# Nail Trimming Troubles



## qwertyybee (Aug 18, 2011)

Hi all, it's my first post here, so I hope this is in the right place!
We recently took in a mini schnauzer from a family friend who really didn't have the time to take care of him, nor did they take proper care of him. Luckily, he is in quite good health, but unfortunately, the previous owners never bother to cut his nails. They're quite long, but he seems to be doing alright, walking fine, doesn't seem to be any discomfort. 
A week ago, I tried cutting them, and he was actually okay with it which was a relief. I cut them just a bit on one paw, and figured I would just wait to do the second paw so I didn't freak him out. 
Yesterday I tried cutting the second paw, but I cut too much and his nail started to bleed. Now I'm way to scared to try cutting any of the others, as I don't want to cut the quick again.
Today, while searching for tips on nail cutting, I actually heard about using a dremel to trim. Would this be a worthy investment for my dog whose nails are already so long? Or should I just stick to cutting them? 
And, how short should the nails be in the end? 

Thanks!


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## +two (Jul 12, 2011)

Here is a diagram explaining what a kwik is and how to avoid cutting it : http://www.pet-expo.com/trivia/dogs-nailtrim.htm

Using a Dremel is an option; however it should not be done without training and prior knowledge of nail care. 

Since his nails are overgrown and in poor shape, I would suggest taking him to a professional groomer or Vet. They will cut his nails for $5-15. You can also ask them to show you how to maintain his nails and give you advice on what products you should use.


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## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

I much prefer using a dremel. Clipping crushes the nail which can cause it to split and peel the sides. Don't bother with the "pedipaws" thing, it has hardly any power so it takes forever and the batteries die quickly. Get a dremel. And get some Styptic powder if you want, just in case you hit the quick again it will stop the bleeding.

For now, I second the idea of a groomer or vet to get the nails under control and ask them to show you how to see the quick and how far down you can grind. Do his nails about once a week.


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

I have found a dremel to be extremely useful with helping my dog's quicks recede. I was in a similar situation to you when I first got Sydney. My parents had her for her first two years of life and during that time she had only ever had trims at the vet or when being boarded (both were infrequent). I had an especially hard time because her nails are black colored and I couldn't easily see the quick. Her nails are also quite thick so I needed extremely sharp clippers to get through them without pinching and I couldn't afford to keep buying new ones every time she dulled them.

Anyway, the reason why the dremel worked well for me is because 1. It allowed me to dremel a little and check for the quick, then dremel a bit more etc and not have to worry about cutting _through_ the quick, but instead if I got too close it would just dremel the quick a bit, which if you've ever touched the sanding tip to the tip of your finger, you know is not painful (of course if you do this like WAY too much you can still make it bleed, but this is obvious). 2. It allowed me to get the quicks to recede much more quickly because I could get the nails much shorter by sort of trimming around the quick so it would "stick out" just slightly. Air contact and abrasion is what signals the quicks to recede and get shorter.

When you start using the dremel you'll of course have to acclimate your dog to the sound, and to feeling the vibration on their nails, but it sounds like he's already ok with being handled so you'll likely have a much easier time with it than I did!

To prevent cutting the quick again (which is, by the way, very minor, so don't feel too bad) here is a really informative article with lots of close-up images so you can get a better idea of where and where not to cut.


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## Roloni (Aug 5, 2011)

When do they stop bleeding....?
I think I may have cut my dogs nails too close..
We got a lotta blood all over the living room floor..and ....I think Im gonna pass out..


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

Roloni said:


> When do they stop bleeding....?
> I think I may have cut my dogs nails too close..
> We got a lotta blood all over the living room floor..and ....I think Im gonna pass out..


If you have styptic powder apply it and it will stop the bleeding. In a bind flour or cornstarch will work.


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## Canyx (Jul 1, 2011)

I tried out a dremel for the first time last night and was instantly converted. Soro didn't like the vibrations on his paws at first but he quickly let me have my way (however begrudgingly) once I brought the treats out. My only problem with them is it takes a while for me to do one nail, much slower than just hacking it off. 

All of the advice above is great. The only thing I'd add is to make sure your dog trusts your handling his paws again. I cut into my dog's quick once, and it took some massive treat overload to get him to allow me to put the clippers near his paws again. Your dog might be much more forgiving, but I thought this'd be worth mentioning in case he isn't.


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

Canyx said:


> My only problem with them is it takes a while for me to do one nail, much slower than just hacking it off.


I know some will cut the nail most of the way with trimmers and just use the dremel to get the nails shorter than they could safely with trimmers and also to sort of file them down so they aren't sharp. 

I trim Sydney's nails really often, so I take off only very small amounts at a time, making it faster. Like, when I'm about to trim her nails with the dremel there usually isn't enough nail there to actually trim with clippers, but with the dremel you can just get that much closer to the quick.


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