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with a snack. This process may take a couple of days or weeks.
Before long, both you and your pet will be able to relax and even
enjoy the grooming time that you share together.
Nail Anatomy
The nails/claws containing quick vessels described in this section
are relevant to several types of pets, including dogs and cats.
Before trimming your pet’s nails, you will need to identify the
quick. The diagram (Fig. 8) shows the basic anatomy of a pet’s
toenail. The outer nail is hard and has no feeling because it has
no nerve endings. The core of the nail is the quick. It is made up
of tiny blood vessels and nerve endings and is very sensitive. The
quick is a vein that “feeds” the toenail. Should you cut the quick
while trimming a nail, the nail will start to bleed.
Light colored nails are often transparent enough to allow you to
see the quick’s pink core. Dark colored nails may not allow you
to see where the quick is located. Pets may have both light and
dark colored nails that allow you to estimate the length of the
quick.
The diagram also shows an estimate of the proper angle at which
to trim a pet’s nails. A rule of thumb for the proper angle is 45
degrees upwards from the bottom of the paw. The proper angle
may vary according to the pet owner’s wishes or the pet’s unique
anatomy. Trim nails so that they almost touch the ground when
your pet is walking.
45°
Quick
Paw
Floor
Trim line
Nail / Claw
Fig. 8
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