Nail Clipping
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When to cut your dog's nails
Regular nail cutting will Shorten your dog's Quick, the pink area inside the nail made of soft tissue containing the veins and nerves. Cutting the nail does not hurt; however, if you cut the quick, it will bleed and cause the dog pain and distress.
If you accidentally cut too close to the quick and it results in bleeding,
- Remain calm and help your pet remain calm using treats and praise.
- Immediately wipe off the excess blood with a clean paper towel and apply Styptic powder to the wound area.
- Bandage the dog's paw or use a sock to prevent them from licking it or the wound from getting dirty and infected.
- Call and inform your Vet and monitor the injury to ensure it does not worsen.
When to stop cutting
Image by Burke Animal Clinic
In dogs with light / white or transparent nails, you can usually see where the quick is and cut the nail, ensuring the quick remains intact.
Where possible, avoid cutting too close to the quick, as this can sometimes result in your dog wearing the nail down while walking, causing the quick to start bleeding, resulting in pain and discomfort.
When the nails are dark or black, it is much harder to judge where the quick is. In these situations, cut away slowly, a little bit at a time, and observe the white inner layer of the nail.
As you get closer to the quick, you should see a dark patch in the centre.
STOP before the dark patch, indicating you are close to the quick. Gets more prominent,
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Image by Peninsula Pet Hspital
How to cut your dog's nails
The image below from Peninsula Pet Hospital Shows the right angle to cut your dog's nails. Please click the picture to go to their page and learn more.
Making the nail-cutting process less stressful
Only cut the nails when necessary
A dog’s nails should not touch the floor when it stands straight on all four paws. Long nails push the toes upwards when the dog stands or walks, which can cause discomfort and result in unnatural foot positions and gait. Nails that are allowed to grow too long start to curl like ram horns and may start to dig into the soft paw pads, causing pain and discomfort or resulting in injuries.
The image below from Peninsula Pet Hospital Shows when it is best to cut your dog's nails. Please click the picture to go to their page and learn more.
Use low-stress tools to maintain nails rather than cut them.
Filing boards and other tools when used regularly can prevent your dogs nails from growing too long eliminating the need for constant cutting.
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Rotatable Nail File Board With 6 Snack Compartments,
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Scratching Board with inbuilt treat compartment to encourage scratching
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Zenly Paws Dog Toy Puzzle Feeder / Nail file
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Manual Dog Nail File
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