Clipping Toenails

Posted by Charla Dawson Apr 8, 2006

If you clip a nail too short it will bleed, a lot. Do not fret, your dog will not bleed to death. The first thing to try is a product called Quick Stop, a styptic powder, a clotting agent used to stop bleeding on nails trimmed too short or on bird beaks trimmed too short. If you do not have a clotting powder on hand try using flour or corn starch - pack it in really well. You can also try to bandage the foot, but if you decide to bandage watch for swelling above and below the bandage, if you think you see swelling remove the bandage promptly. It would be horrible for your pet to ultimately lose a limb because a nail was trimmed too short. If you can not get the bleeding to stop, call your veterinarian - they will probably have you bring the pet in and get the bleeding stopped for you.