Your dog’s claws started bleeding when you trimmed them?

You can put one of these 3 substances to the bleeding claw:

• Silver nitrate. Press down until the bleeding stops. This product makes the blood clot. You can get it from us in the form of powder or stick applicators. It is always practical to keep some at home!
• Corn starch, if you do not have silver nitrate. Put a little bit of the starch in a clean cloth and soak the claw in it, again by pressing on the claw until the bleeding stops. Do not worry if this does not work the first time. Indeed, it often takes several tries and several minutes to be successful.
• Flour. It's our 3rd choice for efficiency, but it's better than nothing!

It is when we cut or nick the nail process (see photo) in the claw that it hurts and bleeds. The corny sheath, on the other hand, is insensitive and does not bleed when cut.

Do not use anything and everything to try to stop the bleeding. Indeed, many products can cause a lot of pain to your dog if you apply them on a cut claw that bleeds.

It is possible that the claw starts to bleed again during the following day, if your dog nicks it while walking outside for example. If this happens, you just have to apply again one of the products mentioned above. And make doggy rest for 24 hours!

When the claw is white, a pink part is easy visible through it. This is the nail process. It can be avoided quite easily usually.

If the claw is black then the nail process is unfortunately not visible through the claw. However, the end of the process is visible underneath the claw by looking at it from below. The end of the process is where the size of the claw decreases all of a sudden. At this point, there is only the corny sheath of the claw. You can cut there without worrying.

If you are still not sure whether you’re cutting in the right place, you can cut tiny slices of claw one at a time. Eventually, you will feel the claw soften as you get near the nail process. Also, you will notice a small white dot appear in the center of the claw. At that point, it's time to stop cutting. Be careful though! Indeed, as the claw begins to be sensitive, your dog can react.

It is recommended to trim puppies’ claw tips once a week. Be sure to reward yours generously every time so that he likes the experience. When the dog is older, you can cut his claws about once a month. This frequency can however vary from 3 to 6 weeks, depending on the dog.

Do not wait too long between cuts because the claws will become very long. Remember that if the claws get long, the nail processes will get long too. If that happens then it will no longer be possible to shorten the claws enough without nicking the processes, making the claws bleed and hurting the dog.

Here are the 3 main models of claw trimmers available on the market:

• The regular model . This is the one we recommend to use, but it must be replaced after a while because the blade becomes worn and does not cut neatly anymore.
• The guillotine model. It is recommended not to use this model because it tends to twist the claw if it is not cut at the right angle. This causes discomfort to the dog.
• A claw file. This instrument does not cut the claws as such, but it files them. The tip of the claw becomes well rounded and smooth. However, the noise and vibration of the engine can scare some dogs, which can make this tool inappropriate for them.

In short, no matter which claw cutter is used, it is important to get dogs used to having their claws cut when they are young. That way, they learn to be cooperative when they get their claws cut and they remain quiet. Then, it is less likely to cut their claws too short and make them bleed.

You are not comfortable cutting your dog's claws yourself? Make an appointment at one of our establishments so that we can do it for you. We could also show you how to do it, if you prefer!

Text created in January 2019