Nail trimming

[DemiSheep]

What is the normal frequency of nail clipping? I have officially raised the white flag on trimming Attila's nails. He puts up an extreme fight and last time I clipped his nails I got too close to the nerve and he yelped and had a tiny drop of blood form at the end of his nail.

So I will be taking him to the vet from now on for this. What kind of frequency is normal to have their nails triimmed? I've been doing it erratically since he puts up such a fight, I'd try to clip a few here and there.

[Idaho Cairns]

We have found that the daily walks with the dogs keeps their nails the proper length so we don't trim. Having had a similar experience as yours, cutting too close and hurting the dogs, if we should need to trim we take them to the vet's office.

[MegsMom]

Might be better to just dremel them--cordless, that is. Several years ago I discovered Dremel makes a pet nail trimmer, a golf dremel and a pumpkin carving dremel--all the same tool, 2 speeds, task-specific attachments with them, just different colors, and picked up a pumpkin carver near Christmas at a very reduced price. Added a sanding mandrel for $2, then rounded up the 1/4 mandrel, too = nail dremel for $13 total. That one worked out so well, I spied the green golf one as I was dashing through Lowe's one day, reduced to$10, so added another to the 'arsenal'. They do take 4 AA batteries, but don't burn them at an accelerated rate, so still surviving to this day; about 3-4 yrs old now. They're quiet enough it doesn't take much to get a furbutt used to the noise, then just touch to a nail on each foot several times to get them used to the feeling, then do just one nail, and soon you'll be able to do several to all nails--depends on how no-nonsense you are about doing it. (No, they do not hurt to run against your own finger or nail while doing the furbutt's, I've 'reshaped' my nail many a time doing theirs. With all the various chargers in this house, I'm kinda glad now these just need batteries, no charger stored, no care to prevent overcharging, etc.)

Here's a website that gives info on using a dremel to do dog nails: Doberdawn.com click the link on the left.

[Tuesday]

We clip them every month or so, just a trim. It's so traumatic that you would think we are performing a castration w/ no anesthesia the way the boy acts.

[bradl]

I love my Dremel stylus. If I'm doing nails myself I will put them on the grooming table, in a noose, and lift one leg at a time. If Peggy is available I try to talk her into holding the dog against herself, with their legs sticking out toward me. Being suspended in the air like that takes a lot of the stuffing out of them, and it's easy to reach each paw.

I learned one tip accidentally after doing nails after they came in from the rain - a wet paw keeps the hair down and it's easier to see the nail without hair blocking the view, or getting tangled in the dremel. Seems to soften the nail too (although that may be an illusion).

The nice thing about the dremel is you can just do a tap-tap frequently, with many a treat, and not try to do the whole job at once. Rather than grind them all the way down to the length I want, I just take a tiny bit off. Then I can do it again a few days later (again, just a tiny bit). The quick slowly retreats and by always taking only a tiny bit, the nail gradually gets shorter, rather than being dramatically shortened all at once.

That's the ideal. The reality is I'll do it once a week if I think of it, or once a month if I forget.

[hheldorfer]

We clip them every month or so, just a trim. It's so traumatic that you would think we are performing a castration w/ no anesthesia the way the boy acts.

Same here!

[Lynn in TN]

Yep! Kelly no matter whether I use the Dremel or clippers she acts like I am killing her, but yet I can pull out her fur and she just sits there like it is normal. I do her nails every 2 to 4 weeks. ( When I think of it and have time to hold her down cause the way she fights it takes a while)

Brad GREAT idea about the wet paws I don't know why I didn't think of that myself.

[Hawkeye]

I'm with Brad - I use the dremel and we file them every other week. My husband does the filing and I hold them on my lap. I have also found if you wrap them in a bath towel and pull one paw out at a time they don't wiggle around so much.

[kintra]

I've used both a corded and cordless dremel and love both. The corded ones tend to make a bit more noise but it doesn't bother the dogs who have already been familiarized with the cordless dremel.

