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Tuesday 7 January 2014

Painless pedicure

Does anyone have any tips on how to cut long nails without cutting the quick? My dog is a black Lab and I’m finding this particularly tricky. I don’t want to keep bothering my vet with a task that I’m sure many dog owners find very simple, but neither do I want to injure my dog! 

Thanks.

Christine Stoner, by email

4 comments:

  1. The best way to tackle this problem is slowly. Take tiny slithers of nail off at a time, being careful not to go too far. There is a small lump on the reverse of the nails which indicates whereabouts the quick is as a rough guide. If you take a small amount of nail off regularly (say, once a week), the quick begins to recede so nails can be trimmed shorter before reaching the quick.

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  2. My dog is the same and I find it tricky, too! I would advise trimming only small parts off weekly, so you can avoid the quick. Remember, when you catch the quick, the dog's nail bleeds, the dog is constantly licking it for a while afterwards, the dog never forgets the experience, and you may even have to make your dog wear a sock on that foot until it has stopped bleeding! Or, you could always use a nail file, which gently eases the nail away.

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  3. I was asking the same question a few months ago and did some research. First I found the best pair of dog nail clippers that I could, by asking all my doggy friends on facebook for a recommendation. I looked at lots of film clips on youtube to look at practical advice and techniques. There is a certain sign at the apex (the top side) of the claw to let you know that you are near the quick - it changes colour and a darker spot appears. Have a look at youtube, there is some great film there. I am now confident in cutting my dog's nails and I never thought I would be.

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  4. It helps to teach the dog to enjoy, or at least happily tolerate, nail clipping so you're not waging a war with them and trying not to get the quick at the same time. Kikopup, aka Emily Larlham, has a fab video on her Youtube channel for nail trimming. She cuts slithers of each side of the nail, and then uses a Dremel to smooth the nail down.

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