How to properly trim a cat's nails. Cat's claws - rules of care and prevention of possible problems

There are a lot of informational articles that fully reveal the importance of clipping a dog's nails. With improper care, they grow into the skin, which gives the animal a lot of inconvenience. There is also a high risk of developing an infection, the aching paw begins to torment the dog, the pet steps on it through pain every time. For these and many other reasons, it is necessary to have sufficient knowledge regarding nail clipping. Let's take a look important aspects and provide detailed instructions.

Why you need to trim your nails

The most common question that worries new dog owners. The animal will suffer from incorrect care, so you need to take appropriate measures in a timely manner in order to avoid consequences.

Untrimmed nails cause a lot of trouble for the animal. Scratching behind the ear can cause injury, scratching the ear canal, or other serious injury.
A dog with untrimmed claws can cause damage to the owner, the family as a whole, as well as interior items, if it plays too hard.
Among other things, the pet often begins to have problems with musculoskeletal function, as a result of which there is a risk of injury to the dewclaws.

Preparing for clipping your dog's nails

An important step is the preparation of the pet itself for cutting the claws. The recommendation becomes especially relevant if the procedure is performed for the first time on little puppy. The further compliance of your pet depends on how the process goes (whether he is afraid of the nail cutter or not).

Important! Be attentive to the first procedure, do not touch the capillaries, otherwise the animal will no longer let you in.

To get the haircut right, you need to calm the dog with everyone. possible ways. You can stroke your pet, saying kind words, or feed him a treat. Trim your nails at the same time. Most importantly, distract your pet with interesting things.

How to trim a dog's nails

Before proceeding with the procedure, you need to prepare the place, tools and materials with which the haircut will be carried out.

Nail cutter. At the pet store, you can buy special scissors with crescent-shaped forceps. As a rule, there are two types of nail cutters: guillotine and scissors. If the dog is large, then it is better to choose the first option. For pets of small breeds, the second is enough. Also an important feature is the mark "for dogs", since such a tool is made for hard claws (for cats, ferrets, rabbits, you should not take it).

Important! Never try to cut the nails with ordinary scissors, the tool is not suitable for this purpose. A full-fledged device is equipped with tips "crescents", which securely fix the claw, eliminating the possibility of slipping.

Talc. Purchase unscented or chamomile baby powder at the drugstore. The drug is needed to prevent possible bleeding in case you touch the vessel. If it is not possible to buy talc, use the usual wheat flour, having previously sieved it.

File. The pet store sells a nail file, which you will also need. The procedure does not end with cutting off the free edge, because after the removal of the claws, burrs remain that need to be filed into without fail. Otherwise, the claws will begin to crumble, exposing the protected area.

Cotton pads and hydrogen peroxide. Preparations must be kept on hand in case of damage to living tissues. It is important to treat the injury in time, and then sprinkle it with talc.

Wash your dog's paws, especially the claw area. Otherwise, if the capillaries are damaged, there is a risk of infection.
Calm the animal, feed, give a treat. If the pet is in a relaxed state, the haircut will go well.
Pay attention to the height and weight of your pet. If a dog of medium breeds, place it on your knees, in the case of large individuals, you can use a carpet. Make sure that the animal feels comfortable. Important! If the dog has such fluffy paws, it is necessary to cut the hair before the procedure so that the claws can be seen freely.
When the dog is ready for the procedure, take his paw in your hand and press on the pad so that the claw comes out. Evaluate how well the living area is visible (pink, closer to red, shade). Start cutting from the outermost finger of the outer side.
Step back 2 mm. from the pulp (the area of accumulation of vessels), cut off the light part of the claw. At the same time, constantly calm the pet, act quickly, but carefully. Important! If you are not sure about own forces, it is better to step back from the vessels by more than 2 mm. The error may cause heavy bleeding which is very difficult to stop. Correctly determine the free edge to avoid possible troubles. If the pet's claw is black or dark brown, hold it up to the light so that the pulp is clearly visible.
When finished with the last claw, move on to all the others, follow the same pattern. Always press down on the pad to have control over the position.

What to do with bleeding

Very often, dog owners damage the pulp when they clip for the first time. Do not panic, everything will be fine with the pet if the situation is corrected in time. The dog will start to struggle and whine, it will hurt. So try to take action short time and keep the dog. Soak a cotton swab in hydrogen peroxide, treat the damaged area and sprinkle with talcum powder. If possible, it is better to pour peroxide from a bottle to moisten the wounds abundantly.

