It’s common to trim your dog’s nails too short and cause them to bleed. But did you know there are a few simple ways to quickly stop the bleeding? Although it can take a while to get your dog to trust you to trim his nails again, the wound is actually simple to treat. Most pet owners would use today’s best dog nail grinders to safely trim and shape dogs’ nails instead of clipping them. However, should you find yourself in an unlucky situation, here are five ways that will easily stop your dog’s nail from bleeding.
Styptic Powder
If you are looking for the fastest way to stop a dog’s nail from bleeding, use styptic powder. This is the most efficient and common way to stop bleeding. Groomers and veterinarians often use this powder to treat a minor cut and stop bleeding. Containing Benzocaine, the styptic powder works like a topical anesthetic to ease the pain while the included ferric subsulfate stops the bleeding.
When using styptic powder, you can use the applicator or dip the nail right in the powder. If you use a Q-tip or swab as an applicator, make sure you use some pressure on your dog’s nail for several minutes until the bleeding stops. Styptic pencils or powders are antihemorrhagic agents, which work to contract blood vessels, clot blood, and help to prevent bacteria from getting into your dog’s bloodstream.
If you cut your dog’s nails yourself, it can be a good idea to have styptic powder at home [1]. It’s easy to find in pet stores and pharmacies near the shaving section.
When using styptic powder, it should only take about 30 seconds to get the bleeding from your dog’s nail to stop by applying moderate pressure with a moistened applicator. Reapply the powder if the bleeding continues. If you are working with a calm dog, then you can just put his nail right into the styptic powder, which will stop the bleeding pretty much immediately.
When using a styptic pencil, you will want to make sure that you dip the pencil in clean water or place a drop of water on its tip to make sure it’s moistened. Taking the pencil, rotate it over the cut on the dog nail. There is silver nitrate in a styptic pencil that quickly causes coagulation that will seal injured blood vessels.
Remember that the silver nitrate in the styptic pencil can sting on contact [2]. Be prepared for your pup to be uncomfortable when you first apply the styptic pencil to his nail. Silver nitrate is also pretty messy, and it will not only stain your skin but also the countertop and carpet, so use it cautiously.
Four Homemade Remedies for Nail Bleeding
If you don’t have a styptic pencil or powder handy, no worries. Here are a few recipes to help you make something effective from normal household items.
- Bar soap
- Baking Soda
- Flour
- Cornstarch
When using any nail bleeding remedy, it’s important to remember that solid pressure on the dog’s nail is important when you apply the solution. While these methods will work, they aren’t an instant remedy to stop bleeding, so several minutes of moderate pressure is necessary.
Typically, when a coagulant fails, it’s due to not enough effort to press the solution into the animal’s blood. Don’t just sprinkle the remedy on, but instead press it on so that it is absorbed into the blood at the quick’s end and allows it to clot.
Cornstarch, Flour, and Baking Soda
You can use either of these common household ingredients to stop your dog’s nail from bleeding. His nail will need to be completely covered before you compress his nail gently with a cloth or towel until you see that the bleeding has stopped. Here are the steps you need to follow for this method to be effective:
- Pour either cornstarch, flour, or baking soda onto your palm.
- Dip your pup’s nail gently into whichever product you chose.
- If the bleeding isn’t stopping, dip his nail again.
- Remember not to wipe off his nail before you dip it again.
- Then, compress your dog’s nail gently with a towel or cloth for several minutes until the bleeding has stopped.
If your dog isn’t happy with this process, you can use an applicator to place the product on his nail instead of dipping it. Keep placing more of the product on his nail until the bleeding stops, but don’t wipe it off his nail before you apply more of the baking soda, flour, or cornstarch, which will help coagulation. Continue to compress your dog’s nail gently until the bleeding finally stops.
Bar Soap
You can also use bar of soap to stop your dog’s nail from bleeding, but it’s important to soften it first by running it underwater. Once the soap is mushy, place it right onto your pup’s nail while applying firm pressure for several minutes. Here are the steps you need to follow for the soap method to be effective:
- When you choose to use soap, you need to make sure it is dampened enough to get somewhat mushy.
- Push the bleeding nail right into the soap and keep it in there while you apply gently compression for up to five minutes.
- If you can’t push your pup’s nail right into it, break off a piece of the soap and wrap it up in a towel before you apply it.
- Continue to apply firm pressure for three minutes to ensure that the bleeding has stopped.
- You should feel free to take a little peek to see if the remedy has worked.
Only use the bar of soap remedy with minor bleeding. If your dog has steady bleeding, you should wrap up ice inside the cloth or towel that you are using for compression to help reduce the flow of blood.
