What to do if you cut too close and your dog is bleeding.
Do not panic.
If a dog's nail breaks or if the dog's nail is trimmed too close to the quick, bleeding will occur almost instantaneously. Dip the dog's bleeding nail into the styptic powder (Kwik Stop). In the absence of styptic powder, use corn starch. If corn starch is not available, try flour. If you happen to have alum, that seems to work the best in a pinch!
Once the styptic powder (or styptic powder substitute, like corn starch) is applied to the dog' broken nail, keep the dog quiet and do not allow him to walk. Distract the dog and do not let him lick the injured paw.
After the bleeding slows (it usually takes a couple of minutes), get a clean paper towel and apply pressure to the dog's injured nail.
If the bleeding is heavy, or continues for more than 15-20 minutes please give us a call or contact a veterinarian immediately.