Didn't know that. I'll have to check this out - might work much better with Sissy.

Ladies I am going to jump in here and give you some pointers.

For novice people be very careful of a dremel, it is possible to get it twisted around the hair and pop a toe completely off. If you are going to use a dremel try this, slip a nylon over the paw so that just the nails stick out, this will make it easier and safer. Make sure someone holds the face hair away while you are working.

Next when cutting nails open your cutter and place it on the nail till you get pressure, then cut . That will save you a lot of blood when your babies push their foot forward and you cut it to short. My daughter did this once and she almost had to take the dog to the vet to get the bleeding stopped. She now does it the way I have taught her. So it is , set it down then clamp snug and then when you are sure it is in the right place and snug , clip.

I hope this helps , and another thing inbetween each nail , when they are young and silly I tell them what a good dog they are. They seem to like this distraction.

Debbie Ray
www.sumtoiyorkies.com
Owner
Best Friends Pet Salon
Salem Or.

Thanks so much for the great advice! I am going to be keeping away from the dremmel. I am going to stick with the actual cutter, although I haven't decided which kind yet. With each new post I am feeling more and more confident about cutting my yorkies' nails. :p

Just remember to have the quick stop close by , because even the best of the groomers hit the blood a lot. When I first started grooming I thought that if I saw blood from the nail that that groomer was really bad, not true. I like and my clients like very short nails so I try to take them to the very edge of the quick and I keep the quick stop handy!!! Most pet dogs fuss when their owners do the nails because they can feel the fear in their owners, us groomers are not afraid, we just get it done!!!:) Practice does not make perfect when cutting nails, it just makes you feel better about it.

Best of Luck , know that in time you are going to hit blood, just be ready. It is not the end of the world.

Debbie Ray
www.sumtoiyorkies.com

I only use the scissor type, they are much easier to use. I do have both big dogs as well as small ones. So I use the regular size scissor style clippers on them and for the little ones I use a cat clipper that is in the scissor style, it is much smaller and perfect for cutting their nails. I like to cut their nails pretty short, I get as close to the quick as possible without cutting it and I have become very good doing it. After I cut their nails I also take a nail file to dull the ends because they will be sharp right after you cut them. It is very important that you cut them often, otherwise the quick can grow out which can be a pain. I usually cut their nails twice a month, every two weeks and this works great for them, but not all dogs' nails grow at the same pace, so you may need to clip them more frequently or you might not have to cut them that often, some can go six to eight weeks until their dog needs their nails clipped, it really just varies from each dog.

Believe it or not I use a baby nail clipper, the ones that have a little plastic bubble to hold them safely, and it works great for us... you may want to try it... I felt SO unsafe with the guillotine one....

THANK YOU so much for posting this. I was really starting to panick:eek: Poor Sissy, I just cut into her vein, it is 3:45AM our time and only 3 others on line here, but must be sleeping too cause no one responded to my PM... I was able to settle down & not be so nervous after reading this link you placed here. Tomorrow I buy a pen or quick stop. I may never cut their nails again, I never made them bleed before, how scarey:eek: I have never experienced a feeling tlike this but at the very end of the link you placed, it says even without treatment, the bleeding should stop within 5 minutes. Well it took 10 but that was the longest 10 minutes of my poor babies life, well she was fine, a little tiny yipe but no cry, :( it was the longest of my life.. Thankss

I just saw this - I use toenail clippers on my girls - cut in front of the curve and they shouldn't bleed.....

I took Chanel to a VET to have them done 2 years ago and he had her back there so long I had to go see what was happening - he cut one too short and it wouldn't stop bleeding....and this was the VET....so don't beat yourself up over this.

and my other suggestion is next time - VALIUM !!! Take one before you start and you won't feel a thing :p :p :p

just kidding - but that hardest part I think is keeping them still

I use the scissor type. I was told a long time ago that the guillotene ones actually squeeze the nail. But maybe it has something to do with the blade not being sharp, who knows. My vet uses the scissor type.
In my opionion I would stay with the scissor type. Also sometimes furbabies do have a foot sensitivity issue. You know tickle feet.
When I do my friends chi for her, I have scooby in my lap while I do her front nails and then Kathy holds her while I clip the back 10. It works and this way it does not stress scooby out, and the whole time scooby is being told what a good girl she is.

