Do you trim your dogs’ and/or cats’ nails yourself at home? If you’re like me, very conservative in your trims, then Zen Clipper – winner of Best in Show at the 2014 Global Pet Expo – can help take away a bit of the stress and worry about nicking your pets’ quick and drawing blood. Most of us who have trimmed at home have probably done this at least once. (BTW, you can read my recent post about Luke’s broken nail and how to stop that bleeding by following those links).
The idea behind Zen Clipper is to greatly reduce the chances of that happening, and to make trims easier for you to do yourself. Other than Luke, who won’t let me trim his nails, I trim both our beagle Cricket’s and cat Samantha’s nails at home. If they are visiting the vet for another reason, I will often have their nails clipped then, but other than that I do it myself.
Disclaimer: I have been compensated for sharing information about Zen Clipper, but all opinions in this post are my own, and honest. Wag ‘n Woof Pets only shares products we have tried ourselves, and believe will be of interest to our readers.
Zen Clipper was designed and is machined, assembled, and packaged in the USA. These clippers were originally designed for use on cats, to help reduce the chances of splintering the nails and hitting that quick. Cat’s nails are pretty small, and it can be tough to see that quick! Sam’s nails definitely have that tendency to splinter too.
We got the opportunity to try these clippers for our beagle, Cricket. Cricket allows me to trim her nails, unlike Luke, though she is certainly not thrilled about the process and treats have to be involved! It’s difficult for me to see the quick on her nails, especially where some of her nails are black. If you’re old(er) like I am, eyesight can be an issue. You’ve either got to get those reading glasses out to see up close, or in my case, because I’m both near- and far-sighted, take my glasses off and try to get at the perfect distance to see, all while holding onto a squirming dog.
Zen Clipper sends you a handy guide, seen above, to select the best size for your pet. The conical shape of the clipper “Clips the Tip Not the Quick“. You don’t have to squint at the nail and try to get it in the perfect place. However, you still need to be cautious at first, and be sure you have the correct size. If you don’t, the company will exchange your clippers at no cost!
The package comes with clear instructions that you need to follow:
Cricket has some nails that are different sizes, so you can see that some of her nails don’t get clipped quite as short as others. For me, that’s OK, because they are still just as short as I would clip them myself with regular clippers. I’d also have the option to get a second pair in a bit larger size if I wanted to. I think her nails may be unusual in that way though, both Sam’s and Luke’s nails seem to be more consistent in size.
One other note: I have some arthritis and other issues with my hands. On my bad days, I found the clippers just a bit hard to squeeze. I have the same issue with regular clippers though, and on my good days I had no trouble with these. They seemed easier on my hand too. I also like that they seemed much quieter than our regular clippers, making things a bit less stressful for Cricket.
I definitely want to get these for Samantha. Her nails get super long, and I only dare to clip off the very tips of them (using human nail clippers, no less!). Zen Clipper can also be used for birds, reptiles, and other small animals.
You can hop on over to Zen Clipper and order your sizing guide free of charge, and then you’ll be all ready if you win our giveaway! We are giving away one pair of Zen Clippers to one lucky reader. Just fill out the widget below for your chance! If you don’t win, or don’t want to wait, you’ll be all set to order your clippers. Right now they are on sale for $19.95 and shipping is free to USA and Canada!
No purchase necessary. Update: Giveaway is open to 18 and over WORLDWIDE (excluding Iran and North Korea). Void where prohibited. Giveaway will run from Tuesday, March 21, 2017 through Sunday, March 26, 2017 at 11:59pm ET. One winner will be randomly selected by Rafflecopter and notified via email. The winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize; failure to do so will result in forfeiture of the prize. Participants must read and agree to Rafflecopter’s and Wag ‘n Woof Pet’s Privacy Policy before entering and participating in this promotion. Twitter and Facebook do not sponsor, administer or endorse this promotion. Prize is donated by Zen Clipper and Wag ‘n Woof Pets is not responsible for prize fulfillment.
I have 3 dogs and do them all myself! Sometimes I will have them done at the vet if we are already there
Those look like a good idea. My nails are like Cricket’s – mostly white but some black. I’m not sure that my dew claws would fit in the clipper as they’re really thick and don’t come to a point at all.
I used to get a treat per claw when I was a pup, but now I just get one treat and a hug for the whole lot! I’m not sure how I allowed that to happen.
Cricket gets one treat per paw, but definitely thinks she needs more than that! 🙂
Some of our late dogs had pretty thick nails too, those were really tough for me to clip sometimes! These do come in some larger sizes, so it’s possible they would be good for at least some larger dogs too.
These sound great! I trim Soth’s (with human clippers, too!) and I use a grinder on Barley’s nails (although this sounds easier and quicker), but Rye has to get hers done at the vet. We just did that on Tuesday and it took 3 people to get it done, so I just don’t have enough arms to do it myself.
One of my sister’s beagles had to have hers done at the vet, with multiple people helping! From what I’ve heard, everyone knew when she was at the office getting her nails clipped, because she was quite vocal!
We trim the dogs’ nails and the cat’s nails. Freighter is the worst. His nails are really hard and when they are clipped, they are like swords.
yes, i have 3 gals. the middle child is terrible, i let a vet office clip her nails one time and i dont know what they did but now she has to be put in la la land to do her nails. she just goes crazy and gets to upset. the other 2 gals are okay. the youngest will scream and you are not even touching her, she is a real talker though. if you look at her wrong she will cry like a baby. too spoiled.
Some dogs can be very melodramatic, can’t they? I always tells Cricket she is a real drama queen! 🙂
Luke will have to be sedated to have his done as well, but that goes for pretty much everything with him. It’s coming time we really need to do it (he needs a heartworm blood test too), and I’m really dreading it. Just glad we’re not the only ones that have to go through that.