In most cases, with constant processing of the free edge, the nail recedes along with the pulp. In such a situation, the question of haircuts disappears automatically.
Before the procedure, inspect all fingers, especially the adnexal, the claw on it is often wrapped, while the rest grind off on the asphalt during walks.
The scratching post must be perfectly sharp, otherwise the procedure will be difficult. Before buying, hold the tool in your hands, check the springs and the stroke of the blades.
There are cases in which the haircut does not go through in one stage. Do not try to do everything at once, stretch the procedure for 1-2 days if the animal feels uncomfortable.
Small breeds of dogs are much more difficult to tolerate a haircut due to their wayward nature. They may start to whine even while you bring the nail cutter to the paw. Do not fall for tricks, pet your pet and calmly proceed with the procedure.

Untrimmed nails cause a lot of trouble for both the pet and its owner. Carefully prepare the tools, calm the dog before the procedure. Apart from necessary materials need to be patient. Nail trimming is a nerve-wracking and painstaking process that requires attention to detail.

Video: how to cut a dog's nails at home

This is a problem that many dog owners face, especially those who have never kept dogs at all.

The procedure is actually not that complicated. Here you just need to get used to it. It is also important to accustom the dog to such an unpleasant procedure for her. Why unpleasant? Because the paw must be fixed, and fixed securely. And such an action, as a rule, causes resistance and obvious discontent in the dog, up to aggression.

In the article we will tell you how to cut the nails of dogs without stress for both the dog and yourself. Most printed materials describe the details of the procedure itself, but for some reason the basics of the basics are not paid attention to. So, we teach the dog to trim the claws. No matter how you should get used to fixation.

Step one

To get started, just take the dog's paw in your hands. Hold it for a few seconds and release. Do the same with the other paw, then with the third and fourth. If the size of the dog allows, take it on your knees, if the animal is large, you can also sit on the floor. Do these manipulations at least five times a day with a daily increase in time of approximately five seconds. It would be nice to reward the dog's patience with a piece of treat.

step two

After a week, you can proceed to the second part of the "addiction". Now do not just hold the paw, but also gently press the fingers in turn, adhering to the temporary system of the first step. Thinking about how to cut the claws of dogs is possible only on the condition that the dog allows you to hold the paw for at least a minute (better - longer).

Step Three

Tool selection. It’s not enough to know how to cut your dog’s nails, you also need to know how to do it. Immediately exclude regular scissors. They are only suitable for very small puppies, whose claws are still very thin. For older dogs, so-called guillotines are usually chosen. Choose directly from the veterinary shop. There are no universal nail clippers, they are made in various options, therefore, a specific tool is suitable for each breed. Let's say you have a sheepdog. Ask the seller to show clippers for medium-sized breeds. And be sure to test. Right on the spot. Trim one claw (edge) and look for splitting (stratification). The cut should only be even and smooth.

Step Four

Trimming the nails. We are located at the lamp or at the window. We fix the paw (tightly clamp) and press (slightly) on the first pad. The claw moves forward. We look at it against the light: the nerve is visible even on dark claws, on light ones it is determined by pink color. Your task is not to touch the border, that is, cut so as not to touch this nerve. Trim one or two claws, taking breaks. The dog will not be nervous, you yourself will calm down. Do not hurry. In a hurry, you can touch the painful area (the same nerve that is inside the claw). If this happens, try to calm the pet, give a piece of treat and take a break. After an hour, start cutting again.

If you can not dare to such a procedure, contact the salon for dogs. There are a lot of them in Moscow. See how veterinarians do it. Perhaps next time you can trim your nails yourself.

Nail care for a dog, and especially a puppy, not only cosmetic procedure. This must be done for the health of the pet, because regrown tissues lead to backfire up to purulent inflammation.

At risk are decorative individuals (, and others), which are not taken out for a walk daily. How to trim your dog's nails at home? More details about the procedure in the material below.

Caring for your dog's nails should start with early age while the pet is still a puppy, because his claws, albeit thin, but sharp: they can injure the bitch when feeding. And if it is inconvenient for the baby to move because of overgrown claws, this will lead to incorrect setting of the paws or even dislocation.

