[Dailydrool] Dremel

[meckler.12 at osu.edu]

I strongly recommend using a Dremel to trim Basset Hound nails. The nails are so hard, and so thick, and grow so quickly, that using a clipper will not allow you to get the nails short enough without cutting into the quick. Most Bassets I see on walks and visits have nails that are too long, causing the dogs to splay their toes in order to walk. If the nails appear hooked and you hear a loud “clack-clack-clack” every time the dog moves on a solid surface, the nails are too long.


The advantage of Dremeling is that you’re able to get the nail shorter than you would with nail clippers with less chance of cutting into the quick and hurting the dog. If you Dremel down into the quick, you’ll immediately notice a drop (not a flood, just a drop) of blood, and you stop immediately. Also, with the Dremel, you can go back a couple of days later, when the quick has receded a bit, and get the nails down a little more. It’s easier to do a gradual approach to shortening nails with a Dremel than with nail clippers, which I find are difficult to use if you’re trying to take off just a smidgen. 


With all that said, you need to get the correct Dremel to do nails. The first Dremel I bought was one of those plug-in models that was WAY too powerful. I figured out very quickly this was the wrong machine, so I then purchased a MiniMite 4.8 volt 2-speed cordless Dremel. This is the correct machine. I use the “high” speed, which is said to be 12,000 RPM. The “low” speed is 6,000 RPM, which I find doesn’t abrade the nail enough.


Dremel markets specificially to dog groomers a model called the Pet Nail Groomer, and the specs I read on it has the “high” speed at 20,000 RPM and the “low” speed at 10,000 RPM. If I had that model, I would likely be working at the lower speed.


Initially I used the regular sanding bands, but after reading a posting on the Daily Drool about 2 years ago, I switched to a diamond burr shank model CL 95 at standard grit (150 grit) manufactured by Lasco Diamond products out of California. You can purchase the shank online from their website, lascodiamond.com. It costs $13 and outlasts many Dremel sanding bands.


The diamond bit is a little longer and narrower than the Dremel sanding bands, and I find the diamond bit easier to manoeuvre around the nails. The Daily Drool post from two years ago (I wish I could find it to thank the woman who posted it) indicated that the diamond bit doesn’t get as hot as the sanding bands, so it’s more comfortable for the dog. I have a dog who fidgets (just because he wants to and realizes that his fidgeting during grooming annoys me, and deliberately annoying me is another activity he enjoys doing), so I find the better manoeuvrability of the diamond bit makes it more comfortable for me as well. BTW, I Dremel my dog while he’s laying on his side on top of a grooming table.


The only additional advice I have on a Dremel is to get additional batteries. This way, you can always have one charging while another is in use. One Basset with long nails could easily use up the charge on a single battery, so multiple batteries are essential. Also, from my experience, the batteries stop holding a charge after about 2 years of use, so you'll need replacements anyway.


Don’t be afraid to use a Dremel. The right Dremel, with the right sanding bit, will provide a pain-free, blood-free nail trimming experience for your hound. It is less expensive than paying someone every two weeks to trim nails (and nails need to be done AT LEAST every two weeks), and because you can do this at home, it’s much easier to keep those nails short to help keep your Basset mobile for years.
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