How to do Pain Free Nail Cuts
A lot of dogs I work with are extremely stressed by even the idea of getting their nails cut. Their fear and trauma comes from experiences with uneducated practitioners who cut their nails too short, causing bleeding and severe pain due to a severed nerve.
As a result many of their owners are terrified to cut their dog's nails because they don't want to further cause their dog trauma and pain by accidentally cutting the nail too short.
However, there are many people who have never cut their dogs' nails too short (like me!) So what are we doing that is always leading us to a successful, pain free nail cut?
Cut less more frequently instead of cutting more less often. Rather than waiting for your dog’s nails to get really long before cutting them, cut just the tip off regularly. This will keep them short and significantly reduce the chance you will cut the nerve in the nail.
Use a small animal nail clipper without a guillotine feature. This reduces the “kick back” feeling from the nail clipper which many dogs find uncomfortable and allows for a more accurate cut. Just like a farrier trimming a horse’s hoof or you making a rounded shape on your own nail you can use a smaller clipper to round the nail and get it short while avoiding the nerve.
There is a ridge on the bottom of most dog’s nails that indicates where the nerve ends. Run your finger on the bottom of the nail and you can feel this ridge. Cut on the side of the ridge closer to the end of the nail.
For black nails, when you cut the nail, look at the bottom of it. There should be a white, kind of flaky texture inside the nail. If you cut close to the nerve these will be a black, smooth part in the middle of the white flaky part. That black part is an indication you should stop cutting because you are close to the nerve.
For white nails you can actually see the nerve inside the nail as a thin pink line. Only cut after the pink line ends and you shouldn’t have any pain or bleeding.
Practice handling and cooperative care skills so the dog learns that being still as you cut their nails can be a rewarding experience. Taking the time to teach them to be still helps avoid a bad cut due to the dog moving.
Nail cuts don’t have to be painful or scary, and frankly they should not be. Cutting a nerve is extremely painful and there is no reason to subjugate a dog to that much pain due to a lack of education. If you are too nervous to cut your dog’s nails, find a competent practitioner who can. Do not settle for someone who causes your dog pain and trauma during what should be a pain free procedure.