I just hurt my dog :-(

Tried to trim her nails, first nail I went to trim just the very tip off, as I clamped down she shifted, and chopped most of her nail off...

I feel bloody terrible. I adore this dog, she's my absolute heart, and she trusts me so much. Knowing I hurt her kills me!



Blood everywhere of course. I didn't just cut the quick, it went way far back. The yelp and the way she jerked back is gonna haunt me. I went and grabbed the styptic pencil I have on hand (my parrots claws need trimming often, keep one just in case) but with the way she was unsettled and kept moving and kept licking at it, really struggled to get the bleeding to stop.

I've given her a dose of my other dogs painkiller meds since it's clearly really sore (have checked with the vet about doing this once before when she pulled a muscle, they're the same weight, she said it was fine), and distracted her with a frozen kong while I applied the styptic pencil and pressure. Still blood everywhere, so I've wrapped it in gauze, a bandage and a sock. Have her lying still on my bed while I type this, trying to help her calm down.

I don't know whether to leave the bandage and sock on all night, or check it later and make sure the bleeding has stopped. But if I take it off, she'll knock or lick the scab off I think.

Feeling awful, and never want to try to trim them again! Hate this so much.

Leave it on, raise her leg if you haven't already

What sort of dog is she. I used to have a Munsterlander with markings like that.

Happened to mine. Just use warm water and a paper towel to soothe bleeding. Every nail has a blood vessel in it, and its quite big. It will in fact bleed.

itiwhetu said:

What sort of dog is she. I used to have a Munsterlander with markings like that.

Click to expand...

Munsterlanders are one of my dream breeds! Stunning dogs. Look like a cross between a Springer Spaniel and a gundog like a pointer/lab/Springer mix.

Pixie is mostly English Springer Spaniel, with a good dose of Border Collie, and one grandparent was a supermutt, according to the DNA test I got done for her. I was just curious.

Less than 5% Pointer, terrier, and some other breeds I can't remember off the top of my head. But it's the English Springer and Border Collie that show most in her looks and personality.

I Like Rare Fish said:

Happened to mine. Just use warm water and a paper towel to soothe bleeding. Every nail has a blood vessel in it, and its quite big. It will in fact bleed.

Click to expand...

Did your dog forgive you? Ever trust yourself to clip nails again?

So.much.blood. If I'd just cut a little too short and nicked the quick, I'd feel bad of course, but this was so much worse! Far too far back on the nail. Took most of her nail off, so insane amount of blood, and must have hurt so much more

I think I'll be getting my trusted dog groomer to come do theirs next time...

I am sorry for you miss hap she will be fine. My Zoe girl was Beautiful. She remand a puppy until she was about 6 years old and then decided one day to be a dog, she lived to 14 years. I still miss her terribly. She was a Giant Munsterlander

I wonder if using a nail grinder tool would be safer if your dog can get used to the noise.
something like this one
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08C65GPQR/?tag=ff0d01-20

I'm sorry to hear this happened, but if it makes you feel better just remember she will know you didn't mean to, dogs know these things

I found this for you, go down to the third section for what you can do: https://wahlusa.com/pet-grooming/expert-advice/how-treat-dog-nail-bleeding-during-trimming

Hope this helps

AdoraBelle Dearheart said:

Did your dog forgive you? Ever trust yourself to clip nails again?

So.much.blood. If I'd just cut a little too short and nicked the quick, I'd feel bad of course, but this was so much worse! Far too far back on the nail. Took most of her nail off, so insane amount of blood, and must have hurt so much more

I think I'll be getting my trusted dog groomer to come do theirs next time...

Click to expand...

awe sorry, mine too, just a lil on the tip, I just band aid it, we use grinder now..difficult to see bc her nail is black. Not sure if you’re interested. It does heat up so regular breaks for cool down heads up ok lol

AdoraBelle Dearheart said:

Did your dog forgive you? Ever trust yourself to clip nails again?

So.much.blood. If I'd just cut a little too short and nicked the quick, I'd feel bad of course, but this was so much worse! Far too far back on the nail. Took most of her nail off, so insane amount of blood, and must have hurt so much more

I think I'll be getting my trusted dog groomer to come do theirs next time...

Click to expand...

H forgave me after I gave him treats

Thank you guys, getting it off my chest and people sharing tips and sympathy helps!

She just pulled the sock off, so I untaped the bandage and had a look, the bleeding had stopped! Not much blood on the gauze I'd used. I've put clean cotton pads over the nail and re-bandaged it, with a sock over it again, so she doesn't lick and worry at it.

I feel a lot better now that I know the bleeding finally stopped, and she's settling down to sleep.

What made it even worse I think is that she can read me like a book. That Collie brain is incredibly sensitive to my mood, facial expressions, behaviour, everything, so if I'm upset, she's upset. She's my shadow and very bonded to me (and vice versa). I tried to be calm and tried not to make it too much of a big deal; if she gets overly upset and heart races, bleeding increases. I'm pretty good in a crisis too, keeping a cool head and thinking of what needs to be done and then falling apart. But I'm sure she picked up on how upset I was/am, along with how much it must have hurt, poor baby!

She's lying down to sleep now though, and she'll get to sleep on my bed tonight so I can keep an eye on her.

Thanks again y'all. You're awesome <3

Border collie right?? so intelligent! You are alright in my book

itiwhetu said:

I am sorry for you miss hap she will be fine. My Zoe girl was Beautiful. She remand a puppy until she was about 6 years old and then decided one day to be a dog, she lived to 14 years. I still miss her terribly. She was a Giant Munsterlander

Click to expand...

I'm so sorry for your loss It's always devastating, and you never forget them. The pain is worth going through compared to the joy they bring over their lifetime, but it's so hard when they pass.

Do you have any dogs now?

My other dog (technically, my family's dog, but I live here now and I trained him as a pup/exercised him when I came back to take care of folks, until he became ill, so easier to just say I have two dogs when talking about them!) is 15 now, and has a lot of health issues, so his mobility is severely limited now. Needs to be carried/supported with a sling to go outside, losing bladder control, befuddled but at least not distressed or in too much pain beyond arthritis. So we're giving him palliative care at this point, until he lets us know it's time. Heart-breaking, and a lot of work, but he's worth it.

He's an English Springer/English Cocker cross.
Back in healthier times, Jack;

JazzyV said:

Border collie right?? so intelligent! You are alright in my book

Click to expand...

Haha, thank you! She's a Springer/Border Collie, so lots of working dog genes, lots of energy and smarts! She reminds me of a collie in that she's glued to me, and reads my face like a book, the way collies have that intense gaze when working with their handler, you know? Great at obedience and agility, highly sensitive to tone and body language, and whip smart as well! Not just bragging on my dog (well, a little bit) she's the smartest dog I've ever owned, so combined with the energy, she was a lot of work as a pup and younger dog! Needs lots of mental stimulation as well as exercise. Not an easy dog in the wrong hands, But I love a dog like that, so it worked out well for us She's nine now so the energy has mellowed a bit, but not by much

Do you have collies then?

No, but I use to be in vet field. Love animals. Spent a great deal of my life training them and handler. They are quite some work that breed..so rewarding to work with ..that high energy is undeniable lol …I think they were voted smartest dog breed tho I forgot which year and where …my neighbors where I use to live had one but they never trained it and being that smart you know what happens when you neglect exercising that smart brain …they are very active dog and requires an owner with an active lifestyle IMO..my neighbors ..they wouldn’t even walk him smh