How to Trim the Toenails of a Newborn Puppy

Puppies with sharp claws can make it uncomfortable for the mother dog to nurse them. Their nails can also get caught on the bedding, causing them to break. Not all puppies are born with long nails, but if the mother is showing signs of discomfort when nursing, or you see scratches on her stomach it's a good idea to check. Since newborn puppies have tiny nails, you don't need special dog nail trimmers to cut them. A pair of human nail clippers will work just fine.

Things You'll Need

  • Hand towel
  • Fingernail clippers
  • Styptic powder
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Instructions

    • 1

      Wrap the puppy in a hand towel so it won't get chilled. Puppies cannot regulate their own body temperature, so it's important they be kept warm.

    • 2

      Hold the puppy's paw in your hand and feel for any sharp edges on the claws.

    • 3

      Examine the claws. On light-colored claws, you should see a pink area inside the claw. This area is called the quick, and is filled with nerves and blood vessels. In dark colored claws, the quick is hidden. Do not cut into the quick, or the puppy will start bleeding.

    • 4

      Trim off the points of the claws using baby nail clippers. Only trim off the very end of the claws. Newborn puppy claws are small, and it's easy to accidentally cut the quick.

    • 5

      Apply styptic powder to the end of the claw if it bleeds. The powder will stop the bleeding.