Accidents do happen sometimes. Or, you can apply baking soda along with pressure. Dr. Paul reminds pet owners to trim their pet's dewclaws if their pet has them. If left untrimmed, dewclaws can get snagged and become injured. Be sure to check your older pet's nails even if the animal has always worn them down in the past.
Older pets become less active, and as a result their nails grow longer.
Your veterinarian can restrain the animal and tranquilize it if necessary during a nail trim.