I clip my dogs’ nails weekly. They both have dark nails so I cut the quick sometimes (and feel awful about it). I’d love to try the zen clipper!!!
You are so good to do them weekly – bi-weekly is usually the best I can do. Those dark nails are tough, so sounds like these would really help you a lot!
I am a total wimp when it comes to trimming all my pets nails. Ruby’s nails are black which makes me especially nervous. I would definitely be interested in giving these a try. I have some carpal tunnel in my hands and also have some problems with other trimmers so good to know these were a bit easier for you to use.
I don’t blame you at all, and I think you’d be more comfortable giving these a try. Ugh, carpal tunnel, that’s no fun! I might have some of that too, along with arthritis and trigger fingers. I’ve been through trigger finger surgery once already and they offered to do carpal tunnel at the same time, but I passed. 🙂 One thing at a time is enough for me!
I am a total wimp when it comes to trimming all my pets nails. Ruby’s nails are black which makes me especially nervous. I would definitely be interested in giving these a try. I have some carpal tunnel in my hands and also have some problems with other trimmers so good to know these were a bit easier for you to use.
These look awesome! I do clip their nails myself.
Not even the vet can trim my nails. Heh heh. I’m gonna let TW enter so I can draw some of her blood.
I don’t think I’d want to be the one tasked with trimming your nails, CK! Samantha puts up with it, but she’s been known to bite, so I’m always a bit leery, and normally do just one or two paws at a time!
I saw these when they came out… I don’t what I’ve been waiting for since I hate clipping nails, and some times I get hair caught in the dremmel.
I’ve never tried a dremmel, but getting hair caught in it doesn’t sound like it would go over very well! 🙂
i trim my cats nails but we get my dogs nails done professionally when he gets groomed
Yes, I always trim Bear’s claws myself … and then he refuses to “talk” to me for a couple hours afterward 🙂
Yes, I can see Bear not being too happy about that whole process! Does it send him under the bed to hide? 🙂
I am very ashamed to say that I’ve allowed Honey’s nails to get far too long. She’s okay with having them clipped. But I can’t bear to hit that quick. This sounds like a great solution–I’ve added it to my wish list (if I don’t win one first). 🙂
I am definitely guilty of letting them get too long too. I used to have a calendar to remind myself to do them at least once a month (but then I’d still go past that….), but I can’t seem to get myself that organized again!
Having a good tool like this definitely makes facing the task much easier though, so now that I have them, hopefully I can do better!
Neat clippers. Haven’t seen that one yet. Looks like it does a good job.
Oh and yes I do clip my own dog nails. Not MK as she is declawed.
I clip my dogs nails, but haven’t cut my cats before.
I had never clipped a cat’s nails until Samantha. She had an ingrown one once, and also hers tend to stick in things like carpet when she walks if I don’t keep after them. She scratches plenty, so I’m not sure why hers need to be clipped so much.
I really need these clippers. The other day, I was clipping Wally’s claws and got the quick. Oh I didn’t mean to! It was the first time I had done that in years. Poor Wally! ~Island Cat Mom
Aw, poor guy. I know, we feel so bad when we do it. Did it bother him much? When I did it to the dogs, it didn’t even seem to phase them at all.
That was a wonderful review! I have the Zen Clipper and tt sure works great for me and I love getting my claws trimmed!
I remember reading your review of them, and thought they sounded great. So when they asked me if I was interested, I didn’t even have to think about it!
Mom is forcing us to use the Dremel these days. We are not yet fans, but she insists we will become fans. As long as the claws are kept in check, that is the important thing. The kitties use a clipper that looks a lot like this one.
The Dremel would probably be easier on my hands when I’m having bad days with them; but I just hate to start all over with getting them used to something new.
Sometimes. I always get nervous to do it. I am afraid that I will cut off too much of the nail.
I know, I get nervous too, and sometimes that means I take off so little, I wonder if it’s even worth it!
You do a great job trimming their nails. We take the boys to the vet for their nail cuts. I think they sense my fear and use it to their advantage. BOL!
Now, would they do that? Cricket tries kissing me when I’m doing hers – trying to sweet talk me into stopping! 🙂
I take my Alex to the vet to get his nails clipped. I would prefer to clip them myself.
It can save you some money in the long run, and a trip to the vet, so that’s always good!
I used to trim Kissy’s nails all the time, but I was in my late 30s/40s/very early 50s back then. Now I’m in my early 60s, have a little arthritis in my hands and poor eyesight – like you – and am quite frankly a bit leery of trimming the girls’ nails. Especially Ducky’s because she’s such a squirmy girl. Maybe I’ll check these out for Shadow though.
Let me clarify that “like you” part – I meant the arthritis and poor eyesight, not your age. ????
You’re not that far ahead of me, Sue! 🙂
I don’t see anything wrong with having nails clipped at a vet or groomers if that’s your preference. Our vet will often do them for free too if they’re doing other things anyway. But, you know me, I prefer to do everything I can to just stay home. 🙂
No I don’t. I am so afraid of hurting them.
I have a Zen Clipper for our cats, and I love it! Very easy to use.
I’m somewhat terrified of trimming both Sam & Elsa’s nails. Neither are fans of having their feet handled. And yes, I’ll admit it. I am a chicken. Cluck, cluck, cluck. ????
🙂 I don’t blame you a bit!
That looks like a good product. I clip both the dogs, and Roxy is by far the hardest. Her nails are all dark.
I have two Boston’s and I do trim their nails myself. I’m always worried about cutting too much!
It’s tough to keep the dogs calm, when we’re worried ourselves! Though truth is, the two times I did get the quick (two different dogs), I think I was more upset about it than they were!