How do you clip your pet's nails?
Technique is key
Follow these instructions to deepen your pet’s trust and avoid any pain.
This is a true test of your pets tolerance to handling. Once you take hold of a paw, you have invaded personal space to a large degree, and most pets don't like it.
Incorrect nail clipping can hurt your pet. This typically happens when clients accidentally cut the quick of the nail. The quick is a soft cuticle within the base of the nail (usually ending just before the nail starts to curve downwards) that contains nerves and blood vessels. Quicks are usually the longest in older pets.
Using good equipment and good technique is vital to your pets' acceptance of you being able to regularly trim their nails.
Use scissor action nail clippers with cutting edges on both surfaces (NOT guillotine action clippers which squeeze the nail and can hurt).
Hold each nail with your thumb under the pad and your index and middle finger over the top of the toe.
Extend the nails as far as they can go.
Hold your clippers horizontal with the pad of the paw, and clip the nail at this level (parallel to the ground).
In our experience even aged pets which have the longest "quicks" can tolerate this technique, and very rarely do they experience the pain of cutting into the quick.
If you accidentally cut the nail too short, and it begins to bleed, hold a fragrance free cake of soap to the affected nail to stop the bleeding.