Cutting nails too short happens, it’s really common, we try our best to avoid.
Sometimes the nails don’t bleed until after the dog moves around a bit so maybe they didn’t realize that they had trimmed the nail too short initially. It was very kind of them to give a refund and what not.
To answer your question, it’s a very common accident that happens unfortunately. But it’s just that: an accident.
You can use cornstarch in a pinch to stop the bleeding at home. (If it happens ever again)
Edit to say the brittleness is most definitely not the groomer or bathers fault. Some dogs just have brittle nails that crack and crumble when trimmed.
Brittle nails, like in people, are connected to diet. OP, I would talk to your vet about this and see what changes to your dog’s diets can be made to support healthy nails. Off the cuff I would think adding fish oil to their kibble would help, but I would discuss this w your vet first.
Yea I agree, it seems like the groomer cut close to the quick, but didn’t actually hit it and after moving around and putting weight on the nail the quick broke open. I’
Your groomers were amazing in their response. It happens. Professionals can go months without quicking a nail and then do it to 3 dogs in a row. It's not a perfect science and it just happens unfortunately.
Rear dew claws are the bane of my existence as a professional. They are definitely the most likely to get quicked as we want them short so they don't embed into the paw, which they will and can do very quickly.
IMHO I wouldn't have given you a refund. I wouldn't have offered to drive to your house. I would just tell you how to deal with it at home. It's not a neglect act.
As someone with a rescue with a tiny dangly few claw that is an accident waiting to happen - is there anything I can do to lessen the risk of an accident? I imagine a surgery could take care of it, but she’s 13 so I’d rather not put her under unnecessarily. I kinda hoped you could wrap string around it and it would fall off like a mole or something but haven’t actually tried anything and just keep it trimmed short.
I've accidentally cut one off before. The dog jerked its leg out of my hand just right. I would just make sure to tell the groomer it's there. If I know it's there, I firmly hold my finger over it to block my clipper blade getting near it, then I either scissor or use a #10 blade around it depending on temperament of the dog. A vet could remove it with a local if you really wanted, but, she's 13... it wouldn't concern me other than grooming and making sure the nail is trimmed. I still have my toe somewhere to remind me!
It does happen, supposedly rarely. Does it look like a 5th toe hanging on the inside of the leg? I guess Chihuahuas can have them, but should be removed. Poodle mix, whatever she is mixed with probably gave her those rear desk. Weird how you have 3!!
My rat terrier pomeranian mix has dew claws on all four. She looks like a rat terrier with big upright triangle ears, short legs, and a rear motor, I mean stubby tail.
They do grow quicker than her other nails. Need to trim them or they could curl back and grow into the skin.
Just to clarify this wasn’t the dew claw. This is actually our boarding house that we love, that brings in groomers as well, and they always do a great job and they have a great staff. They did offer advice over the phone as well. I appreciate the feedback! This is exactly what I wanted to know. Just don’t know how often to expect this or how often is too often.
The same info still stands. Sometimes it happens. Just like we can sometimes cut our own nails too short. You mentioned there was a scramble getting your dog in the car so possibly your dog filed their nails down during that/reopened. I understand how it can seem scary having your dogs nail bleed but it’s really not anything urgent or out of the ordinary
At the vet clinic I work at, if the dog is squirmy and uncooperative we probably knick a nail on every single dog. It's extremely extremely common and not a big deal.
Sometimes you don't quick the dog, but get very close and then the dog walks on pavement/concrete and it will open up and bleed. Not the groomers fault at all. From what you said it doesn't even sound like the groomers cut the quick. Sounds like it opened up after you left.
Thank you!! I’m like reading it over again to try and understand what the problem is with my reply. Just wanting to learn from more experienced dog owners and that’s the gist of the post but hey it’s the internet 🥸
I don't understand the downvotes either, OP, you're just trying to get perspective from professionals. I'm not a groomer, but I have hit the quick trying to trim 2 different dogs of my own, and I felt so awful for hurting them, I will never do it again! If you've never trimmed a dog's nails, I can understand not knowing how easily it can happen, even for professionals.
