i've never attempted to clip clawes and quite frankly am a bit worried about attempting
and dont know where to start

as in what length to start clipping , how far back to clip

i've used the nail file but Mac's clawes are geting big an sharp now and think they need doing


could anyone give me some advice or posting pic's of before and after would be a great help


or should i not attempt and just take him to the vets have them done and ask their advice


any help greatly appreciated

Jase

The vets always check our two whenever they're in to see them. So far they've never needed them clipped, but our vet is willing to show us if/when they do need clipping so that in the future we would hopefully have the confidence to do it ourselves.

So we would suggest going to the vets on this occasion and see what they say.

What colour are they Jase? White ones are a doddle to clip, have a look at the ends of the claws, do they look hollow underneath, maybe got a bit of dirt trapped in them? If so then they are long and need to be trimmed back. You will see the pink coloured 'quick' running up through the centre of the nail, trim just below this because if you 'nick' it he will bleed and it will be sore but it won't kill him. If you do make it bleed just apply some pressure to the end of the nail and it will soon stop. Black ones are trickier to trim as you can't see the 'quick' and unless you can roughly judge the overgrown part then you might have to nibble it away until you are happy that it's short enough. Some people use a Dremmel file on their dogs claws that way they can just file and buff away at the ends much easier than a conventional file. Make sure you use a good strong pair of nail clippers. I actually use wire end cutters on our dogs claws as I can get a nice neat clean edge taken off in one go and they are much easier to use than some of the guillotine ones, don't use scissors whatever you do
I'll see if I can do a few pics of before and after for you..............

Sandy

Showing the length of a claw that needs clipping....thank you for your patience Honey



Showing a dew claw that needs clipping



Showing the cutters in place



Showing the nail after it's been clipped



Showing the dew claw about to be clipped



Showing the dew claw clipped



Hope that helps but if in doubt get your vet to do them for you instead

thats excellent thanks , he's at the vets a week on Tuesday for his chip no-one local does chipping so the vets it has to be so i can double check with them ,


Sandy its a mixture black and white nails are getting long , the dremel idea is great and can see how much easier this would be and fun trying to get mac to sit still for 2 secs lol , i have some sharp wire end cutters that are a handy size too


if u can find those pic's it would be brilliant

thanks again

Jase





sorry slow here today lol


but those pics are just what i needed thanks sandy , glad u included the dew claw as this is the one that cause the most trouble always catching on something lol


thanks for that

Just done 'em mate

Poppys back claws never need doing, only her front I've accidently caught the quick and boy does it bleed!! I've got some powder to stop any blood now just incase

with the dark evenings upon is the doglets will be getting alot more walks on hard surface, that keeps their claws down a treat

Upon looking at these pictures and reading the 'hollow and dirty' description (LOL) I've realised I need to do Tiggers too.

It will be a nightmare as he doesnt even like me holding his paws to trim the fur - I have to do it in stages and bribe him!


Thanks Gundogs.inc for those pictures.

What is the earliest stage to cut the claws?
Pudgeys are fairly long and BOY do they hurt!!!
I dont want to make the same mistake my vet did with Mackie, because she went into his quick when he was young he has never ever let us near his paws since...just aswell they are never long anymore.
Anyway to get them used to it?


x

This is why it is soo important to handle your pups paws as much as possible from a very early age - along with looking in their ears and mouth and generally checking them all over - theres nothing worse than a dog that hates being examined or groomed.

A rescue dog is slightly harder in that you werent there to desensitise at an early age, but one great tip I picked up (from st I think) is to put marmite or chesse spread on your fridge door so your dog gets busy licking that whilst you do the grooming, just a distraction.


When the claws need cutting will depend on the surface they are walked on (road walking will naturally keep claws down) if they have the hollow bit underneath like sandy says, then they need cutting - i wouldnt think a pup would need doing until they were about 18months - 2years at least

before cutting black nails go to the pet shop and buy stiptic powder or even the little blood stop tips from pets at home - that way if they bleed you can stop the bleeding quickly

..................running off to look at Ruby's now to see if they need doing.....................

I'm lucky as I have never had to trim Sophie's (recently done my childminders dalmation though ) I'm very interested in the dew claw clipping. Is this essential?? or only if it catches??

It is essential they are kept short, the dew claw is often forgotten about and they can grow so long and will eventually penetrate the skin and if left long enough will grow into the side of the dogs leg Please check them often but don't worry if you can't find them, some dogs aren't born with any, some are only born with either back or front, some dogs have all 4 and some have them removed as pups, tis a weird thing for sure

Thanks so much for the excellent clipping lesson; I have always been afraid of clipping Scullys' claws but have her coat shampooed and clipped every 3 months and she is done then, along with anal glands etc ...which she really does need;

another hint for anyone whose girl is dragging her bottom along the ground, when you know that she is regularly wormed, is that anal glands may need draining; my experience of this is that if the vet does it they HATE it and refuse to go into the vet's again, but if done at pet parlour there is no problem at all... apparently no pain or discomfort; 2 out of the 3 girlies that i have owned have needed this done regularly from about age 3 yrs...( don't know if also applies to boys)