With my boy, I really don't have to do his nails that often - he keeps them pretty short with his romping. With the German Shorthair I recently acquired, we sit on the couch and I dremel his nails once every few days so he gets used to it (and because I can not stand long nails, especially on a shorthaired dog).

Occasionally you can hit the quick with the dremel, but it's not nearly as as noticeable as with a clippers.

and Brad, I think it makes perfect sense that the nails would be softer after getting wet, much like our nails are. Does the dremel still work well when the nails are softer?

[bradl]

Does the dremel still work well when the nails are softer?

Yep!

[bradl]

Dremel in use



Photo is from a grooming clinic some years ago...sorry I don't recall name of owner or dog!

[josie&holly]

Holly gets her nails done when she goes to groomers about 3 times a year - they never appear to need doing any more than that which is a good job as I do not think she would let me do them!

[DemiSheep]

Hmm.. Dremel, that's an idea. Glad to know that Attila isn't the only one that think's he's dying when you're trying to take care of his nails!

[Nancyj]

Brinna doesn't mind having her nails done with the Dremel, as her other mom, did them better than a pro. I, on the other hand, am very stressed when I try to do it.  I did it last week and will try again, to get a little more off.  It would be so much easier if the nails were white instead of black, so I could see. 

Later.... no blood was shed and they are down a little more, from last week.  I never saw a white dot, so probably could have taken a tiny bit more off, but I can not deal with blood.  They actually aren't really long, as Linda kept them very short and she said that Brinna has very slow growing nails.  I'll just keep at it every week until I no longer hear the clicking on the floor. 

Edited November 15, 2013 by Nancyj

[MegsMom]

Here's 3 sites that illustrate how to trim black nails & what to look for as you trim:

http://www.doberdawn.com/doberdawn/dremel.html

http://andy321.proboards.com/thread/30109

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWOkW8wLiSk

 

And one site that illustrates what happens to a dog's foot when the nails are left too long:

http://www.midwestigrescue.com/ig-training-help/igs-and-toe-nail-length/

 

I dremel, and have one who fights some and one who doesn't.  Sometimes it's hard to see the layers on the end of the nail as you trim, I find dabbing on a smear of water makes the layers easier to see, when I check if I'm 'far enough'.

[Nancyj]

Thanks MegsMom!  I really didn't know what to look for, except the white dot, but then as she went further, it turns dark. (video)  Next week, I'll Dremel off some more and be sure to look for the dark area and hope I don't hit the quick.  I have some septic powder handy and hopefully, I don't black out before I can use it.

Those videos were very helpful!!

[MegsMom]

I've probably hit the quick with a dremel (even the fastest corded dremel) less times than the fingers on one hand--but if you do, you'll usually get one or 2 small beads of blood, maybe.  In that vid when the groomer said "rather than a spurt of blood or... " if I'd ever had a "spurt" of blood from dremeling, I'd probably swear off & never do another nail. 

 

And a tip:  stiptic stings, use flour or cornstarch, it doesn't, and works just as well on small nicks.

 

Just remember you get a dark greyish black, then a deep black, and finally a bit of white where the quick starts.  You can dremel more often to seeing the deep black and that will help the quick recede, but if you can see a tiny bit of the white, it's best.  Although more often is slower and you must remember to do it, you can't skip or you're back to square one.  Don't forget to factor in more or less walking on concrete-- 'natural' enery board

[Nancyj]

I'm getting a better picture of what to look for when I use the Dremel on Brinna's nails.  I'll put some corn starch in a little container and use that, if I need to.  Thanks for describing the way the bleeding works.  I'll  print out your comment out, so I can read it over before I begin. 

I so appreciate you sharing your knowledge on how to trim the black nails. 

Lindy always acted like I was killing her when I used the ones that cut the nails.  I finally gave up, the last time I hit the quick. I had a wash cloth wrapped around her foot and everything turned black for me. From then on, I left it to the vet, who never was able to get them down where they should be. 

 

Brinna goes for daily walks to the park, but that's mostly all grass, and beings we are close, she doesn't get a lot of concrete time on her nails. 

 

Thanks again!