We are going to cut our dog's toenails for the first time!?

Question

Her nails are dark so we can't see the bloodline. Any suggestions on on how to do this? Also, isn't their some kind of paste you can make at home in case you do go too short?

Answer 1

Just take off the tips if it is the first time. In case you cut too short you can use corn starch to stop the bleeding. You can get a powder at the pet store that is made to stop the bleeding or sticks called styptic sticks. You could also take him to the vet the first time and have him show you how short to cut them.

Answer 2

You can buy QuikStop to put on in case you cut the quick which stops the bleeding. Dark nails are a pain to cut, I know, but what you want to do is clip off a tiny bit, do it regularly (once a week would be great) and the quick does slowly recede. Be calm and gentle when holding her paws, and the first time you do it, you may want to only do 2 feet and give her a break before doing the others depending on how she reacts to this. If you keep it from being traumatic she'll soon get used to it and not fight you every time her nails need trimming.

Answer 3

If the pawnails are dark, it does pose a problem.. I usually look at the nails from above and from below to see if I can see any indications as to where the quick begins. If I can see nothing, I just take off a little of the pointedness of the paw nail.. I have some shaving cut salve that I use and if I do not when I ran out, I have some rather cold water standing by to dunk the foot into to stop the bleeding.

Answer 4

I'm sorry theirs no paste that i know of but when cutting dark nails your right you cant see the vain line so when you cut for the first time take cut a little on each nail at least one or twice a week in till you feel they are at the end of the curling nail when the nails curl your dog will start to have trouble walking easy er what else help keep them trim is walking your dog like on side walks or hard surf es what that does is helps keep the nails filed if its an inside dog or out side in grass or dirt witch wont help file them down but do be carefully not to cut back to far its said an animal can bleed to-death but animals are like us they also have stuff in blood to clot it but trust me the dog will let you know if your back to far , p,s your dog will be nerves for the first couple of time might even try to bit you just be care-full but once its use to it it will go easy er the next time good luck

Answer 5

Get a pair of dog claw clippers. Just take a small amount of nail off each toe. You cannot see the bloodline, but it is very painful if you catch it. You shouldn't need to cut too much off.

Answer 6

first you need to get some dog nail clippers and where u see the white is her nails and the red is her blood then you should only cut till where the her blood starts but don't cut too closely because she might bleed.

Answer 7

super glue if to short. same with any other cut like docking tails. Just trim the nails to a reaonable leagth. Don't try for too short and the more you do this the more comfortable you will feel.

Answer 8

I agree with laura. Go to a dog groomer first. Have the dog groomer teach you how to clip the toenails. That way, you'll not only have a professional teaching you, but you'll be able to see how it's actually done firsthand.

Answer 9

ONLY GO AROUND ALL THE NAILS ONCE....EVEN THOUGH THEY MAY BE LONG AND IN NEED OF A DEEPER TRIM..... OR TAKE TO A GROOMER ...BECAUSE ITS VERY PAINFUL TO THEM AND BLEEDS ALOT WHEN YOU OVERCUT....I KEEP ALCHOHOL ON A WET PAPER TOWEL HANDY....BUT YOU FEEL SO BAD WHEN YOU OVERCUT...THAT ITS ALMOST BETTER TO LET SOME ONE ELSE INFLICT THE DUTY. IF YOU DO OVERCUT....PUT THE PAW OR THE WHOLE DOG IN WATER FOR A BIT AND THEN PUT THE TOWEL ON IT..... GOOD LUCK

Answer 10

try going somewhere first- it may be a little expensive but they do it the right way- you can also just clip the tips so that they nails won't grow too long- maybe about a couple centiimeters