How the flying f*ck do you dremel down a small fluffy dog’s nails?

[prayforsne]

We’ve gone through the desensitization process and we’ve just started actually dremeling. He’s 10lbs and long haired - I trimmed down his fur around his paws but there’s inevitably some rouge pieces.

Because his paws are so small, I can’t get the drum under the nail without it catching the paw pad.

Suggestions?

picture of his paw in the comment threads

 

[jhonny7]

@prayforsne I cant really figure out how to explain this lol but the direction of rotation makes a difference for me. One direction will cause it to kind of skip on the nail while the other makes it so you can sort of just press the nail on to it. only way I can think to describe it is I like to have the bit rotating towards the dogs pad but away from the body? I hold on to each toe individually when I dremel (like whole paw in my hand but I’ll pull one toe to the side between my thumb and pointer finger) which I feel gives more control and you can kind of isolate the toe and pull the hair back so theres nothing in the way. I usually have my thumb covering the paw pad for the most part and just the nail sticks out so if anything I dremel my own thumb nail accidentally. Also holding the dremel closer to the bit rather than back on the main body of the device gives you more control. Main thing is really just you have to hold on to the paw and dremel tightly so it cant like fling around while youre doing it.

 

[prayforsne]

@jhonny7 So that definitely makes sense and I haven’t actually caught his paw pad as I’m exercising caution - but the diameter of the sander is greater than the space between his nail and his toe, if that makes sense. I isolate each nail and pull back the fur but he’s a Havanese so he’s fluffy and he has fur freakin everywhere so I can’t get all of it. I can pull back most of it but I know all it takes is one time of getting fur caught in the rotating doohickey and then it’s game over. He’s got a small bit of fur that grows straight flush with the nail so it’s damn near impossible to pull it away from the nail.

 

[jhonny7]

@prayforsne If its the fur youre worried about catching you can get like a hairnet, fishnets stockings, something like that and pull it over the paw so just the nails are poking out the holes! A groomer at my last job had a little net for that purpose and I was like holy shit, thats genius

 

[prayforsne]

@jhonny7 I should try stockings! I had read that hack somewhere so took a piece of knit fabric and cut a hole in it but it was too bulky in application and didn’t allow enough of the nail to peek through. The stocking would def be less thick though. I can see why it’s so much easier to dremel large dog’s nails.

 

[jhonny7]

@prayforsne With some of my smaller dogs instead of trying to use it sideways how youre supposed to, ill hold it so the tip is at a right angle to the nail and kind of like swish it side to side but it does skip a lot easier like that

 

[keonhanh]

@jhonny7 I'm going to have to try that with my poodle. It's not an issue for most nails with the clean feet, but her front dew claws are surrounded by fluff! I've caught the fur a couple times. She doesn't seem to care, but I do!

Edit: typo

 

[prayforsne]

@keonhanh Oh my lord - don’t even get me started on the dew claws. My guy has one on each paw. And his back back ones are super wonky/ didn’t form right in utero.

 

[jhonny7]

@prayforsne I havent ever bought extra bits but Id be willing to bet they have smaller ones you can order online as well, like the ones they use at human nail salons

 

[prayforsne]

@jhonny7 Was thinking the same thing. Is there a particular material I should look for or stay away from? I’ve seen smaller stone bits and regular size diamond bits in addition to the regular cardboard ones online.

 

[jhonny7]

@prayforsne AFAIK the only difference is that diamond bits rarely if ever need to be replaced but I would recommend googling some more about that because I’ve never actually bought new bits myself or looked into it further.

 

[prayforsne]

@jhonny7 Ok thanks for your input!

 

[qwx]

@prayforsne The Dimond bits like these Dimond bits

Have a smooth edge on the lip of the top and then a bowl of rough stuff on top. If you come at the nail straight on, you can get it in that bowl under tightly hooked nails and the smooth edge doesn't hurt if it touches the pad (it actually doesn't, ive felt it plenty. These bits also get more snug on the dremel so less chance of getting hair caught

 

[prayforsne]

@qwx Have you tried this one in particular? I looked at that one quite a bit and the mix of great and terrible reviews left me confused so I didn’t purchase. But would like to get a diamond bit. Or even a smaller diameter cardboard one.

 

[qwx]

@prayforsne I do use this shape in particular, I believe it was from Amazon, but I use the large version and have had it since July last year. I comfortably use the large on smaller dogs, but if it's just your dog, I would probably go with the small. The tip, the bowl I'm talking about, absolutely does take longer to grind nail than the usual sandpaper or even the side of the dimond bit does. For the tight hooks, I use the bowl to get the nail spaced far enough to use the side of the drum for efficiency.
Some of the reviews mention it getting hot. I'm sure it will eventually, but if it's getting too hot to the touch from just one dog's nails, I'd bet you have a motor problem in your dremel.
There's also some reviews of it not fitting the dremel but i think there was probably just some user error there. It doesn't get pinched into the chuck like the traditional sandpaper drums. It screws around it. That's the main reason it doesn't catch hair so bad.

 

[prayforsne]

@qwx Awesome. Thank you so much for that feedback! I’ll give it a go. It just just my dog so I’ll try the small one.

 

[mike1234]

@prayforsne You can def try smaller bits, but I just got a diamond bit a month or so ago and they all have a "finishing cup" at the end that I find to be perfect for those small spaces and super curly nails. Personally, I got the Domino Shears one and I love it.

 

[prayforsne]

@mike1234 Thanks! I’ll look into that one

 

[mo]

@jhonny7 You just described exactly how I do it. I have a permanent divit in my thumb nail from dogs jerking and bumping the dremel into it.

 

[lvw]

@mo Expensive but it’s real diamond so you’d never have to go get another one, whitmans dimagroove is the best!