Today I noticed that my dog's nails were getting so long that she'd be sliding around on the floor when walking, so I went out and bought a dog nail clipper ... and learned the hard way about cutting too far up. I was clipping along fine, had done three nails with no problems, then i made a cut and she yelped and took off to her bed. Went down there and there was blood all over her foot. oops. Took about a half hour for the bleeding to stop.

Fried her up some hamburger to make amends.

Anyone have similar problems? I think I'll take her to the vet and have him finish the job.

the"quick" on the nail is hard to find in dark colored nails...(the spot that is enervated and has blood flow) get yourself a side cutter and make sure you have anti coagulent handy..next time..that is if your pup will allow anyone to touch her nails after this incident...they get a little shy after a bad nail day..
what we do with long nails is just cut the tips off every couple of weeks..if you clip a small amount off regularly the quick seems shrink back farther and you can cut them closer and closer without pain and blood loss..and then keep the nails shorter...just dont  try to cut too much...If you cant see the quick..go to a pet groomer rather than a vet..save ya some money

What 9divdoc says is true.  If you clip off a little once a week or so, the vein in the nail will retract more and more each week.

My Lab hates nail clipping time and seems to know when to hide when I open the drawer we keep the clippers in.  She's still pretty ative and keeps her nails trimmed down by running on the back porch and street but her dew claws (the little nail on the front legs) need to be trimmed.  Man, she hates that.  I stopped fighting it and new we take her to a groomer for the clippings.

They sell a little septic pen at the pet store for stopping the bleeding but you can get the same product at a drug store and save on "the pet store markup".

[url=http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/ClientED/dog_nails.htm]Yep[/url]

I clipped my dogs nails once and she hated it. she went absolutely nuts. Ever since then she chews on her nails to keep them trimmed. That is fine with me.

I cut the nails on our dog AND our two cats every 2 weeks.  One cat and the dog don't mind too much.  One cat, the large tom, hates it.  Doesn't bite, though...

I have a little trouble trimming mine.

[img]http://www.naturalhorsetrim.com/PJ_Feb27_2000_rightside.jpg[/img]

Err dont you mean coagulent, an anti-coagulent is if you want it to bleed more.

You should definitely have styptic powder powder there to stop the bleeding if you cut too far.

Also, in the vetmed link (good info, BTW), they show a cut that's kind of diagonal or even vertical on the nail.  This is from a side perspective as if the dog were standing.

I was taught to put the scissors or clippers along the bottom (underside) of the toenail and just cut off the part of the nail that protrudes through the clipper.  That way you are less likely to cut into the quick.  You're just cutting off the "hook" that curves below the bottom of the nail.

Don't know if I explained that well enough, but if you look at these photos from the vetmed link, you can see the yellow line is kind of at a diagonal angle.  I wish I had access to a photo program here -- I'd draw another colored line extending the bottom flat portion of the nail out through the front.  That's the area you should be cutting (to avoid the thin end of the quick, which is hard to see).

[img]http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/ClientED/images/dog_nails/label.jpg[/img]

In this picture you can see how they're cutting almost perpendicular to the dog's nail.

[img]http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/ClientED/images/dog_nails/whitenail.JPG[/img]

And finall, when it's cut, you can see how it gets close to the top thinning (and hard to see) portion of the quick.

[img]http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/ClientED/images/dog_nails/correct_light.JPG[/img]

I would try to hold the clipper more like the following picture, placing it up along the underside of the nail.

[img]http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/ClientED/images/cat_nails/clipper2b.jpg[/img]

I hope the pictures make this description at least somewhat understandable.  This method seems to be an easy and safe method for vets to teach and pet owners to use.  It may not be as aggressive of a cut, but for those us us that don't do this to ten dogs a day, well maybe we should be a bit more conservative.  Our breeder on the other hand has been doing this for decades and can make a much more aggressive cut for a shorter nail without hurting the dog.

Even so, occassionally even professionals cut a little too close.  Your pup will forgive you.  A sore nail is probably better than a repeated pulled muscle from sliding around on hardwood floors.

EDITED for typo.  Ran out of time, but I'm sure there are others....

I would hate to see your fingernails.  

Above is some good info.  My.02 is for dogs with dark nails, like mine.  light the nail up from behind with your Surefire, you will see the quick.  

ROFL.
Some good advice here.
Be sure to do something to keep the quick in the nails from getting infected. Could be major vet bills.
We let the groomer clip the nails on our dog.

QuietShootr is doing this right now...yet another great use for the Surefire.  Our poor dog thanks you for the idea!

BTW, we have used the little sanding thing on a dremel tool to file their nails as well.  Our dogs don't seem to mind it, but they HATE the nail clippers.  Luckily, we haven't had to trim one of them in more than 2 years becuase he rolls huge rocks around and wears them down.

We have a little tool we use. Works well. (I don't want any shit about the little tool!)

I have a poodle, and he is so hopped up on Crank that I can never get him to sit still for "clipping" !

[img]http://64.242.166.152/antiussa1.jpg[/img]

If your dog has dark nails, my advice is to stay away from clippers.  I tried to clip my Rhodesian Ridgeback's nails and caused her pain.  She looked at me like I was some kind of psycho for about a month.  Made me feel terrible, and she got lots of steak and other treats.  Very expensive.

If your dog fetches, or will jog with you, head out to the asphalt (not in the summer, it will COOK a dogs feet!).  Playing fetch on paved roads/parking lots will take the dog's nails down fast.

If your dog does not do the above, get a dog nail file.  Spend a few minutes before dinner (the dog's) each nite filing away, and the problem is solved without any bloodshed or antipathy.  The dog will look forward to the filing, as it means dinner is coming up.

Why risk the suffering when a simple solution is at hand?  I still feel bad thinking about poor old Sal's toenail bleeding like that... Arg!!!!

Okay, I finally got home and gave it a shot on Photosuite.

Here along the bright orange line is where our vets recommend clipping a dogs nails.  It doesn't get them as short as possible, however if done correctly (after checking for the quick first) it is very conservative and "safe."  Unless your dogs nails are super long, there is much less chance of cutting into the quick with this method.

[img]http://photos.ar15.com/ImageGallery/IG_LoadImage.asp?iImageUnq=3009[/img]

Keep in mind that I'm not a vet.  Don't even play one on TV.  [;)]  So YMMV.  I'd actually recommend that you have your vet teach you how to do it during your dog's next check-up.

Ngog_Nrythrng also recommends a really good method.  We will have to try the filing method.  I have heard that the dogs tolerate it much better than clippers.

I'm all for avoiding pain to your pooch.  My dogs don't like the clippers and struggle.  We've started spending lots of time during petting time playing with their paws and nails.  Should help with grooming too (I do that as well).

I have heard of dog people using Dremel tools with some sort of sanding disk or drum to sand down the nails.  There is a web site out there somewhere explaining it.

GunLvr

Ouch!!!