If so, it’s probably time for you
to trim your dog’s nails with dog nail clippers. Dog nails can dig into
furniture and even your skin. If its nails are left untrimmed, they can become
ingrown and infected. In fact, a dog’s nail can actually grow so long that it
grows back into the dog’s skin. A dog whose nails have become too long can
experience crippling pain in its paws and even suffer a permanent malformation.
If the idea of using dog nail
clippers to trim your dog’s nails sends shivers up and down your spine, you can
have a professional trim your dog’s nails. Unfortunately, that will be much
more expensive than buying a set of dog nail clippers and doing it yourself. If
you do it right, trimming your dog’s nails can be a nice bonding experience for
you and the dog.
How Often Should You Trim Your
Dogs Nails With Dog Nail Clippers?
This will depend a lot on where
the dog spends most of its time. If it spends most of it walking on hard
surfaces, you may not have to trim your dog’s nails very often, as friction
will be naturally wear them down. On the other hand, if the dog lives mostly
outdoors – on grass or some other soft surface – you should probably trim with your dog’s nails every four to
six weeks or when it shows signs of needing its nails clipped.
Parts Of A Dogs Nail
It’s much easier to trim the
dog’s nails with dog nail clippers if you understand the anatomy of its nails.
Dog nails have a hard-outer cover that protects the quick, the inner part of
the nail that contains blood vessels and tender nerve endings. If your dog has
light colored nails, you may be able to see the quick as a faint pink color
inside the dog’s nail. It is much easier to trim the dog’s nails if you can see
the quick.
On the other hand, if your dog’s
nails are black – which is much more common - your
task will be tougher because you will not be able to see the quick.
Knowing How To Use Dog Nail
Clippers Is Critical
If you cannot see the quick of
the dogs’ nails, it is critical that you know exactly how to cut them. The
secret to using dog nail clippers is to trim off little “nibbles” at a time and not large slices. You will need to keep
checking the clipped part of the dog’s nail and watch out for a dark spot in
the middle of the newly clipped area, which will be the start of the quick. You
do not want to cut too far into this area. Just keep taking tiny nibbles until
you start to see a pale, third inner circle. Once you see that stop trimming
that nail or you will probably hurt the dog.
The dog also has dewclaws growing
on the inside of its legs. These claws never contact the floor so are never
worn away. If you do not trim these dewclaws, they can curl over completely and
cause your dog to become snagged in undergrowth or even his bedding. So, be
sure to use your dog nail clippers to trim them as well.
What If You Trim Too Much Of
The Nail?
If you trim your dog’s nail too
short, you will cut into the quick. When that happens, the nail will begin
bleeding and the dog will experience pain. For that matter, if you are not
really careful, you could even pull out the dog’s nail.
There are several things you can
do if you cut too far into your dog’s nail and it starts bleeding. You can dip
the nail into cornstarch, flour or styptic powder. Another way to treat the
nail is to wrap a tiny piece of tissue paper tightly against the end of the
nail and hold it there for a few minutes. If you have Quick Stop Powder, you
can put a small amount up against the bleeding tip of the nail. The good news
is that even if you do nothing at all, your dog’s nail should stop bleeding in
about five minutes.
Be sure to watch the dog for a
day or two after the incident. Look for any swelling or limping. The nail can
become infected though this is rare. If the dog does show signs of an infection
or seems to be suffering pain in its paw, be sure to get it to your
veterinarian for an examination.
Trimming A Dogs Nails With Dog
Nail Trimmers Doesn’t Have To Be Traumatic
