How short can I cut my dog's toenails?

Answer 1

if they are black i would ask your vet to show you..only because there is a blood vessel in the nail called the quick...when you hit this vessel it bloods a lot and causes a lot of pain. which could make your dog become a bad patient when trying to clip them in the future...if they are white nails. clip until about 1/8 inch away from the pink in the nail. if you flip your dogs foot upside down and look at the tip of the nail after you cut it, you can sometimes see a pink ring in the center of the nail. the darker pink this is the closer you are to the quick. only clip a small amount at a time. Also, a good rule of thumb when clipping nails is if you can;t hear them when he/she walks across a tiled floor, you shouldn't cut them...but when they touch clip them back alittle bit. Goodluck and hope that helps you!

oh if you cut the quick and make the dog bleed...get flour, or a bar of unscented soap, and rub it into the bleeding area... this will create a plug and stop the bleeding. You can also use corn starch...

Answer 2

Basically, you want to cut it before the quick. The quick is the pink part, where the flesh meets the nail (take a look at your own nails). If you can't see the quick (dog's nails aren't white but darker), then I highly suggest you take your pup to the vet/groomer. If you do take it upon yourself and then accidentally cut it too short and cause the dog to bleed, there are products (i.e. kwik stop) - styptic powder - that will help to stop the bleeding.

However, if you're into showing your canine buddy, there is what's known as the "show cut". This is done only by vets. The dog is actually put under by local anaesthesia and the dog's toenails are cut PAST the quick, so that absolutely no white is showing.

Answer 3

If your dog has pretty clear nails then look under then and see if you can see a dark spot that could be a vain. Cut right util you get near that spot. Or else it will bleed and wont stop unless you create a special paste for i. That ended up happening to me and I had to call the vet for instructions on how to make the bleeding stop. You best bet is to go to a groomer and have them do it. Watch them while they do it so you will know next time.

Answer 4

Everyone has gave you great ideals. But as for where you should not cut, use a flash light. Put the light under there nail and you can see where you don't want to cut. Don't even get close to the dark area. The light helps see through the nail.

Answer 5

cut about a cen. about the dark spot on the toenail cause that is where the blood is flowing. so just cut alittle above that and if the dog panics and u cut to low put peroxide on the cut he/she will be fine

Answer 6

The dog's nails should be clear so the you can see the blood vein on the inside...cut close to the blood vein and you dog will feel no pain...be careful; if you cut the blood vein, of course there will be bleeding and the dog may not let touch the paws again...you may want to consider taking your pet to PetSmart and let them do it (or your vet).

Answer 7

when cutting the nail you will start to see a small circle in the nail that is far enough, if you make it bleed have some flour near you to stop the bleeding,just place it on the nail firmly,until the flour makes it stop bleeding,you can put as much on there as needed to make it stop, also they sell powder at the vets office for that too, just be prepared, and keep practicing, and you will be a pro in no time

Answer 8

You can only clip small amounts at a time because the vein runs down the toenail and you can cause pain and serious bleeding. Always have styptic powder (or gel) available BEFORE you start clipping just in case you clip one too far!

Also, if you clip their nails often the vein will slowly start receding and you can clip them shorter and shorter.

Answer 9

Just cut the tips. You don't want to cut where the skin starts growing underneath the nail -- it will hurt your pet and cause bleeding.

Answer 10

Cut it before the pink on the nail. To make sure call a vet or a doctor