Question:
I didn't want to hijack another thread, so I started a new one here...

While cutting a friend's dog's nails, I noticed something I've never seen before. She's a wee dog, so maybe this is inherent in smaller breeds - I dunno. Anyhow, with black nails, I turn the paws over to see the quick. BUT with this pooch, it looked like the bottoms of her nails were closing - like someone had taken a pair of pliers and squeezed the two sides of the nails together (I'm sure no one actually did that - that's just what it looked like). This meant I couldn't see the quick at all. Anyone ever see this before? What do you do to avoid the quick at that point?

Answer:
Den-Den's nails are light colored so that I can actually see the quick. With large dogs, you can see the quick from the bottom?

Answer:
Yup. In dogs with black nails, you can turn the paw over and see the quick. It looks like dried skin. The part of the nail that's empty can be trimmed off.

But, this particular pooch's nails are growing together underneath, so you can't see what part of it is empty! I was wondering if this is inherent in small dogs, or if this dog is just "special". If it's common in small, black-nailed dogs, then how do you trim their nails?

Answer:
Here's what my vet told me about clipping Raj's black nails:

Clip off a little bit at a time. When you are almost at the quick, you will see a black "dot" in the middle of the nail. That's when you stop clipping!

I suspect that the nail closing in might happen on small nails that have gotten too long- just a hunch.

Answer:
A black dot? I've never heard of that. I'll have to give it a try!

Thanks!

Answer:
Yes! Works like a charm .

Another thing I do is wet a washcloth with very warm water, and wrap it around the end of her foot, leaving it there for a little while before clipping. It softens the nails, makes them easier to clip, and assures against "pinching". With Chloe, I just wait until after her bath because the warm water of the tub softens them nicely. (Raj + bathtub = disaster).

Answer:
ROTFLMAO - Can't help it. I have memories of helping my Pop cut his toenails. His were so tough! I teased him about using his farrier tools to do the job. I would have him soak his feet first to soften them also!

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i looove big dogs. they got big nails, and w big nails... ok, ok

interesting fact, note to self: shaaaaadd uppppppppp

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