Non-excessive bleeding from where nail meets skin

[Raelinn & Gus]

Forgive me if I am wrong but didn’t think the template was necessary.

My bunny, Maxwell, was let out of his pen for roaming around the kitchen. He went behind a chair, presumably got caught on something, and when he came out began grooming his paw. He then proceeded to go back into his pen and continue grooming it. While walking, he put weight on the paw just fine. However, while sitting, had his paw raised slightly and avoided putting it down even when not grooming it.

We picked him up to check it, and I found it to be slightly bleeding, it originating from where his nail meets his skin. The nail closest to the skin looked black, but I was not inspecting it with a flashlight. If not black, definitely much darker than the rest of his nail.

We decided to close his pen, keep an eye on him, and take him to a vet in the morning if needed.

It has been about an hour-ish, and now the blood is visible from just looking at him whereas before I had to lift him and section the fur a bit to find anything. It is NOT excessive, only in the area of that nail, not leaving any blood on the floor or anything. He continues to walk on that paw/lay on it and doesn’t exhibit any odd behaviors. He even stopped grooming it, and is acting normal.

I am just wondering if there is anything we can do, and if we should follow up with a vet in a few hours.

Thank you.

[LBJ10]

He likely damaged the nail bed when he got it caught. Do not be surprised if the nail falls off after it has healed a bit. This often happens when the nail is damaged. The “dead” portion will eventually fall off and you may only have a little nub left.

Nail injuries can bleed A LOT. I’m talking murder scene. But they rarely result in anything more than blood splattered all over the place. Since his nail is still partially attached, it probably isn’t bleeding as much. Personally, I would leave it alone and let it clot. If he was bleeding a lot, then I would suggest some styptic powder to stop the bleeding.

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