Trimming Nails

Dog’s nails are made from keratin, within the nail is a quick which is the blood supply to the nail. The quick appears pink in a white nail, but black nails completely mask the quick.

The Anatomy Of A Nail

The blood supply (quick) in a short nail.

Trimming A Long Nail

Note how the blood supply gets longer as the nail grows. Cutting through the quick will cause the nail to bleed. Cutting through the shell (second line) will cause the quick to get shorter.

Receding The Quick

If you clip or file a little bit off the long nail every few days, the blood supply will continue to recede.

Shortening The Quick

As the nail gets shorter, so does the blood supply.

Keeping The Nails Short

Only when the nail is kept short, can it be trimmed without bleeding.

A Properly Trimmed Nail

A properly trimmed nail.