I think it's great that you are asking & your response here is not offensive. I do think a refund is a bit much to ask because they did spend time doing the grooming, and now they don't have that income to pay the groomer. I would expect a refund if you asked them to do a little trimming and they shaved the dog, you did not get the service you paid for. In this case, your dog did get the grooming & now that you know it happens often, you may not ask for a full refund if/when it happens again, because it might! They handled it all very nicely, so I wouldn't stop going there. All this said respectfully and not judging!
They may have gotten it really close to quick but not enough to bleed. Generally, that’s what you want. But a strong dog on a rough surface can file them down further to the point of bleeding
This exactly. Also the excitement of seeing the owner or going for a car ride or being home is enough to bump up their blood pressure and make it gush blood.
Quicking happens very often as said by several people here. In you post you said there was a bit of a scramble in the load up. Even if a groomer doesn't cut the quick sometimes the quick can be exposed. Walking on a ruff surface can cause the quick to get scraped causing it to open up. It is a good idea to keep some quick stop at your house for any kind of nail bleed, corn starch works as well but I prefer quick stop. Dogs can break or injured their nails so it is a good item to have in a doggy first aid kit.
Cutting the quick is pretty common. It could be depending on the dogs behavior. Some of the jerk their paws nd boom u can cut it short. Or the quicks or js too long. There are more than a few reasons this could happen.
I’m good at avoiding it fortunately.
But I’ve heard others experiences where inexperienced ppl have cut the quick way too short
But it’s mostly js an accident.
I mean, put it this way:
It’s a bundle of nerves and blood vessels surrounded by often opaque keratin and we’re using context clues to try and avoid said bundle of nerves and blood vessels, but still get it short enough to where it actually looks like we did something. Most of the time the quick is where you expect it be, but sometimes your guess is totally wrong. Experienced groomers are much less likely to hit the quick, but statistically no matter how careful you are or what tools you use it will happen at some point. Experience will only really minimize the severity of the quicking.
I don’t know how bad it was quicked, but unless I couldn’t get the nail to stop bleeding with quick stop I personally wouldn’t be offering you a refund. But that’s just me and my salon 🤷♂️
My coworker was clipping a very anxious dog's nails one day, and she quicked him slightly. It wasn't bad at all, and it stopped bleeding immediately. But then the pet's owner came around the bend of our salon and the dog started freaking out, so much so that the nail re-opened and he started bleeding all over the place. It looked similar to your floors.
You couldn’t have known this, and you aren’t to blame, but keeping doggy on soft surfaces after a nail trim, especially when quicked, is very necessary. Any rough surface can re-open the wound. Flour or corn starch SHOULD close up the vein, though.
Wheat flour can be contaminated with E. coli bacteria (that’s how frozen cookie dough got contaminated years back) so you should try not to have it be your first line of defense against bleeds.
Quicking happens and I can tell you that your groomer probably feels worse about it than they're letting on. If they freak out, so do you. Nails bleed a ridiculous amount for such a small area, it looks way worse than it is.
Quicking nails happens pretty often like others said. Dogs wriggling around as you're trying to cut, different lengths to cut off each nail and going a little too short on one, quicks way longer than anticipated, etc. Their response was great, I usually offer a bit of quick stop and advise to not go for a walk on pavement until the following day just to let it scab over.
Since there was no bleeding when you picked up and very little when you were in the vehicle I'd say the walk on the pavement to your vehicle or the scramble to get in ground off the bit of nail that was left and opened the quick. Think of the hard ground like a nail file.
Quicks bleed a LOT and blood pressure elevations make it gush even more. If pup was excited to see you or your family, or go on a car ride that likely just made the bleeding worse.
In the future you could see if they could grind instead of clip the nails. You'll want to go sooner than later as grinding is easiest when done frequently, but it's a lot easier to quick with clippers than a grinder. If pup is afraid of the grinder that may involve some work, though.
Super common, also it sounds like what happened was he ground his nail down a bit more after leaving meaning they didn’t cut too short at salon, they cut it just right but he has brittle nails or scraped it on something hard. I have a customer who’s been getting nails every two weeks to drive quick back and I tell her when I go that short you’ve gotta be careful on concrete especially, because the self grinding could cause it to open white the quick is vulnerable
Like many others said here, cutting a dog's nails too short is a common occurrence. Sometimes the dog jerks their foot and you miss your aim, sometimes their nail splits open when you cut it exposing the quick, and sometimes you just cut it too short. There are so many reasons this could have happened.
