bleeding nail… HELP!

[babybunsmum]

some how, when i was cleaning pinky’s litter, she tore off the tip of her nail… the high up one on a front paw.  it won’t stop bleeding!  i tried to pack it with powder but she’s really really freaked with any possible way i have to hold her to get at the spot.  how much blood is an emergency?  when she’s hopping around on the floor she’ll leave a small dot every few minutes or so.  it’s far from profuse bleeding but when i thought i had got it stopped, i moved her & it smeared a smudge of blood across my arm

[Sarita]

Oh no, poor Pinky – I think it should stop very soon. It probably is tender for her. It’s hard not to get excited though. It should congeal fairly quickly. How is she now?

[babybunsmum]

as soon as i put her back in her condo she flopped in her litter… so i think she’s fine.  the good news is that she was quite tolerant of me picking her up.  she was just not happy to be plunked in the bath counter & turned upside down

[babybunsmum]

phew… when i went back into her room to check on her she binkied & hopped up onto ther second level which has white sign board flooring.  the area on her paw is blood stained but she wasn’t leaving any droplettes.  thank goodness!  thanks so much for responding sarita!  i was really worried.

[Sarita]

I’m glad Pinky is better and binkying :~)

[MooBunnay]

I’m glad to hear that Pinky’s nail stopped bleeding. It has happened to me before as well, except it was because the BF accidentally clipped one of the bunny’s quicks. He felt bad for DAYS and insisted upon sleeping next to the bunny’s age that evening, and we ha to cancel our dinner plans lest little Henri’s nail start to bleed again. It does bleed for awhile, but generally doesn’t lead to anything serious as far as I’ve heard it was probably more frightening to you than to her! I’d recommend just for peace of mind cleaning up that area after a day or two when its not so tender so that you can make sure that the nail grows back in OK.

[Lisa_43]

Glad all is ok, those bunnies sure know how to get your heart pumping.

[KatnipCrzy]

In case someone reading this does not know that in an emergency corn starch and even flour can be used on a nail to try to get the bleeding to stop. I think styptic powder works better- but other stuff can be used.

Broken nails tend to bleed alot- and especially probably in the case of rabbits- having to handle them in a different way to treat the nail- can stress them out a little and increased stress can cause an increase in blood pressure- which also leads to making it a bit harder to stop the bleeding. 

Also- in caged rabbits and guinea pigs especially- “caged” as is meaning they spend most of their time in a pet cage with a solid floor that is covered by bedding- you really have to make sure to clean the cage well to keep the toe clean to avoid a chance of infection.  This is not such an issue with dogs or cats as they are not on bedding all the time- unlike some unlucky rabbits and guinea pigs.

Pinky is lucky to have such a great Mom- I saw the pics of her “condo” that you posted- not only does she have a grat place to live she has someone looking out for her now.   I can’t remember if you said she was spayed or not- but if you do happen to her spayed- have the vet trim her nails when she is sleeping.  They probably already do as routine.  But when they are sleeping is the best time to trim- as you can get as close to the quick as possible.

Julie

[babybunsmum]

thanks for all the replies

i have cut into the quick before on my dog and had to use cornstarch to get it to stop.  it took forever.  odd that i wasn’t recollecting that experience at all last night.  i think i freaked as soon as i discovered blood spatter on the wall and thought of that story i read here of some one’s friends’ bun dying from ripping a claw out & bleeding & being in shock.  my mind leaps to the most tragic of possibilities in these circumstances.  oi. 

they sure do know how to get your heart pumping!

[Binkles]

Aye, I think that was probably my story..

And if it’s of any use, I presonally think  that -with bunnies especially- jumping to the worst possible conclusion is FAR safer than not.

But there -IS- a big difference between ripping off a nail and merely cutting into the quick. While it’s still no laughing matter, it’s definitely more commonplace and usually manageable. (I’ve never heard any tragic stories on this front either.)

Even I’ve cut into Binkles’ quick before. =x But a little wipe off with a paper towel and a dab with a styptic pencil had it stopped pretty quickly. I felt really bad about that too. ><

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