Safely trimming your pal's nails

CLIPPING YOUR DOG’S NAILS

There are three main types of nail tools. The standard pliers-style and guillotine-style trimmers function very similarly. Holding the handles in your hand, place your dog's nail between the blades, and squeeze the handles together to trim off the end of the nail at a 45° angle. The third main type of canine nail trimming tool is the dremel (dog nail grinder). A hand held, battery operated  tool, the dremel is a rotary tool that grinds your dog's nail. It produces a smoother nail end than either of the previous two options. Some pet owners find the smell produced when sanding their dog's nails rather offensive though. In order to avoid cutting the quick and causing your dog to bleed, trim her nails at a 45°angle. Some dogs have transparent nails, making it easy to tell where the quick ends. If your dog has opaque nails, look for the notch and trim the nail at a 45° angle immediately before the notch. What do you do if you accidentally cut your dog's quick? You can purchase a small bottle of styptic powder to help stop the bleeding. Apply the styptic powder using a q-tip. If you don't have any styptic powder on hand, flour can be used in a pinch.