Trim dog's dew claw

lukin

My dog is quite old and the "dew claw" on his paw (I looked it up on wikipedia;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paw) has got really long. It's so long it has turned in a circle and is growing in towards where it grew from.
He is licking it so I'd say it is a bit sore.
Easiest thing is take him to a dog groomer but he doesn't like strangers. I wonder could I trim it myself if I got the right trimmer? It feels very hard and tough.

shinikins

Please don't try to cut it yourself unless you've done so before. If your dog is licking it then thats a fairly good indication that its causing him pain, and there could be infection. You'd be far better off taking him to see the vet, who can tell you if there is a problem, and trim it for you there.

anniehoo

Ok no need to go to the vets unless the nail has curled into the pad. This is what you need to do:

The main thing to worry about is the "quick".

The "Quick" is the vein for that particular claw. Some dogs have clear nails where its easy to see it so you're grand, other dogs have black claws where it isnt so obvious.

So...clear claw and the vein (quick) is obvious,this is what you buy

you can buy these in any decent pet shop. The tip is curved,just like a dogs nail. You can clip to within a few mm of the quick without any pain for your dog.

Right... so if its a black claw (cant see the quick), you need to have a styptic stick/pencil at hand which contains silver nitrate

If you cut the quick it can..and will bleed. Silver nitrate stops bleeding. It needs to be rolled gently over the tip of the cut and bleeding will slowly stop. Sounds like a big deal but its not. Its basically a quick fix plaster.

Nobody should have to go to a vet to have their dogs nails cut. The proper nail cutter and (possibly) silver nitrate stick and you're pretty much sorted. Unless as i said, the dew claw has grown too far and is embedded in its pad.

pokertalk

if your worried about your pet then you should always consult a vet but if the dog is in no pain then all you need to do is cut the nail.

always clip a little bit at a time if the nail is long chances are that the quick is long too as the quick grows with the naili so your probably not going to be able to cut much off.just take a little bit off every 10 days and the quick size will reduce with the length of the nail ,also this will reduce the chances of the nail being splintered

if you cut the quick dont panic the dog will not bleed to death if you can not get styptic powder then some flower will do the job.
the blood vessel in white nails can be seen very clearly.some people think you cant see it in a black nail but it is just as easy. a black nail has a dull part and a shiny part.the old part will be dull but the ney growth will be shiny so as a rule only cut the dull part and REMEMBER little bits at a time
or
you could buy a grinder for the dogs nails the pedi paws is pretty cheap around 10-15 euros in places the advantage of this is that you can grind tru the quick the grinders spinning wheel cauterizes an exposed quick this is not painfull to the dog. this will give a closer cut and a neater looking nail that will not splinter during the process . sometimes nails may splinter using the clipper process.you will also need to buy some batteries for the grinder c size i think just buy cheap ones.

lukin

It's curled into the pad so it's a job for a vet. I don't think it's infected but I need to get it cut. As I say it's really hard to cut and I don't want to hurt him.
I should have seen it before now but I am the kind that doesn't want to cause my dog pain until absolutely necessary.

sophie1234

we got are dogs dew claws removed at the vet i dont no if your dog might be to old but the vet said it would be best as they dont touch the ground and cause discomfort because they cant touch the gravel and wear down unlike his other claws! hope this helps!

pokertalk

lukin wrote: »

It's curled into the pad so it's a job for a vet. I don't think it's infected but I need to get it cut. As I say it's really hard to cut and I don't want to hurt him.
I should have seen it before now but I am the kind that doesn't want to cause my dog pain until absolutely necessary.

cutting the nail will not cause any pain just take a small bit off and see how the dog gets on untill you bring him/her to the vet

lukin

OK I cut it anyway; I bought a clippers like the one anniehoo posted and a muzzle as well. I just clipped the top of it and didn't cut the vein so he didn't feel a thing.
The bit that I cut off was still stuck in the pad so I had to pull it out and that hurt him a bit. There is a bit of bleeding from where that came out but he is running around and is in good form.
He will lick it better I hope. I'll keep an eye on it anyway and if it doesn't get better I'll take him to the vet.

anniehoo

Good stuff you did exactly what i wouldve done tbh. Keep an eye on the wound and trim the nail regularly.

pokertalk

trim a bit off again next week and keep doing it and the quick will receed with the nail also keep the wound nice and clean. a trip to the vet prob wont be needed but if you have any problems with it as in it could look infected then bring the dog up. im sure you know that yourself:D

cucoigcrice

I find the silver nitrate sticks crap, i dont know about any one else. We sometimes use them in work if a dogs nail hasnt been clipped in a long time and is ingrowing the quick grows longer too. Therefore you will definately hit the quick and the bleeding will start. I found a bar of soap more benefical by running it along the end of the nail. It stops bleeding immediately!!
Just a tip shared
oh and you dont end up with marks on your hands for day's unlike the silver nitrate

Lily10

Do they not have Kwik Stop in Ireland? It's like the sticks but a lot easier to use.