Dog Toe Nail Grinder
Trimming a dog’s toenails is a challenge for most dog owners. There are different ways to do this – some use dog toe nail clippers, others have nail trimmers that are specifically for dogs, while some use a dog toe nail grinder. A dog toe nail grinder is patterned after the Dremmel-styled tool, which is commonly used in construction to sand or grind wood. If you are using a nail grinder, here are some tips to make life easier for you and pain-free for your dog:
1. If you have a puppy, make sure that your dog starts getting used to the nail grinder. Let him touch his paws and encourage him whenever you hold his paws and nails. Get your dog to see the touching of his nails and paws as positive, and introduce him to nail clipping early on. Show the nail grinder to him and pet him with it, or feed him treats while you are grinding his nails. As you do this frequently, your dog will no longer fear the dreaded toenail trimming.
2. Study the anatomy of a dog’s toenail. At the center of each toenail is the blood supply of the dog, which is commonly know as the quick. If your dog has white nails, you can easily spot this as the pink area in the middle of the nail. Black nails, however, are harder to inspect, and cutting into this type of nails may result into bleeding. This is where the dog toe nail grinder comes in, as dark colored nails need to be ground into smaller pieces, to reduce the chances of harming your dog.
3. Trim only the nails that curl downward, and don’t overdo it. The basic rule is the toes must be even with the paw pad.
4. Use the dog nail grinder by grinding below the quick at a 45-degree angle. For dogs with black toenails, grind slowly and carefully avoid the quick by making several small grinds. You will eventually see the black dot in the center, which will show the quick you are trying to avoid.
