How to (painlessly) trim your dog's nails

Okay, so the picture is kind of comical...but in reality, cutting the quick is very painful and unnecessary! After working in an animal clinic for over two years, I saw my fair share of nails cut past the quick. I always felt terrible for the dog, and made sure to do my best not to cut too short. It's got to hurt! Anyway, here's some information for you dog owners out there! :)

The nail basically consists of the outer casing (the black or white portion), the "quick" which is the tissue that contains the blood and nerve supply of the nail, and a bone called the distal phalanx. The outer casing is directly in contact with the skin covering the bone. That being said, if a nail is cut too short it is most likely going to cut the quick causing bleeding and pain, or could even cut the bone (ouch!). 

The quick can easily be seen in dogs with white/clear nails (just look for the pink portion under the nail). On dogs with black nails, it is hard to see the quick, so trimming can be a little difficult. The best way to safely cut a dogs nails (when they are moderately long) is to trim little by little over a period of a few days. By trimming small amounts, the quick will recede and become shorter, making it much easier and less painful to clip the nails short! The longer the nails grow, the longer the blood supply becomes, so regular trims are recommended. And one more tip - if you cut the nail at an angle towards you (as seen in the picture), you are less likely to cause bleeding, and the bottom of the nail will have a better contact with the ground, allowing it to be filed naturally by concrete.

Happy trimming!