Dog Nail Clippers and Styptic Powder

Before we start trimming our dog’s nails, it’s important to choose and understand how to use equipment for best results. Don’t forget, plenty of treats should be used when introducing nail trims and clippers and when using styptic powder.

Choosing Nail Clippers for Your Dog

When choosing dog nail trimmers, look for the:

• Correct size of hand-held nail clippers in proportion to your dog’s nail size.
• Sharpness in the nail trimmers. If dull, they will squeeze the nail instead of trimming it, which causes pain.

Plier Style Nail Clippers

After using different types of nail trimmers, I find the plier style works much better. The guillotine style tends to squeeze the nail before trimming while the plier nail clippers cut the nail instead of painfully squeezing. For dogs under 40 pounds, small plier style nail clippers are easier to use, as they fit between the nail and pad area easily. For dogs over 40 pounds, large plier clippers are wider with a large nail trimmer circumference to trim a large nail without squeezing.

VIDEO: Choosing Dog Nail Clippers

Styptic Powder

Since quicks are the blood supply for your dog’s nails, they will bleed if cut and sometimes even if lightly nicked. It’s best to have styptic powder handy when trimming dog nails to stop bleeding quickly. Styptic powder contains coagulant ingredients, which stop bleeding quickly. Some brands contain benzocaine, which also blocks pain.

Using Styptic Powder

If your dog’s nail starts to bleed, don’t panic. Pinch a small amount of styptic powder between your thumb and index finger. Now, press powder against the bleeding nail and hold. Most dogs will try to pull their paws away, as it hurts.

Prevent a wrestling match and drop your remaining treats in front of his nose so he’ll munch away while you’re holding styptic powder in place. After one to two minutes of pressure, the nail should stop bleeding. End your nail trim session for the day and bring your dog outside for a quick potty break. This allows you both a chance to unwind and prevents your dog from licking his hurt nail, which can cause bleeding to start up again.