Inside the claw in animals is a pulp consisting of blood vessels and a bundle of nerves.

Important! Do not damage the pulp! It will hurt the pet severe pain. If the damage did happen, it is immediately noticeable - the claw bleeds.

How often should you cut your dog's nails? On average, paws need to be treated once a month. But, the frequency will vary depending on the conditions in which the pet lives. And if he often walks on the asphalt, the claws grind themselves. If not, you can't do without a haircut.

And a reliable indicator that the time has come is the clatter of claws on the floor. This is a sign that the pet is uncomfortable walking. And there is no need to wait, succumbing to fear of hurting. Neglecting the processing of the paws has bad consequences.

What happens if you don't cut it? If tightened with processing, they will become too long, sharp, bent.

For a dog, this means:

the claw injures the skin to blood, in which case an infection can enter the animal's body, there is a high risk of developing purulent inflammation, and it can lead to blood poisoning, tissue necrosis, after which - amputation of a finger or even the entire paw;
with such wounds, it is painful to move, the gait changes, as a result, posture is disturbed, coordination is lost, muscle tone decreases;
the pet injures itself and upon contact, may, unwillingly, injure adult owners or children;
a much less serious drawback: the dog will spoil the floor or furniture, trying to grind off its claws.

Attention! When processing the paws, one should not forget about the dewclaws: the dogs often catch them on something, and this leads to injuries.

Since these fingers do not touch the ground, it is difficult for a pet to grind their claws on them.

How to cut your dog's nails

The procedure is carried out in 3 basic steps: preparing a pet, choosing a tool and directly processing the claws.

Training

If the pet is young age trained in cutting nails, there will be no problems with its preparation. However, this situation is rare. Usually dogs either have negative experience, or just worry, noticing the preparations of the hosts.

How to cut your dog's nails if he won't let you? In such cases, it must be reassured, and you can do it like this:

lay out the tools, let the pet sniff them, and then praise him and stop there;
touch the dog’s claws with an instrument, but do not cut it, as well as praise it and treat it with a treat;
repeat this positive reinforcement at each step until the pet is completely calm.

In the case when nothing helps to calm the animal, it fix on short leash and put on a muzzle.

And the stages of preparation for physical level other:

examine the claws, and if a fungus is found, contact the veterinarian, and if there are cracks or kinks, then you should not cut, but file;
examine the pads so that they do not have abrasions and cuts, and when they are, be careful not to cause pain;
wash the pet's paws well, but alcohol or other antiseptic is not needed;
if the animal is long-haired, then you will have to cut the hair between his fingers and near the claws.

In addition, the time for the procedure is also important. In those hours when the dog is tired, she Bad mood, she is sad, nothing needs to be done, and it is better to wait for a more positive state.

Tool selection

You can not carry out the procedure with ordinary scissors or nail clippers, because the claws of dogs are much stronger and thicker than human ones and after using scissors they will peel off. You need the right tools - nail cutters. They are of two types:

ordinary scissors, outwardly resembling a pruner, i.e. one blade is straight and the other is curved;
guillotine scissors with a claw hole and a lever handle.

When choosing a nail cutter, you need to pay attention to:

material that must be rigid and strong, i.e. brass or steel, and the tool itself is ideally cast;
blade processing, because if they are not coated with chrome, they will quickly rust;
handles, always rubberized, otherwise the tool will slip in the hand, and this will increase the risk of injury to the animal;
size, because the tool is calculated either , or , or .

Except the nail cutter you will need a nail file with a hard coating. It is also chosen depending on the size of the pet.

Treatment

How to cut your dog's nails? The first thing to do is to examine the tissues of the claws carefully. They can be white, brown or beige, in which case it will not be a problem to see the pulp. If they are black, you will not be able to see anything, and you will have to cut at random. In this case, you must remember that black nails are clipped 0.5 mm at a time.

Important! If the cut of the claw has changed color, turned pink or brightened, then the pulp is close, and you need to stop so as not to damage it.

The cutting of the nails itself is carried out according to the following algorithm:

You need to start with the front paws, inspect them, if necessary, cut off the wool.
Set the nail cutter blades one and a half millimeters below the pulp and cut at a 45 degree angle.
It is necessary to cut confidently and quickly, fluctuations are inappropriate here.
The cut is processed with a nail file to dull the sharp edges.
During the treatment of the hind legs, the dog should be laid on its side, but when he gets used to the procedure, this can also be done in a standing position.

