Dog Community

Does the quick really shrink???

Posted : 4/18/2006 3:57:30 PM

I have been told that if you trim a dogs nails frequently the quick will begin to shrink so that you can keep them shorter. Can anyone confirm whether this is true and how often do you need to trim the nails?

I have two Beagles and I trim their nails with a dremmel every two weeks. They get regular walks which helps, but the nails grow so fast. One dog is bow-legged and pigeon-toed--yes, he got a double whammy--so even after a good trimming, I can still hear a few toes click on the kitchen floor because of the way he stands.

Amanda

Posted : 4/18/2006 4:40:06 PM

I have good news and bad news...
It's true to a certain point. If you trim your dogs nails like every week you MAY notice the quick move back a little.
But as people who have gotten "show trims" will tell you, even when you take the nail off and cut the quick and then pack it, it'll still be there when the nail grows back.
I give all of my dogs a total grooming and peticure on a weekly basis (out of necessity... I have wood floors!) and yet one of them STILL has long quicks and there's nothing I can do about it. So unless you want to show trim your dogs, you still have to live with the "pitter patter of little dog feet"

griffinej5

Posted : 4/18/2006 4:51:42 PM

If you cut their nails, or rather dremel them perpendicular to the floor, the won't click. I finally got my Doberman to let me dremel her nails, she hates it, but they are perpendicular to the floor and for the first time in over a year they don't click.

thedoc617

Posted : 4/18/2006 5:29:02 PM

I've got a bow-legged AND pigeon toed dog! Welcome to the club! [

]

Well, I have been doing nail trims for about 2 years now, and I really don't see a significant difference in nail trims once a week, I haven't seen it reduce the quick by very much at all.

If you REALLY want the quick "shrunk" or reduced, you can get a "quick-back" at the vet's office. They put the dog under general anesthesia, and quick the nails and cauterize them. Only problem is that recovery can be painful, and you have to have it a couple times a year (depending on how fast your pup's nails grow). I would only reccomend that to older dogs with nails that curl under and the quick is that long. After a while, the toes start to splay funny.

jennie_c_d

Posted : 4/18/2006 10:10:35 PM

I've seen my dogs' nails go back pretty significantly, but I dremel til they're a little in the quick (it sounds WAY worse than it is... it doesn't bleed at all). I worked Teenie's back quite a bit before she got her dental and they whacked them off for me.

Stephanie H.

Posted : 4/20/2006 7:21:18 AM

Thanks for the responses. It seems you have to play it by ear and see what happens. Neither of my dogs likes the dremmel, but it is so much faster and I am able to cut their nails shorter than with the manual trimmers. Getting a treat after every foot they let my do without a major fuss helps. I will try trimming them weekly and see what happens. Thanks again for the help.

fancypants1

Posted : 4/21/2006 8:26:01 AM

The quick will only recede if the nail is cut, or dremeled correctly. You have to cut it short enough where when the dog walks pressure will be put on the nail tip. That is why dremeling works so well. With dogs with white nails, you can actually see the quick recede as you get closer to it.