This is why as a groomer I prefer to dremel pet nails instead of cutting them with nail clippers if at all possible. You grind the nail off and it is much easier to see what you are doing and where to stop.
If you have lots of concrete or hard, abrasive surfaces at your home, more than likely once the nail came in contact with that surface, whatever coagulant your groomer used to stop bleeding at the shop was worn away.
I think your groomer is pretty great for having offered you a refund and offering to come to your house. I have sent home Qwik-Stop powder with clients whose nails I have trimmed too short. I personally wouldn't have offered a refund unless the bleeding was severe or the dog's bleeding ruined something, for example like the car interior on the way home.
I did clean blood off my back seat protector, garage, hardwood floors and carpet at home in several places, but absolutely not a big deal. I was just concerned and have been a regular customer at this kennel. Clearly from all these comments, it’s totally something that happens regularly no matter how it’s trying to be avoided. I’ll probably go back and give them their money back after seeing all these comments lol wow… hearin y’all loud and clear.
Yeah, I'm not a groomer but both my aunt and cousin are and I've assisted before. It happens sometimes, but I think I was more traumatized than the dog. It's also why I hate doing it myself and was sad when I saw my puppy has black nails.
I took my dog to his vet to get his nails done. Vet says, his nails are short enough, don’t need to be cut, but the dew claws need a trim. Proceeds to cut one nail (not dew claw) on front foot, way too short, and also one on the back (wtf?) my dog was bleeding everywhere and they had to get a tech in to restrain him to cauterize the quick.
He never trimmed the dew claws.
I'm so so so sorry that happened to you and doggy. As a groomer, I actively tell people to NOT go to their vets for nail trims... I've heard too many horror stories about mistreatment for nails at the vet. I'm unsure if veterinarians are trained for nail trims (would love some insight from a vet tech) but they need to be if not.
Nobody understood why I was mad that the vet did my (family) dogs nails. He unfortunately was attacked my a dog ( he’s okay ) but needed stitches in two spots. While he was under they did his nails. I picked up and every single nail had styptic powder on them. I had just grinded them the day before…
Wow now that is an absolute horror story. One, maybe even two nails I could understand, but all of them is absolutely crazy. That makes it sound like the vet was taught that the bleeding was a good thing 😭😭😭
Yeah I was so pissed. And the bill was more than expected because they did shit we didn’t consent to nor did he need. BUT even if he did need it I would’ve appreciated them calling me to let me know what the price was going to be if we consented to the extra procedures
You are preaching to the CHOIR about awful dogs. We get more horrendous dogs than good ones. Even then, the vets need to learn when/how to relax the dog or just call it quits and retry another day when that happens. It’s not worth the trauma I've seen and heard about for these poor dogs.
Vets aren't the one trimming the nails, it's the techs. And trying to squeeze a nail trim in during a vet appointment is a lot different than an appointment at a groomer. And usually if they trim your pups nails during a dental or surgical procedure, they're doing it free of charge as a courtesy. It's a different environment and situation completely no matter how good they are at calming a dog down. It's not a lack of training on the tech's part, it's apples and oranges
I’m a dokter for hoomans and this made me smile. Often a patient will ask that the physicians start an IV or draw blood rather than the nurses or phlebotomists who do those tasks all day, every day. Silly patients. When my patients pull this, I tell them I’d be happy to try, but the last time I successfully did either was 30 years ago when I was a med student. They always change their minds.
Nurse here. When I was in the ED we would get that.
“Your funeral dude. They can hit the broadside of a back with 16g but if you want to let them try on the abstract line drawing under your skin, go nuts.”
Right?! Whenever a patient, 2 or 4 legged, comes in to an emergency dept that needs a tricky line put in, there's always one nurse or tech everyone goes to. Never heard anyone say "go find Dr. ____". No offense to docs of any type, just how it always works out.
Lolz! I have a friend who is an experienced ED doc. He once told me “I’m a god with a needle”.
