presenting my findings here in layman’s terms:
1. Buy yourself a bottle of styptic powder. “Quick Stop” is a good one. A dry bar of soap will work for stopping any minor bleeding in a pinch! (okay - stay with me here!)
2. If Fido’s nails are white, you can usually cut up ALMOST to the pink part. Leave a little room for safety’s sake.
3. If Spot’s nails are black, shine a flashlight from the bottom side through the claw (aiming the flashlight towards your face.) You will be able to see where the “quick” begins. The “quick” is where the living part of the nail begins; the longer the nail the longer the “quick.” If you cut your dog’s nails once a week, or every other week, the quick will shrink back as the nail is trimmed on a regular schedule. Once you get the nails to an acceptable length try to cut them monthly.
4. For a small dog, I have found that toenail clippers for humans work fine. However, for a large dog you may want to purchase a pair of canine clippers!
5. If your dog tends to bite - muzzle it!
6. The nail should be cut from underneath, not from the top downward. If using the canine clippers, slide the opening over the end of the nail while staying in the whitish part of the nail. The pink area (this would be the quick) of the nail is the live part and has blood vessels throughout.
7. On the dark nails where you can't see any pink to know where the live part of the nail starts, you can check the end of the nail. The dead area usually is whitish and as you cut deeper into the end of the nail you will begin to see a dark area. This dark area is where the live part starts.
8. To cut the nail, be decisive and make a smooth, quick squeeze on the handle while holding the trimmer steady. Don't try to "pop" the end of the nail off; it will fall away on its own.
9. If all else fails use your Dremel tool with a light sanding drum to remove the nail tips. (o:
What do you do if you do cut the nail too short?
Hold a small piece of tissue paper tightly against the end of the nail for a few minutes. That’s when the “Quick Stop” powder comes in handy. (Or that bar of dry soap.) Put a small amount up against the bleeding end of the nail. This should work right away...or, do nothing. The nail should stop bleeding in under ten minutes. If it doesn’t, call your vet!
You need to keep at this trimming routine because the long nails can be very painful to your dog. My sissy way out of all this is take your pet for a walk daily, on pavement. This will wear the nails right down. You may never have to come at them with the trimmers again, and heck, it wouldn’t hurt you either!