After each “step”, the pet should be praised, and between the “steps” it is advisable to make a gap of 2-3 minutes so that the animal can rest and calm down. And if the dog becomes nervous during the procedure, it should be stopped immediately.

Attention! Hind legs processed not immediately after the front, but after 2-3 hours. Not earlier.

Nail clipping injury

Injuries can be of two types: damage to the pulp and undermining the claw. With any of them, the procedure should be stopped immediately and the dog should be given first aid.

If pulp damage occurs, you must:

treat the wound with a special powder that will help stop the bleeding;
in no case should you use preparations containing alcohol, tk. they will only make the pain worse.

Undermining the claw occurs when the nail clipper is compressed slowly, and the dog at this moment sharply pulls the paw. As a result, the skin, and sometimes soft tissues are torn. The wound turns out to be quite deep, you should act quickly:

the wounded paw must be pulled with a bandage in the wrist, raised higher and fixed in this position;
to stop the bleeding and alleviate the pain, applied to the wound cold compress- ice wrapped in a towel;
after stopping the bleeding, the damaged area of \u200b\u200bthe skin should be smeared with a healing ointment and bandaged;
the dog should be monitored so that it does not wet the injured limb.
If the wound turned out to be large, the animal must be taken to the veterinarian immediately. Sewing may be required.

In conclusion, we can say that the success of the procedure is guaranteed not by the absence of injuries (they also happen to experienced doctors), but by a patient, attentive, loving approach to the pet. And if you do not rush, over time the dog will get used to it and learn to perceive the haircut as something ordinary and not at all scary.

Additionally, check out the video on how to properly trim your dog's nails:

The cat's nails should be trimmed so that they do not exfoliate or break. In addition, it is useful to cut off the sharp tips if the cat likes to scratch and stomp with its paws. It's pretty simple procedure if you learn to do everything right. In this article, we'll show you how it's done.

Steps

Preparing the cat

Stroke the cat's paws. Many cats naturally dislike being touched on their paws, so the first thing you need to do is get your pet accustomed to ghosting.

Wait for the moment when the cat will lie quietly.
Start gently stroking the cat's paws, while stroking it in those places where it likes (up and down the neck, at the junction of the back and tail, and so on).
Do this for each paw that needs to be trimmed.
The cat may fold its paws or even get up and walk away. Don't block it. Do not force the cat, but at every opportunity try to stroke the paws.
Each time your cat allows you to pet her paws, give her treats and praise her so that she has pleasant associations with this process.

Hold the cat's paws. When your cat gets used to paw strokes, start to gently pick up the paws.
- Place your palm on the cat's paw, then turn your hand over so that the paw is on the open palm.
- Give your cat treats and pet her. Buy a special treat that will be designed to trim the claws.
Massage your paws. When your cat gets used to being touched, start massaging the paws with your fingers.
- Grab the paw on both sides and massage it. Do the same for all the paws that need to have their nails trimmed.
- Reward your cat with petting and treats.
Examine the claws of the animal. Over time, the cat will begin to calmly allow you to squeeze the paws (you should press on the pads) so that the claws show on the surface.

Train your cat for nail trimming. If the cat sits correctly, it will be less likely to break out during the procedure.