Other Tips to Help Stop a Dog’s Nail from Bleeding
As you perform a dog’s normal routine for grooming, clipping your dog’s nails should be an important part of the process. If you don’t feel comfortable doing it, use a Dremel tool, which will sand your pup’s nails down instead of clipping them. to sand your dog’s nails down.
Make Sure Your Dog Rests
Once the nail’s initial bleeding has stopped, remember that you should make sure your dog lies down for about 3 minutes. You need to keep him off his feet to make sure he doesn’t reinjure himself. If you have bandages, wrap up his foot to stop any further injury. Give him a toy or treat to help him stay off his feet if necessary.
If The Nail Doesn’t Stop Bleeding
Typically, a nail injury will stop bleeding after 20 minutes when using a home remedy. While the blood loss can be seriously looking, it’s normally minimal, so there is very little risk to your pup of losing too much blood.
Finding the Quick
If your dog’s nail bleeds, it’s because you have cut the nails quickly. To avoid any accident when you trim your pup’s nail, it’s important that you learn how to identify the quick, which is a cuticle-like area that is found in the nail’s center. The quick is rich in blood vessels and nerves, so it can bleed a lot if you accidentally cut into it, which will also make your dog cry out.
If your dog has dark nails, the quick may be hard to find. Avoid accidentally cutting the quick by only trimming small pieces at a time and then stopping once you see the whitish-grey circle, which is quick. Dogs that have white nails make it easier to see the pink quickly, but black nails can be more challenging.
To avoid cutting the quick in a dog’s nails, use small cuts and also take the time to look at your pup’s nails. After you start, look for a grey or whitish circle in the middle of the nail, which means that you are getting close. Anyone that is uncomfortable with trimming a dog’s nail should use a Dremel that uses various speeds that allows you to trim your dog’s nail without needing to worry about clipping too much and causing your dog to bleed.
Don’t Be Nervous
It can take a while to get comfortable clipping a dog’s nails as well as getting your dog to feel comfortable having it done. If you do end up cutting into the quick, don’t worry, your pup will forgive you. Just make sure that you give him a lot of treats and love each time you get out the clippers to make the whole experience a positive one.
Don’t Skip Nail Trimming
While trimming a dog’s nails isn’t super fun, it’s still an important part of your dog’s grooming routine. Just remember that there isn’t a set rule in trimming your dog’s nails, but it should be done often enough to stop his nails from touching the floor when he is standing. Long nails on a dog can be painful and make it hard for him to get a grip when he is walking.
Dogs can find it more challenging than other animals when getting their nails clipped. If you don’t feel comfortable to trim your dog’s nails, or it is too challenging, you can always have it done at the groomers or the vet’s office. You can also use nail grinders instead of clipping them. By grinding down your dog’s nails, you can easily avoid accidents and have a much easier time in the process.
FAQs
How long does it take for a dog’s nail to stop bleeding?
No matter which method you use to stop your dog’s bleeding nail, it should only take a few minutes to get it to stop. However, you will want to keep him lying down and quiet for 30 more minutes to ensure that there isn’t more bleeding, reinjury of the nail, or infection. If the nail continues to bleed for over 20 minutes, put a bandage on his foot and take him to his vet for proper wound care.
Can you use flour to stop a dog’s nail from bleeding?
Yes! Flour is a common household product that will also help to stop your pup’s nails from bleeding. Just place some flour in the palm of your hand and dip your dog’s bleeding nail into it. Repeat if the bleeding does not stop, but make sure you compress your dog’s nail gently using a towel or cloth for several minutes until you have made sure that the bleeding has stopped.
You may need to use an applicator if your dog won’t let you dip his nail in the flour. Use the applicator to place the flour right on his nail. Keep adding flour until the bleeding stops, but make sure not to wipe it off his nail between applications, which helps with coagulation. Also, continue to compress your pup’s nail gently until the bleeding finally stops.
Can dogs bleed to death from bleeding nails?
If you have a normal, healthy dog, he will not bleed to death from having a vein inside his nail is broken or cut. While it may be intense when you first see the blood begin to flow quickly, an otherwise healthy dog should have the correct coagulation to stop the blood flow after a while.
What do I do if I cut my dog’s nail too short and it bleeds?
When you cut your a dog nail too short, it can result in bleeding. But don’t panic. You can stop the bleeding with a simple application of flour, or a shaving pencil or powder called styptic. Press the flour or styptic powder onto the nail to stop the bleeding. Make sure you apply constant pressure at the same time. Once the wound has stopped bleeding, make sure to wrap the wound with a bandage to protect your dog from becoming injured further.