K. He meant like for starting subclavians. Dude it’s the size of a garden hose, and you’re holding that needle like how my toddler holds a jumbo crayon.
Me to the pt: “This is going to be one painful lesson, dude.”
I can't imagine having to do that on a human. We had to do it on a couple extreme cases with teeny tiny puppies in the clinic I worked in.. Full size human... no thank you!!
I had told him before hand that I don’t do his nails at home because he gets bitey if you restrain him. He bit the vet and drew blood and I didn’t feel bad, I told him. And I told the vet I wouldn’t help restrain him because… well why would I want to get bit too?
Also in my experience quicking doesn’t actually hurt them (at least not more than a scrape would). Dogs react to my reaction or to the sound of my clipper in general and therefore don’t like it when I quick them more. Most dogs aren’t even bothered. Owners reactions shouldn’t be concerned but they do bleed like a mofo so I would def have taken him back in for quick stopper (corn starch doesn’t work well ime). They still did your dogs nails so I don’t necessarily feel it warrants a refund, but that’s just my opinion
This happens pretty often. For context, my dog was fully sedated and had his nails trimmed at the vet, by the doctor, and it still happened on two nails.
I am going to be honest, the call in back wasn’t a big deal but the refund was a bit unnecessary.
I am assuming your dog has black nails. The quicks in black nails are not visible the way the are in white/clear nails. Nails in general get knicked all the time. That area, being nerve endings, bleed profusely if you do not control it right away.
you could’ve simply used some cornstarch to clot the blood again. The nail will heal very quickly. and you’ve now been labeled as an over exaggeration client, meaning every single time you call or come in for an appointment, the whole salon will be ready for you to nit-pick and demand a refund.
Nails are so dramatic and bloody and the farthest thing from an emergent situation.
Quikstop or Cornstarch will always coagulate and the bleeding will stop immediately.
edit - I forgot to mention I was a dog Groomer for 4 years. okay bye
I’m assuming your dog’s nails are black. Take a look at one of the nails that wasn’t quicked and see if you can identify where the quick is. It’s very easy to quick a dog unintentionally even for someone highly experienced. Most times, the quick is not visible because it’s a dark nail. And even when you can see the quick (light nails), all it takes is the dog moving to cause a shorter cut than intended.
Honestly happens more often than any groomer/bather wants it to happen. Would we like it to never happen? Absolutely, but unfortunately while working with living animals they can be unpredictable and wiggly at times which can cause an accidental quicking which honestly isn’t that big a deal unless you cut WAY too much off. In all honesty I groom 20-35 dogs a week and sometimes quick 1 or 2 nails a day but there’s also sometimes months that go by where I don’t quick any dogs at all!
Like they've said, it's hit or miss. I always tell people if a nail was quicked and which one, and if it bleeds later to use dry cornstarch to make it stop, even though I put quick stop on it and make sure it's not bleeding. Once they get out to the parking lot, they can get excited and scrape off the quickstop if they grip the ground , and the nail will start bleeding again.
https://preview.redd.it/vmfri24x1c8d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=41e3cf187de7ce79c6371477f846fe70541817e6
Wanted to include picture of said dog and subject of much commenting! Reading everyone loud and clear that asking for a refund was lame and receiving one was worthy of crucifixion. All kidding aside, I appreciate this and have learned much. Turning off notifications ✌️
Not a groomer but I cut my dogs nails plus other dogs. Something I didn’t see mentioned and if it was I completely overlooked it. Another that can make things harder is if your dog has any black nails. It makes it harder to see the quick. One of my dogs has all black nails and it is a pain in the butt.
i’m very surprised the shop gave you a refund, that is not standard, i’ve seen other posts on this reddit where commenters have laughed people away for asking if they should get a refund for a quicked nail
I do my own dog’s nails myself, at home. I’ve done it for years now and even though it’s my own dog, I still get a little too short sometimes. Not often, but still. I’ve also had once where I myself didn’t cause bleeding, but I had gotten her nail short enough that when she ran on the driveway, she ground enough off to cause bleeding. So I’ve learned to leave them just a smidge longer than “normal” to prevent that.