Do-it-yourself nail clipping
1. Find the right time to trim your cat's nails. You can't do it when you feel like it. You should choose a time when your cat is relaxed, getting ready for a nap or waking up, or simply relaxing in her favorite spot during the daytime.
  - Try trimming your cat's nails when the cat has eaten, purrs contentedly, or falls asleep.
  - Don't try to trim your cat's nails right after she's playing, when she's hungry, when she's running around the house, or when she's acting aggressive. The animal in an excited state will not allow cutting its claws.
  - You may notice that the cat has broken or split the claw, which requires immediate trimming, but you should just remember this and wait until the cat calms down, otherwise you will only make the situation worse.
2. Use the right tools. Before you start trimming your nails, it is important to prepare the right tools. You will need a special cat nail clipper and a hemostatic agent.
  - There are several types of nail cutters, and they all look alike. It is important to use a sharp nail cutter so that it quickly and accurately cuts off the sharp tips. A blunt nail cutter will not only complicate and lengthen the process - it can touch the sensitive area at the base of the claw and cause pain. The two main types of nail clippers are scissors and guillotine tongs.
  - Scissors cut claws like paper, and usually such nail cutters are different sizes. It is better to use small scissors if you have not done this before or if you need to cut only the very tip. Large scissors are suitable for cutting old and hard nails.
  - Guillotine-type tongs are equipped with a moving blade that cuts off the claw when the handles are squeezed. The claw is placed in a recess through which the blade then passes. These are fairly durable nail cutters that are suitable for cutting long and thick nails (but not for nails that have grown too long - it is better to use large scissors for this).
  - If the nail cutter is sharp, the cat will not feel discomfort. Nail cutters dull over time, so replace them or sharpen them if you feel that the blades are no longer as sharp as they used to be. Signs of a dull blade are the need to exert great effort in order to cut the claw, and an uneven cut edge.
  - Keep an antiseptic or hemostatic on hand in case you touch the live part of the claw (in cats this is more difficult than in dogs, since this area is much smaller in cats). You can buy a hemostatic pencil. Substances in its composition will cauterize blood vessels and stop bleeding. If you touch the live part of the claw, press the pencil to the wound for 1-2 minutes, and the blood will stop oozing.
3. Find the place where the live part of the claw ends. Make sure you can see this border before you move on to cutting. The living area is a pink triangle inside the claw.
  - If you've never done this before, cut off just the tip. Over time, as you get more comfortable with your hand, you will be able to cut the claw closer to the live area. Do not touch this area, otherwise the cat will be hurt, and blood will come out of the wound.
4. Trim all nails with a nail cutter. Take the cat as described above and start clipping the nails one by one. Position the nail cutter so that the blade is halfway between the tip and the live part of the nail.
  - Try to point the tool so that the blade cuts the claw from top to bottom. This will avoid breaking the claws.
  - Keep calm. The cat may struggle, meow, scratch, but do not yell at her and do not try to speed up the process, otherwise you will hurt the animal or scare it so much that it will never allow you to repeat this procedure again.
  - You may be able to trim just a couple of nails at a time at first.
5. Give the cat a treat. Praise your cat for letting you cut its nails and reward it for doing so.
  - Let the delicacy be special - red fish, chicken or cheese. Some cats also like sour cream and butter.
  - A special delicacy will evoke pleasant associations with nail trimming. Although it will not be very pleasant to endure the procedure, the cat will want to receive a treat, so there will be less resistance in the future.
6. Regularly inspect the claws of the animal. All cats have claws growing from different speed, but it is generally recommended to prune them every 2-4 weeks so that they do not grow too long and break off.

Bringing a small fluffy ball into the house, we rejoice in it and do not think about all the difficulties of keeping a cat at home. But in addition to silky fur and clear eyes, the charming purr also has very sharp claws.

Like a human fingernail, a cat's claws grow throughout their lives. If street cats successfully grind their length on asphalt or hard ground, sharpen on tree trunks, then at home, animals often simply have nowhere to do this. And then expensive furniture, leather sofas and valuable upholstery of chairs and armchairs are used. Having played out, the animal can accidentally injure severely with its claws small child, and this threatens with unpleasant infections.

In such a situation, the owners have to think about what the cat would need at home. This may also lead to common problem domestic cats - ingrowth of a claw into a fingertip. Because of the pain, the animal cannot move normally, and the resulting wound can become very inflamed. To prevent this from happening, owners need to know how to properly trim a cat's claws.

The structure of the cat's claws

Many who have tried to figure out how to cut a cat's claws know that their structure in a cat is different from human nails. For us, cutting nails is a simple procedure, it can only hurt if you cut them too short. Cats have pulp in their claws - living tissue pierced blood vessels, this is common to all cats. If too much is cut off, the claw will bleed and it will hurt the animal to walk. In addition, such a wound on the paw is an open gate for infection.

Due to the peculiarities of the structure, many are concerned about the question of whether it is possible to cut the claws of cats. You can do this, but only very carefully and special tools. If the owner is doing this for the first time, then it is better if the veterinarian or groomer shows him how to trim the nails without slightest harm. Many pet salons offer this service, so trimming can be done along with other care - washing and combing the hair, cleaning the ears.