Cat and Dog Nail Bleeding

In this lesson, you'll be learning about a few different types of bleeding incidents that your cat or dog may experience at some point and what you can do to help. At the end of the lesson, we'll provide you with a Word about some tips for cutting your pet's nails.

For some cases of bleeding, it may be difficult or maybe even impossible for you to control the bleeding at home. Which, as you know by now, means a trip to see your veterinarian.

Once at the vet's office, they may need to sedate or even anesthetize your pet and use surgical procedures to help control the bleeding. A classic example of this would be lacerations to the tongue.

Imagine your pet has a cut on his or her tongue. Now imagine trying to hold a piece of gauze on your pet's tongue for five very long minutes. Sound problematic? We agree, which is why a tongue laceration is likely something you can't control at home on your own, which means … you guessed it!

Another common cause of bleeding at home, as you may be familiar with, is clipping nails too short. The problem with this sort of injury is that the bleeding can go on for a very long time.

How to Stop Your Pet's Feet from Bleeding

So, you've just cut a little too short while trimming your pet's nails. (Whoops!) Now what do you do? Don't worry, it's an easy fix.

1. Get your pet first aid kit and grab your styptic powder.
2. Unscrew the cap then pour a little of the powder into the cap.
3. Take your pet's bleeding paw and gently dip it into the powder.

That's it! Now, the powder will adhere to the area that's bleeding on your pet's toe, so you don't have to worry too much about aim. Also, you don't need to worry about wiping it away. Just leave it on; it will fall away on its own. But it will help stop your pet's bleeding toe.

What if you don't have any styptic powder in your first aid kit. Do you have any cornstarch laying around the kitchen? In a pinch, that can be used instead of styptic powder.

The last type of bleeding incident is what we call spontaneous bleeding or bleeding that doesn't appear to have a cause, as far as you can tell. This type of bleeding can be caused by a number of things, like a clotting disorder or tumors in the body.

A Word About Tips for Cutting Your Pet's Nails

We get it. Sometimes life gets in the way and you forget about cutting your pet's nails, whether you do it yourself or have someone else do it. We also understand that the prospect of doing it yourself may cause a bit of anxiety; after all, you don't want to accidentally inflict pain on your pet.

Not to worry. With the help of pet expert Cara Armour, you'll become a nail clipping savant in no time.

How important is it to cut your pet's nails? Well, how important is it to cut your own? Long nails can cause breaks, bleeding, and discomfort, as well as some greater problems.

How do know how long is too long? That's part of the trick, isn't it? Well, if you can hear your pet's nails tapping when he or she is walking or running on a hard surface, you know it's time for a trim.

You can always pay someone to clip your pet's nails, but if you're reading this, we assume you want to learn to do it yourself. All it takes is a bit of skill and know how and getting over any anxiety or fear in doing it.

The trick is to recognize where the excess nail begins and where the blood vessels and nerves are located, otherwise known as the sweet spot. Once you find that spot, you can trim away with the confidence that this will be a painless experience for both you and your pet.

For very detailed, yet simple, instructions on finding that spot and trimming your pets nails with the greatest of ease, check out Cara's article on the ProPetHero blog here: Nails; Tips on Taking off the Tips.