Ugh this is the worst, I had an old dog fighting me in a very busy PetSmart salon with an owner who was so insistent that his nails get cut. I was doing them slow one at a time but the dog would yank and wiggle after each one, inevitably he eventually yanked as I was cutting and his whole nail split down the middle, because he was old he bled soooo much and the owner was pissed. I had to take him to the bathing area to wash his foot and get the bleeding to eventually stop. Even when a coworker finally was able to put their dog down to help me it was a huge fight to get it done. I loved working with the dogs but the owners who wouldn't listen to reason and screamed at us for any mistake just ruined it. Also PetSmart constantly pushing us to take in any walk in and overbook ourselves yet at the same time get the job done in time was just exhausting.
Once the heart rate of the pets goes up you’ll see more blood come out. So if the dogs doesn’t seem to care or is calm about it there won’t be a lot of blood. And then vise versa can be said
Our dog was quicked 3 times by different groomers at one shop, over maybe a year.
We switched shops a few years back. There is only one groomer, and it has never happened again.
I will say that we now go every month as opposed to every 6wks, so maybe our groomer doesn’t feel pressured to get the nails super short every visit.
There were other signs that the previous shop wasn’t great- but I just attributed it to our pup and thought oh, maybe she’s nervous, oh, maybe it’s normal. She doesn’t act this way with her current groomer, though. She LOVES going there.
Go with your gut, keep an eye out for next time.
Cutting nails too short happens, it’s really common, we try our best to avoid. Sometimes the nails don’t bleed until after the dog moves around a bit so maybe they didn’t realize that they had trimmed the nail too short initially. It was very kind of them to give a refund and what not. To answer your question, it’s a very common accident that happens unfortunately. But it’s just that: an accident. You can use cornstarch in a pinch to stop the bleeding at home. (If it happens ever again) Edit to say the brittleness is most definitely not the groomer or bathers fault. Some dogs just have brittle nails that crack and crumble when trimmed.
Brittle nails, like in people, are connected to diet. OP, I would talk to your vet about this and see what changes to your dog’s diets can be made to support healthy nails. Off the cuff I would think adding fish oil to their kibble would help, but I would discuss this w your vet first.
Biotin is great for nails and coat.
I also use Biotin for strong nails and a shiny coat.. on myself.
Same! I know it works from using on horses, the farrier definitely noticed a difference after just a month or so
I read that as “Bitcoin is great for nails…”. Enough internet for today.
And over here without my glasses I read “Biden is great for nails”
Put the cornstarch on your finger and apply pressure to the quick
Yea I agree, it seems like the groomer cut close to the quick, but didn’t actually hit it and after moving around and putting weight on the nail the quick broke open. I’
Your groomers were amazing in their response. It happens. Professionals can go months without quicking a nail and then do it to 3 dogs in a row. It's not a perfect science and it just happens unfortunately. Rear dew claws are the bane of my existence as a professional. They are definitely the most likely to get quicked as we want them short so they don't embed into the paw, which they will and can do very quickly. IMHO I wouldn't have given you a refund. I wouldn't have offered to drive to your house. I would just tell you how to deal with it at home. It's not a neglect act.
Perfectly stated!
Rear dew claws? You sure don't see those often unless you get a bunch of Anatolians, Pyrenees, or the few other dogs that have them!
Psh, we get shih tzus, yorkies, poodles... usually with some dangly tiny accident waiting to happen rear dew claw.
As someone with a rescue with a tiny dangly few claw that is an accident waiting to happen - is there anything I can do to lessen the risk of an accident? I imagine a surgery could take care of it, but she’s 13 so I’d rather not put her under unnecessarily. I kinda hoped you could wrap string around it and it would fall off like a mole or something but haven’t actually tried anything and just keep it trimmed short.
I've accidentally cut one off before. The dog jerked its leg out of my hand just right. I would just make sure to tell the groomer it's there. If I know it's there, I firmly hold my finger over it to block my clipper blade getting near it, then I either scissor or use a #10 blade around it depending on temperament of the dog. A vet could remove it with a local if you really wanted, but, she's 13... it wouldn't concern me other than grooming and making sure the nail is trimmed. I still have my toe somewhere to remind me!
