Trimming Nails and Bleeding Quick

[Carol and Banjo]

Banjo has always been a doll about letting me trim his nails.   Today was no exception.  EVEN after I trimmed one too close!!!!   Bad mom!!!!    I had already moved on to his back paws....totally unaware that I had trimmed a nail too short and totally unaware that he was bleeding!   He never winced, pulled back his paw....nothing.    I wasn't even sure what to do....I didn't have any septic (?) powder in the house.  I placed him in his crate and proceeded to clean the blood from the carpet before it dried.  Then I wrapped a clean cloth around his paw - and held it in place all the while feeding him treats while we waited for the bleeding to stop. It's been about an hour since this happened and he's fine ... just laying here at my feet...and licking at the paw a little bit.    I went online to see what I could or should do and read that I should clean it, put antiseptic on it and wrap it.   I have no idea how I could wrap his paw without him taking it off immediately!    I'm afraid to put anything on it...as he'll lick that off as well.   Is it alright to just keep him quite and in the house for the afternoon?    I don't want it to get infected.   What is the best thing to do here?

[Taylor & Huff]

No, he should be fine. It happens to groomers all the time. When (or if) it happens next time just have some kwik stop to put on it to stop the bleeding. I think he should be fine for now though. Good luck!:)

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

I agree with Caitlin although honestly I haven't ever had to deal with this issue and hope I never do!!! Anyhow, I would think it should be fine now that the bleeding has stopped but it would be good to check it after he goes outside and perhaps clean it with hydrogen peroxide at that time if need be.

What a GOOD boy you have!!! I know this can be really painful and some dogs even bite the person who is trimming when this happens. So the fact that Banjo stayed so CALM is awesome!!

[Carol and Banjo]

Thanks everyone! I'm going to take him outside now as he's by the door asking to go out....I'll apply the hydrogen peroxide when we come back in.

[Kemp Rader]

Carol,

I'll send you some styptic powder for future mishaps....I have a few containers at my store.
Just email your address to me at [e-mail] and I'll put it in the mail. :-)

Kemp
Doodle Country Store

[Carol and Banjo]

That's very kind of you Kemp! DH picked some up last night.....I hope I'll never need to use it again!!

[Barb @ Gemstone Labradoodles]

Unfortunately this is quite common and happens to the best of us. I have heard that pepper will work as a stopper, but I haven't tried it.

In the winter, I put my dog outside in the snow if cut a nail too short. That stops it fast and they think they are going out to play and forget about the nail.

I have never had one get infected, but I don't put the dog outside in the summer with a bleeding nail either.

Sometimes you can cut the nail and it is so close to the quick that you just miss it by a layer or 2. These nails might bleed a bit later when the dog contacts a rough surface.

When you cut the nail, you should see a small white dot at the end of the nail. If this dot is red, you are very, very close to the quick. These are the ones that might bleed a few minutes later.

[Carol and Banjo]

I think I remember reading somewhere that if you clip your dogs nails just a tiny bit but on a regular basis the quick will recede and not be as vulnerable. If this is so I'm going to make it a point to trim (just barely!) his nails every week. He's so cooperative .... I'll just add it to his brushing routine.

[Deb, Connor & Simon]

I had almost exactly the same thing happen to me one day with my collie. I called my vet's office and they told me to use corn starch to stop the bleeding. Per their instructions, I put some in the bottom of a cup and stuck his foot/toe in it. It did the job very well.

[Elizabeth Meehan]

Hello all this is a very comon thing, but for those how do not have quick stop on hand, comon house hold flower take a pinch and press it against the quick that you exposed, hold until it stops bleeding, another is ice water )but this dose take much longer if it was a big quick) the ice water cause the quick to shrink helping in the bleeding. keeping the dog calm helps as well, if the blood is pumping it will not stop for a while. A nail grinder is the best solution to this and it makes the quick reside MUCH faster. I use a dremel from home depot. Oh yes ear powder can help as well I'm sure most doodle owners should have that one in stock LOL.

[F, Calla & Luca]

How do those of you who use a Dremel keep the hair from getting caught? I do the nails alone so there are no extra hands.