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Clipping Nails

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... so must they be just below the quick, all the time? Josie has about 1mm of nail below the quick. Is that okay? If I squish her pads on a flat surface then the nail tip doesn't touch the ground, so I always thought that was okay... :unsure:
 
Im quite new to trimming dogs nails Helen too :sweating: :b but imagine if you cut the quick they will bleed - I know my rabbits do if I cut those too short.

Oscars still look rather long sometimes - but I darnt go any farther down. (w00t)

will try to take a picture (if I can)....
 
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Janimal said:
Im quite new to trimming dogs nails Helen too  :sweating:   :b   but imagine if you cut the quick they will bleed - I know my rabbits do if I cut those too short.
Oscars still look rather long sometimes - but I darnt go any farther down. (w00t)

will try to take a picture (if I can)....

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If you cut the quick it will bleed ENDLESSLY - not to mention the amount of pain it causes the dog - and chances are you'll have a fighter forever. I've nicked it before and they're not happy.

A lot of people use styptic powder or some such to stop the bleeding if they quick them. I always have super glue on hand. Put a dab on a cotton bud then touch it to the nail and it seals it. Do NOT put it directly on the nail from the tube as you'll end up glueing toes together.

Wendy
 
Ive never nicked them yet - but would hate to hurt them ...... heres a picture of Oscars nails - which I always think look too long

just took them a few minutes ago - hope the qualities ok for you to see them.

Oscars_NAILS_K9.jpg
 
and one more... please anyone - do these look too long ??? :unsure:

or maybe someone would be so kind as tro post a picture of what they are supposed to look like.

Oscars_NAILSK9_2.jpg
 
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that trick with superglue would have been handy when i caught amber! must remember that one, although saying that, wasnt something similar mentioned in that horror film 'dog soldiers'? that glue was invented for closing wounds?

they say to learn something new each day, theres my quota (w00t)
 
Oscar's nails look like Josie's, or maybe a touch longer. I have never cut hers...

Do I need to?

This is such an informative thread! :thumbsup:
 
I'd say they're probably a bit long. It's easier to tell though if you can get a pic of him standing on the floor - the nails should clear the floor.

You can work the quick back by filing (or dremelling) up really close to it and doing it every few days. The quick will start to recede into the nail, so that even if you have managed to let them grow too long so the quick is now too long, you CAN remedy it.

As for the superglue thing - liquid skin (used by Dr's and vets) is pretty much exactly the same thing as superglue. I wouldn't go using it on other types of wounds though as sometimes you need a wound to stay open (like punctures), but for quicking nails, it's a godsend. Anything else I ever used over the years would stop it for a little while, but it would alwyas start again. With the Superglue it stops and stays stopped. Like I said though - be careful with how much you use and just dab a bit on with a cotton bud.

Wendy

edited to say - that sounds bad - like I quick them often. When using the clippers I'd sometimes catch a tiny spot (and even those can bleed forever). Sometimes no matter how hard you try you just can't help it. When we had dachshunds my parents only ever once tried to trim themselves (black nails) and it was HOURS before the bleeding on the nail they quicked (badly) got under control. In the meantime it looked like someone had been murdered in our house!!
 
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Thanks Wendy - need to work on Oscars a bit more I think. Will try and get a pictures of his nails standing sometime.

Its is informative Helen - and very helpful. I never did any of my old dogs myself - so this is a first for me. :thumbsup:
 
Here are Josie's nails. The vet always says they're okay and so I've never cut them... :unsure: so I'd be interested to hear what people think :thumbsup:

feet1.jpg
 
lola can't help getting herself on on the act :lol:

feet_3.jpg
 
I don't think vets alsways know the correct nail length for whippets. I took Fred to my vets to have his nails clipped and was told they were about the correct length. I wasn't convinced, so took Fred to my pet shop owner who has a whippet, and he said they were too long. He clipped them for me from that point onwards until I got a dremmel, because Fred used to struggle and cry like mad if I tried with clippers.

I'd say Josie's are a touch too long, but I can only judge from other whippets I have seen which have all been show whippets.

Fred's nails are longer :unsure: because I've never succeeded in getting the quick to recede once the nails became too long.
 
Sparky always put up with having his nails clipped when he was little but since he's got bigger it's not been easy. We bought a dremmel but he spooked at the noise so back to square one. When we showed him at Bournemouth we bathed him a couple of days before in the bathroom and whilst he was in the bath I decided to have a go at his nails, probably because he was hating the whole experience anyway he just stood like a lamb and let me cut them. So there we have it, every couple of weeks we stand him in the bath and cut his nails and he lets us.

On the plus side when he's having one of his mad five minutes and galloping round the house he always gives the bathroom a miss !!!!

Not text book stuff I know, but it works for us.

Jenny
 
quintessence said:
Sparky always put up with having his nails clipped when he was little but since he's got bigger it's not been easy.  We bought a dremmel but he spooked at the noise so back to square one.  When we showed him at Bournemouth we bathed  him a couple of days before in the bathroom and whilst he was in the bath I decided to have a go at his nails, probably because he was hating the whole experience anyway he just stood like a lamb and let me cut them.  So there we have it, every couple of weeks we stand him in the bath and cut his nails and he lets us. 
On the plus side when he's having one of his mad five minutes and galloping round the house he always gives the bathroom a miss !!!!

Not text book stuff I know, but it works for us.

Jenny

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Like your theory Jenny :lol: but at least it gets the job done. Kobi is mch better than he was - Ive just cut his about 20 minutes ago and hes still scared :unsure: but not half as bad as he was thank goodness.

Helen Josie's nails look about the same as Oscars really and I have cut his regularly.
 
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This is a great thread, I've had my dog George for a year now and his nails are in need of a trim, I was considering doing it myself but was a bit scared, but I think I'll give it a go now thanks to your advice! Just one thing though - can you use normal human nail clippers to clip their nails or do you get dog nail clippers? I would have imagined dog clippers would be stronger than human ones!
 
Hi Kells Welcome to K9 - yes I think some people on here use human nail clippers, I use a pair I purchased at Pets at home and a doggy nail file.

Heres a picture of them both.

Nails__Tools__Pets_at_home_.jpg
 
Janimal said:
Hi Kells Welcome to K9 - yes I think some people on here use human nail clippers, I use a pair I purchased at Pets at home and a doggy nail file.
Heres a picture of them both.

Click to expand...
Thanks Janimal :) now I know what they look like I must invest in a pair of clippers for George.

I really like this site I must have spent about an hour gooeing over everybodys photos the other night lol
 
dessie said:
~Helen~ said:
lola can't help getting herself on on the act :lol:
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Ooooooh! I'm itching to cut those!!!

Click to expand...
:lol: come round to my place, Dessie and be my guest... you can give me a demonstration :thumbsup:

edited to ask - what happens if you don't cut them :blink:
 
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