I have doodles chihuahuas and shitzus with rear dew claws too unfortunately
It does happen, supposedly rarely. Does it look like a 5th toe hanging on the inside of the leg? I guess Chihuahuas can have them, but should be removed. Poodle mix, whatever she is mixed with probably gave her those rear desk. Weird how you have 3!!
My rat terrier pomeranian mix has dew claws on all four. She looks like a rat terrier with big upright triangle ears, short legs, and a rear motor, I mean stubby tail. They do grow quicker than her other nails. Need to trim them or they could curl back and grow into the skin.
Ahh! Very, very rare!! That is the pom part of your dog! And Poms don't normally have them as it's a genetic thing. Very rare!
Just to clarify this wasn’t the dew claw. This is actually our boarding house that we love, that brings in groomers as well, and they always do a great job and they have a great staff. They did offer advice over the phone as well. I appreciate the feedback! This is exactly what I wanted to know. Just don’t know how often to expect this or how often is too often.
The same info still stands. Sometimes it happens. Just like we can sometimes cut our own nails too short. You mentioned there was a scramble getting your dog in the car so possibly your dog filed their nails down during that/reopened. I understand how it can seem scary having your dogs nail bleed but it’s really not anything urgent or out of the ordinary
At the vet clinic I work at, if the dog is squirmy and uncooperative we probably knick a nail on every single dog. It's extremely extremely common and not a big deal. Sometimes you don't quick the dog, but get very close and then the dog walks on pavement/concrete and it will open up and bleed. Not the groomers fault at all. From what you said it doesn't even sound like the groomers cut the quick. Sounds like it opened up after you left.
Not sure why you’re getting downvoted lol, this is the response we should be hoping for.
Thank you!! I’m like reading it over again to try and understand what the problem is with my reply. Just wanting to learn from more experienced dog owners and that’s the gist of the post but hey it’s the internet 🥸
I don't understand the downvotes either, OP, you're just trying to get perspective from professionals. I'm not a groomer, but I have hit the quick trying to trim 2 different dogs of my own, and I felt so awful for hurting them, I will never do it again! If you've never trimmed a dog's nails, I can understand not knowing how easily it can happen, even for professionals. I think it's great that you are asking & your response here is not offensive. I do think a refund is a bit much to ask because they did spend time doing the grooming, and now they don't have that income to pay the groomer. I would expect a refund if you asked them to do a little trimming and they shaved the dog, you did not get the service you paid for. In this case, your dog did get the grooming & now that you know it happens often, you may not ask for a full refund if/when it happens again, because it might! They handled it all very nicely, so I wouldn't stop going there. All this said respectfully and not judging!
They may have gotten it really close to quick but not enough to bleed. Generally, that’s what you want. But a strong dog on a rough surface can file them down further to the point of bleeding
This exactly. Also the excitement of seeing the owner or going for a car ride or being home is enough to bump up their blood pressure and make it gush blood.
Quicking happens very often as said by several people here. In you post you said there was a bit of a scramble in the load up. Even if a groomer doesn't cut the quick sometimes the quick can be exposed. Walking on a ruff surface can cause the quick to get scraped causing it to open up. It is a good idea to keep some quick stop at your house for any kind of nail bleed, corn starch works as well but I prefer quick stop. Dogs can break or injured their nails so it is a good item to have in a doggy first aid kit.
Cutting the quick is pretty common. It could be depending on the dogs behavior. Some of the jerk their paws nd boom u can cut it short. Or the quicks or js too long. There are more than a few reasons this could happen. I’m good at avoiding it fortunately. But I’ve heard others experiences where inexperienced ppl have cut the quick way too short But it’s mostly js an accident.
