my dog, a golden retreiver, obviously needs his nails cut. i have a special clipper for dogs nails. i've cut the very tips off, but they still seem too long, and i dont want to cut too much so they bleed.
2007-11-14 08:19:32 · 16 answers · asked by summer 4 in Pets ➔ Dogs
Cutting a little bit often is better than cutting a whole lot at once if you're not comfortable with what you're doing. Just keep trimming off the tip once every week or every other week until they're where you want them.
If you're really uncomfortable with clipping them take your dog to a groomer or vet and ask them to show you how and give you some tips. Most of them will do this for a very small fee.
2007-11-14 08:23:30 · answer #1 · answered by fluffy_aliens 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Like others have said, if your dog has clear or light nails it makes it much easier to see the vein and therefore where to cut.
An additional suggestion would be to buy some clotting powder to stop the bleeding if you accidentally cut to far. You can buy it at pet or some drugstores.
I realize you have a cutting tool already, but if your dog has dark colored nails that make it hard to see where to cut, you might consider getting a cheap dremel tool. Then you can slowly sand off the nail and there is less chance of splitting the nail or cutting too far. My childhood dog got her nails cut this way after difficulty using clippers.
2007-11-14 08:30:50 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If the nails are light, you should be able to see the quick, or vein running down the nail, and you can cut just below the line so it doesn't bleed. If you are still worried, you can just cut off a small amount each week to make sure they are short, but not to the point that they bleed.
2007-11-14 08:23:09 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The best thing for you to do is get your vet to show you the area on the nail that will start to bleed if you get too close. If he has white nails it will be easier cause you can see the pinkness of the quik throught the nail, you want to clip just in front of the pink area. If his nails are black its alittle harder cause then you have to kinda look under the nail at where the quik stops and clip just in front of it. If your still not sure its best to just clip very small amounts at a time, you will be able to see when you are getting close cause the inside of the nail will start to look more pink, thats when you need to stop.
2007-11-14 08:37:22 · answer #4 · answered by dawggurl47 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
turn the paw over and look for the part that sticks out from the hollow of the hard nail, it should be soft... Clip straight up and down to there and then clip the corners off. Then clip straight up and down again, but just barely, like a millimeter or less. keep doing this and you can kind of shave it until you see the quick as a black dot in the middle of the "meat" this will expose the quick without hitting it and cause it to recede so that with continual clippings the nail will get shorter.
2007-11-14 08:27:26 · answer #5 · answered by Jordie0587 *Diesel's Momma* 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Make sure you have a bottle of quick stop, and look at the nails, you can usually see were your dogs nails get darker, you cut the lighter part off, and if it bleeds put quick stop on, but if your to uncomfortable, go to a local pet smart and pay to get them cut, and stay with them and they can show you what you are looking for.
2007-11-14 08:24:20 · answer #6 · answered by Mic H 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You'll see the wide area, then just at the bend is the tip. Just take off the tip. If your dog has pink nails, you can actually see the cuticle. Don't cut that far back.
2007-11-14 08:23:05 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you pull back the fur, you will see that some of the nail is blackish and the very end (closest to the paw) is either red or white. cut like 3 cm above that line of white/red and your dog will be fine. Ik b/c my dog is wicked skittish so my vet told me what i was doing wrong.
2007-11-14 08:24:32 · answer #8 · answered by greeneyes 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
After trimming with the clipper, you might want to use a small battery powered rotary tool with a sanding attachment to grind the ends smooth and rounded. Dremel® is one brand, but if you go to the hardware store and ask for a Dremel tool, they'll know what you're looking for.
greeneye - you do mean mm, not cm, correct?
2007-11-14 08:31:59 · answer #9 · answered by drb 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can also get a nail grinder from a pet supply shop. It makes it much easier to grind the nails down - and leaves no sharp edges.
Good luck.
2007-11-14 08:31:59 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