VNOS - Veterinary Nursing Skills Online Resource - Introduction The
Jeanne Marchig International Centre for Animal Welfare Education
* There is no audio on this video. The key points are:
How to clip nails video overview notes
- Have an assistant comfortably restrain the cat or dog. Offer delicious treats to distract from the nail clip if possible
- Pick
up the first paw and, if possible, identify where the quick
(innervated, vascularised core of the nail bed) is. With white nails it
will be easy to identify as it is pink and easily visible through the
nail. In black or brown nails, it cannot be visualised, and so prudent
nail clipping must be used, and an educated guess /experience relied
upon
- Place gentle pressure on a cat’s toe to extrude the nail and sweep aside long hair on a dog’s foot if necessary
- Using
your nail clippers, cut the nail just below the quick in a straight
line and ensure the line of cut is level with the pads e.g. when the
foot is placed on the floor, the nail will still naturally wear down and
‘grip’ the floor
- Do
not cut above or on the quick as it contains nerves and blood vessels
and therefore will be painful for the animal and bleed profusely
- Remember to check for a dew claw on each foot and include this in the clip