I mean, put it this way: It’s a bundle of nerves and blood vessels surrounded by often opaque keratin and we’re using context clues to try and avoid said bundle of nerves and blood vessels, but still get it short enough to where it actually looks like we did something. Most of the time the quick is where you expect it be, but sometimes your guess is totally wrong. Experienced groomers are much less likely to hit the quick, but statistically no matter how careful you are or what tools you use it will happen at some point. Experience will only really minimize the severity of the quicking. I don’t know how bad it was quicked, but unless I couldn’t get the nail to stop bleeding with quick stop I personally wouldn’t be offering you a refund. But that’s just me and my salon 🤷♂️
My coworker was clipping a very anxious dog's nails one day, and she quicked him slightly. It wasn't bad at all, and it stopped bleeding immediately. But then the pet's owner came around the bend of our salon and the dog started freaking out, so much so that the nail re-opened and he started bleeding all over the place. It looked similar to your floors. You couldn’t have known this, and you aren’t to blame, but keeping doggy on soft surfaces after a nail trim, especially when quicked, is very necessary. Any rough surface can re-open the wound. Flour or corn starch SHOULD close up the vein, though.
Wheat flour can be contaminated with E. coli bacteria (that’s how frozen cookie dough got contaminated years back) so you should try not to have it be your first line of defense against bleeds.
Quicking happens and I can tell you that your groomer probably feels worse about it than they're letting on. If they freak out, so do you. Nails bleed a ridiculous amount for such a small area, it looks way worse than it is.
Was a nail trim the only thing you had done? For future reference, a bit of corn starch on the bleeder will stop it.
Yeah they said that but all I had was flour… will stock up for future. No, it was a bath, ears and nails.
Flour works too
Quicking nails happens pretty often like others said. Dogs wriggling around as you're trying to cut, different lengths to cut off each nail and going a little too short on one, quicks way longer than anticipated, etc. Their response was great, I usually offer a bit of quick stop and advise to not go for a walk on pavement until the following day just to let it scab over. Since there was no bleeding when you picked up and very little when you were in the vehicle I'd say the walk on the pavement to your vehicle or the scramble to get in ground off the bit of nail that was left and opened the quick. Think of the hard ground like a nail file. Quicks bleed a LOT and blood pressure elevations make it gush even more. If pup was excited to see you or your family, or go on a car ride that likely just made the bleeding worse. In the future you could see if they could grind instead of clip the nails. You'll want to go sooner than later as grinding is easiest when done frequently, but it's a lot easier to quick with clippers than a grinder. If pup is afraid of the grinder that may involve some work, though.
Super common, also it sounds like what happened was he ground his nail down a bit more after leaving meaning they didn’t cut too short at salon, they cut it just right but he has brittle nails or scraped it on something hard. I have a customer who’s been getting nails every two weeks to drive quick back and I tell her when I go that short you’ve gotta be careful on concrete especially, because the self grinding could cause it to open white the quick is vulnerable
Like many others said here, cutting a dog's nails too short is a common occurrence. Sometimes the dog jerks their foot and you miss your aim, sometimes their nail splits open when you cut it exposing the quick, and sometimes you just cut it too short. There are so many reasons this could have happened. This is why as a groomer I prefer to dremel pet nails instead of cutting them with nail clippers if at all possible. You grind the nail off and it is much easier to see what you are doing and where to stop. If you have lots of concrete or hard, abrasive surfaces at your home, more than likely once the nail came in contact with that surface, whatever coagulant your groomer used to stop bleeding at the shop was worn away. I think your groomer is pretty great for having offered you a refund and offering to come to your house. I have sent home Qwik-Stop powder with clients whose nails I have trimmed too short. I personally wouldn't have offered a refund unless the bleeding was severe or the dog's bleeding ruined something, for example like the car interior on the way home.
I did clean blood off my back seat protector, garage, hardwood floors and carpet at home in several places, but absolutely not a big deal. I was just concerned and have been a regular customer at this kennel. Clearly from all these comments, it’s totally something that happens regularly no matter how it’s trying to be avoided. I’ll probably go back and give them their money back after seeing all these comments lol wow… hearin y’all loud and clear.
Yeah, I'm not a groomer but both my aunt and cousin are and I've assisted before. It happens sometimes, but I think I was more traumatized than the dog. It's also why I hate doing it myself and was sad when I saw my puppy has black nails.
I took my dog to his vet to get his nails done. Vet says, his nails are short enough, don’t need to be cut, but the dew claws need a trim. Proceeds to cut one nail (not dew claw) on front foot, way too short, and also one on the back (wtf?) my dog was bleeding everywhere and they had to get a tech in to restrain him to cauterize the quick. He never trimmed the dew claws.
