Almost any dog owner who takes grooming seriously probably can tell you about a time when they accidentally cut the quick of their dog’s toenails. The quick is the soft, fleshy part of your dog’s nails and is packed with nerve endings and blood vessels. Clipping the quick can not only cause your dog a fair amount of pain but can also result in bleeding and possible infection.
Unfortunately, it’s almost inevitable that you will cut the quick at least once in your dog’s lifetime so here are some tips about what you should do in the event of such an accident.

First of all, you should always be prepared so before you start clipping your dog’s nails get yourself some styptic powder. Styptic powder promotes blood clotting so can effectively stop the bleeding if you accidentally clip the quick. When bleeding starts, you should immediately dip the dog’s nail in the styptic powder. If you don’t have styptic powder you can try corn starch or flour instead. Once you have applied the styptic powder you should soothe your dog and prevent him from walking around and also do not let him lick his foot. The bleeding should slow within a couple of minutes. At this point, apply pressure to the injured nail with a clean, dry paper towel. This should effectively stop the bleeding. A brief warning for dog owners: cutting the quick can be very painful for your dog do it’s possible that he may cry out, snap, or even bite. Be sure to take the necessary precautions to protect you and your pet. Finally, once the bleeding has stopped, you need to take care to prevent infections. Wash and bandage the paw to protect the injured nail.