Recommend your (dog's) dremel...

[twowhat?]

Do you use cordless or corded? The kind with the grinding stone or the kind where you have to get the sandpaper to wrap around the spinning part? If sandpaper, what grit?

I'm a little clueless about dremels but really want to get one to help the quick recede on our dog's too-long nails and to smooth away all those rough edges.

[rlu]

I know what a dremmel is but never thought to use on dog nails. I'd ask your vet for a rec.

I'd think the grinding stone would be less work and you'll want to be quick in doing this (my dogs would've freaked if something like that came at them) so I would think the less steps the better but not sure if the grindstone would be too rough and cause the nail to tear.

[joules]

I use the one from WalMart. It's like $20 or so. No cord. It's called the Mini-Mite or something like that.

It comes with 2 sandpapers (along with a bunch of other things). I think one is a rough grit and one is a fine one. According to what I read on the web, you want to use the fine one. However, I just bought a new one (stupid nickle rechargeable battery, I wish it was the lithium one instead. The old one couldn't hold a charge for more than a day - this was after using it for 5+ years) - the rough one is already on the drum, I was too lazy to take it off so I used it without any problems. I will probably change it to the finer grit tho for the future.

This is the one from walmart, but it was like $19.xx at the store: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Dremel-7300-N-5-4.8V-MiniMite-Cordless-Rotary-Tool/15173820

[o_mom]

This page has lots of good info: http://homepages.udayton.edu/~jmerenski1/doberdawn/dremel/dremel.html

I got the $20-ish cordless one at Walmart and it has worked great. You do not want to use a grinding stone as they will heat up too much.

[twowhat?]

This page has lots of good info: http://homepages.udayton.edu/~jmerenski1/doberdawn/dremel/dremel.html

I got the $20-ish cordless one at Walmart and it has worked great. You do not want to use a grinding stone as they will heat up too much.

Fantastic website! Though now I'm a little intimidated:) Thanks for the link!

[o_mom]

Fantastic website! Though now I'm a little intimidated:) Thanks for the link!

It's not as complicated as that looks, just lots of good info there. I didn't do the 'one touch each day' bit that she has. I know my dog and I just had the kids feed her treats the first few times. Now she just lays there.

I usually start with grinding off the tip vertically, doing each one for a count of five or less. Then I go back over each one and round off the edges. I'm not going for the show dog look she has there, but just enough to keep them off the floor.

It's better to do a little at a time, so say once a week for the first few weeks if they are long. That will help move the quick back so you can get them shorter. Once they are short enough, you can go every few weeks.

[BayGirl2]

I got an as-seen-on-TV type one, specifically designed for dogs, at Bed Bath and Beyond. The Pedi-Paw I think?

Of course I've never been able to get my dog comfortable enough with the noise to actually use it. But she won't let me clip her either. So we let her nails grow out into Talons and then pay the vet to do it. PITA