As we’re practicing, it’s time to make sure our equipment is ready.
There are several options for shortening nails, and you might find you or your pet prefers one to another. We’ll talk about several, so let’s look at the choices.
Traditional Nail Trimmers
These come in a couple of designs. Whatever your preference, if your clippers are older or dull, have them sharpened or replace them. Dull blades are more likely to slip, just like dull knives, and dull blades can pinch the nail painfully instead of cutting cleanly.
This is the older style of guillotine clippers. The nail goes through the hole, and then a blade slices through the nail. These work better on small nails than large.
Some people like this style for small animals, but it’s quite fidgety to get the nail into the hole, and then it’s far too easy to slip and cut higher up the nail than intended, resulting in a bloody error. Because it cuts from only one side, it may feel like more pressure on the nail, especially if dulled.
These scissors-style nail clippers are a better option for small pets, in my opinion, being more natural for most people to use. You can use these on cats, rabbits, small dogs, and other small animals.
You can find these at Amazon or at your local pet supply retailer.
This is a pliers-style design, specifically Epica brand. This style feels more comfortable for many people and offers better visibility and control for most. The curved blades don’t slip easily.
Most models, including this one, have a rotating guard to prevent slipping too far up the nail, but these are rarely the perfect length for an individual pet and we’re not going to rely on it anyway.
You can buy this one at Amazon or your local pet supply retailer.
Nail Grinders
If you are worried about “quicking” your pet (cutting too high on the nail so that you cut into the blood vessel, like tearing a nail too deeply on your finger) or if you want smooth, rounded edges instead of sharp cuts, consider a nail grinder.
These take a little longer but offer more safety; it’s hard to quick a pet by accident. However, you do need caution with a grinder as well. Dogs or cats with long hair on their feet might be tangled in the spinning head; you can slip hosiery over the paw to control hair, but that’s more fussing to teach your pet to tolerate. Good grinders will have a head cover to help shield and reduce risk.
Grinders are pretty quiet now, but they still have vibration, and some animals take longer to acclimate and some just plain don’t like it. Be prepared to invest more time and treats if you want to introduce a grinder.
You might sometimes see advice to use a Dremel or similar workshop grinder on toenails. This is possible, but be careful! Workshop grinders can spin much faster than purpose-designed nail grinders, and that extra speed can turn into extra friction, and it’s possible to burn the quick. If you use a workshop grinder, keep it at low speeds.
The best pet nail grinders have adjustable speeds and a built-in light to help illuminate your work.
Styptic Powder
While our training should result in a low risk of quicking, it might be reassuring for some to have some styptic powder on hand. This helps any accidental cut to clot quickly and (if medicated) also reduces the sting (but never the guilt!). Just press powder onto the nail for a few seconds. In a pinch, you can also try corn starch, but it’s not as effective.
Don’t worry — we’ll talk about how to prevent an accidental quicking and what to do if it somehow happens. With good equipment and careful technique, however, it is unlikely.
A Cheap Pen
Grab a cheap ballpoint pen. No, not that nice one — a really cheap one, probably free from a motel or home decorating expo. You want one with a plastic clip that sticks out a bit from the body and maybe has some flex to it. (Feel free to add some bend yourself to that cheap pen you found.)
Now, let’s get back to training!