How to Spot the Quick in a Dog's Nail

Trimming your dogs nails is a necessary part of his overall grooming. It is very important to know where the quick of his nail begins, so you don't accidentally cut into it. Not only does this hurt, but it causes excessive bleeding. Following the steps here will aide you in knowing when you are close to the quick during nail trimming.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Dog nail clippers
• Styptic powder

1. If your dog has light colored nails, it is much easier to determine where the quick is in the nail. The quick, or end of the vein, is usually a pink triangular shape inside the nail. Determining how far to cut on a light nail is easy when you can see the quick. Trimming within an acceptable range of the quick is suggested.

2. What if your dog has black or dark colored nails, and you can't see the quick? Well, this is more of a challenge. You need to take special care because if you cut the nails too short, your dog will bleed and you will have to control it with styptic powder.

3. In the hand opposite the clipper, push on the paw pad to expand the nail. With your clipper cut very thin slices of the nail. As you trim, you will be looking for a darker arch in the inside of nail. In the middle of this arch you will see a white tip. This is the quick. You want to be sure not to cut too close. Once you begin to see the quick, stop cutting.

4. With frequent nail trimming, the quick will recede more and more, allowing you to cut the nails shorter each time.

Tips & Warnings

• Always have styptic powder on hand while trimming your dogs nails in case of unexpected bleeding.