Trim your pet's nails without fear!

Post by Linda Atha & Dr. Zoe Forward

Yes, your pet’s nails need to be trimmed.

If your dog’s nails get too long, they can break, which is painful and may lead to an infection. Long nails can cause an irregular gait. Over time this can lead to skeletal damage.
Despite its importance, you may discover you can’t trim your dog’s nails either because your dog won’t let you or you are worried you’ll trim the nails too short and the nail will bleed. We understand!  But nail trimming doesn't need to be a stressful chore. You can make nail trimming a pleasant part of your dog’s life.

Why do some dogs dislike nail trims? Some dogs don’t like the sensation of people handling their paws. Maybe the paws are ticklish or ultra-sensitive. Cutting the nails can cause discomfort if the tool you use is dull or inadequate for the nail you’re trying to trim. Dull nail cutters or ones that are too small for your dog’s nails might squeeze or slightly twist the nail. This hurts. Some dogs remember a past nail trim hurt from the squeezing action or because a nail was accidentally cut too short.

Can my dog learn to like nail trims? YES! First, you have to build trust with your dog. Second, you teach your dog to associate a nail trim with something positive and rewarding such as special treats, brand-new chew toys, the start of a favorite game, a walk in the park or dinnertime. This means plan ahead. Whenever you trim your dog’s nails, immediately follow up with things he loves. For example, clip a nail and then feed your dog a delicious treat. Clip another nail or two and feed another treat. With repetition and a little time, your dog will probably decide that getting his nails trimmed is fun, not frightening.

Building trust? If your dog isn’t used to getting his nails trimmed, then don’t rush. Rushing and stress leads to a frightened, overwhelmed dog and a bad experience for you and your dog. If your dog doesn’t like his feet touched, then step one before evening bringing out the nail clippers is to get him used to have his paws touched. This might take days or even weeks. Touch the paws and reward him. Once he trusts you to touch his paws without any concerns, then it’s time to try trimming. You need to relax and stay calm. Your dog will read your emotions. So, keep cool. Take your time to slowly introduce the nail clippers as well as the sensations involved in trimming. The first time you use the clippers, don’t plan on giving your dog a full pedicure. Instead, just clip one or two nails, then REWARD, REWARD, REWARD.

 

What tools to use? There are two kinds of nail clippers: a guillotine type (Roscoe) and a scissor type. The guillotine trimmer has a stationary hole where the nail goes through and a blade that moves up to cut the nail when you squeeze the handles of the trimmer. We do NOT recommend the guillotine type clippers. They dull fast and put a lot of pressure on the nail which makes the experience negative, and they are very tough to gauge how much you’re clipping which means there is a much higher risk to cut the nail too short (painful!). These clippers might be appropriate for a very young puppy or a kitten, though. We recommend high quality scissors type clippers. You open them and put the tip of your dog’s nail between the blades to trim it. Easier to see how much your taking and they remain sharper longer.

 

How to actually do the trim: Choose a nail to trim. Take your dog’s toe and hold it firmly but gently between your fingers. Determine where the edge of the blood vessel lies. If your dog’s nails are white/clear then this is the pink part. Give yourself a few millimeters buffer zone between the pink shadow and the white part of the nail. If your dog’s nails are black, then this is more of an art form. It takes experience, unfortunately, to gauge where the vessel lies, but we can tell you the vessel is much longer than you think it is. If your dog’s nails are black, then start by only taking off the sharp tip. Over time you may get better at gauging how much to remove. Another option with black nails is to have an assistant use a flashlight to back-light each of your dog’s nails while you trim. The light from behind the nail allows you to clearly see the pink quick. Don’t forget to trim your dog’s dewclaws as well. Most dogs just have dewclaws on their front legs, but some dogs have one, and sometimes even two, sets of dewclaws on their rear legs.

 

 If you’re using a scissors-type trimmer, hold them at a right angle to the nail with the tip of the nail between the blades. Quickly squeeze the handles to close the scissors and cut the nail. If you’re using a guillotine-type trimmer, insert the tip of your dog’s nail into the hole, holding the trimmer perpendicular to the nail so that you cut from top to bottom, not side to side. To be absolutely sure of where you’re cutting, you can face the cutting blade toward you rather than your dog. To produce a cleaner cut, you can face the cutting blade toward your dog, but you won’t be able to see exactly where the blade will make contact with the nail. Choose whichever orientation makes you most comfortable. When you’ve positioned the trimmer in the right place, squeeze the handles to cut through your dog’s nail.

Prepare for the worst. Even the most professional groomer will sometimes trim a nail too short. It’s important if you’re going to trim your dogs nails at home to be prepared for if this happens. We recommend purchasing a stop-bleed product such as Kwik Stop® Styptic Powder.

 

When all else fails, bring your dog in to us. We’re always happy to do a nail trim for you on your pet.

 

Picture sources:

Bulldog nails: istockphoto

Orange clippers: http://bit.ly/1KQvALk