Hope this helps and good luck. The first cut is the hardest. :p

Vi & Murel, Thanks for the encouragement. I am finally feeling better now. The bleeding has stopped but I have yet washed the blood off her paw and leg. Wish you guys were here last night, what a night. I was pretty frightened. It was NOT the first time I cut, but the first time with my arm in a cast. Stupid of me wasn't it.... I do have the scissor kind (advice from the mgr. of our PetSmart (who used to cut them for me) She reccomended the cat scissor kind and they cut usally so evenly and easy. Sissy was a trooper, never acted up, not sure what made me go too short (I am thinking I cut that one, then went back to it again for some reason) Making the 2nd cut on the same nail makes sense to me,. The problem got worse even after I signed off. I was reassured after reading the link put on here by Trixie but then about half an hour later, it started bleeding again. I think it must have been close to an hour before it stopped totally. I am still mopping blood off the floor and scrubbing out of the carpet, blankets, towles my Pj's are finally in the washer. I tried to stay up the rest of the night but when I dozed, I had a dream she bleed to death. It was a horrible night. I am a geriatric nurse and had 3 children (now grown) never before do I ever remember a night like this, even when the kids were little. I hope I never had one again. Anyway she is fine and doesn't mind even if I touch her feet but it looked worse then it was. I also knew through this whole thing that blood always looks like more then it is, but it didn't help me last night!

I did wonder about that. In that one pic, the nails are VERY short. I'm not expert in cutting dogs' nails, but I know that with guinea pigs :rolleyes: , the quick grows out when the nails are too long....but that if you gradually trim them back, say every couple of days, the quick will recede, until you can get a short cut without making them bleed. Maybe it's the same with dogs? :confused:

Same here....I deliberately fiddle with their paws/claws all the time, and they are fine with it, until they see those clippers coming! :rolleyes: My family is always all, "YOU'RE HURTING HER!!!", and I'm like, "I haven't even TOUCHED her yet!" :rolleyes:

And at least in my case, I'm NOT nervous about doing it. I'm pretty good about just being calm and methodical about those kinds of things, and I've done it with the guinea pigs a gazillion times, and I CANNOT pay to have it done all the time....so I am determined! Maybe someday they'll chill about it....geez....it was never this hard with the guinea pigs. :rolleyes:

Right now my method is to trim some every week, right after baths. To begin with, I was lucky to get two toes done, and now we're up to about four. Giving treats and praise in between each, of course! :rolleyes: I'm HOPING they learn to just accept this as part of our "spa" routine, like they have everything else.

OH, and, if you don't have quickstop, I think I've read that cornstarch can help, too??

[Pattie, the last time I cut the pig's nails, I think I did the SAME "same toe twice" thing that you did, and he bled for awhile. The kids were all, "YOU CUT OFF HIS TOE!!!" :p But WOW, it sounds like you had a lot of blood going, bless your heart! Well, keep telling yourself it looked much worse than it really was, and do NOT feel guilty. Even the most experienced can have accidents!]

It can be so scary, especially when they bleed and bleed.
As mentioned before cornstarch or flour will help with the bleeding. I have had to use that before, it can be messy, OK real messy because it falls off and you have to keep reapplying.

Have a safe weekend :p

OH, and, if you don't have quickstop, I think I've read that cornstarch can help, too??

[Pattie, the last time I cut the pig's nails, I think I did the SAME "same toe twice" thing that you did, and he bled for awhile. The kids were all, "YOU CUT OFF HIS TOE!!!" But WOW, it sounds like you had a lot of blood going, bless your heart! Well, keep telling yourself it looked much worse than it really was, and do NOT feel guilty. Even the most experienced can have accidents!]
__________________

MAZIE brings the SUGAR~~~KIKI brings the SPICE!
(~~put them both together and that's everything nice!~~)

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I needed that laugh, your kids are SO RIGHT:eek: By the looks of the blood, that's exactly what it looked like, I CUT OFF HER TOE!!!!!:(
So now you can tell your kids that you are not the only one that did that..
She\'s sitting in my lap and fine, nice to know she still loves me:aimeeyork :animal-pa minus one toe

i use the same thing !!
i perfer the nail clipper its easier for us !
i did my boys this morning
i do it every bath