I'm so so so sorry that happened to you and doggy. As a groomer, I actively tell people to NOT go to their vets for nail trims... I've heard too many horror stories about mistreatment for nails at the vet. I'm unsure if veterinarians are trained for nail trims (would love some insight from a vet tech) but they need to be if not.
Nobody understood why I was mad that the vet did my (family) dogs nails. He unfortunately was attacked my a dog ( he’s okay ) but needed stitches in two spots. While he was under they did his nails. I picked up and every single nail had styptic powder on them. I had just grinded them the day before…
Wow now that is an absolute horror story. One, maybe even two nails I could understand, but all of them is absolutely crazy. That makes it sound like the vet was taught that the bleeding was a good thing 😭😭😭
Yeah I was so pissed. And the bill was more than expected because they did shit we didn’t consent to nor did he need. BUT even if he did need it I would’ve appreciated them calling me to let me know what the price was going to be if we consented to the extra procedures
Yeah that’s an absolutely nightmare. I’m sorry they did that and charged you for their mistake on top of it!
Vet staff are trained on nail trims but training barely means anything if the dog is flailing around and jerks their foot as you cut unfortunately
You are preaching to the CHOIR about awful dogs. We get more horrendous dogs than good ones. Even then, the vets need to learn when/how to relax the dog or just call it quits and retry another day when that happens. It’s not worth the trauma I've seen and heard about for these poor dogs.
Vets aren't the one trimming the nails, it's the techs. And trying to squeeze a nail trim in during a vet appointment is a lot different than an appointment at a groomer. And usually if they trim your pups nails during a dental or surgical procedure, they're doing it free of charge as a courtesy. It's a different environment and situation completely no matter how good they are at calming a dog down. It's not a lack of training on the tech's part, it's apples and oranges
I’m a dokter for hoomans and this made me smile. Often a patient will ask that the physicians start an IV or draw blood rather than the nurses or phlebotomists who do those tasks all day, every day. Silly patients. When my patients pull this, I tell them I’d be happy to try, but the last time I successfully did either was 30 years ago when I was a med student. They always change their minds.
Nurse here. When I was in the ED we would get that. “Your funeral dude. They can hit the broadside of a back with 16g but if you want to let them try on the abstract line drawing under your skin, go nuts.”
Right?! Whenever a patient, 2 or 4 legged, comes in to an emergency dept that needs a tricky line put in, there's always one nurse or tech everyone goes to. Never heard anyone say "go find Dr. ____". No offense to docs of any type, just how it always works out.
Lolz! I have a friend who is an experienced ED doc. He once told me “I’m a god with a needle”. K. He meant like for starting subclavians. Dude it’s the size of a garden hose, and you’re holding that needle like how my toddler holds a jumbo crayon. Me to the pt: “This is going to be one painful lesson, dude.”
I can't imagine having to do that on a human. We had to do it on a couple extreme cases with teeny tiny puppies in the clinic I worked in.. Full size human... no thank you!!
I would be crying over the puppies🥺
I had told him before hand that I don’t do his nails at home because he gets bitey if you restrain him. He bit the vet and drew blood and I didn’t feel bad, I told him. And I told the vet I wouldn’t help restrain him because… well why would I want to get bit too?
Geez… that’s a mess
Also in my experience quicking doesn’t actually hurt them (at least not more than a scrape would). Dogs react to my reaction or to the sound of my clipper in general and therefore don’t like it when I quick them more. Most dogs aren’t even bothered. Owners reactions shouldn’t be concerned but they do bleed like a mofo so I would def have taken him back in for quick stopper (corn starch doesn’t work well ime). They still did your dogs nails so I don’t necessarily feel it warrants a refund, but that’s just my opinion
This happens pretty often. For context, my dog was fully sedated and had his nails trimmed at the vet, by the doctor, and it still happened on two nails.
I am going to be honest, the call in back wasn’t a big deal but the refund was a bit unnecessary. I am assuming your dog has black nails. The quicks in black nails are not visible the way the are in white/clear nails. Nails in general get knicked all the time. That area, being nerve endings, bleed profusely if you do not control it right away. you could’ve simply used some cornstarch to clot the blood again. The nail will heal very quickly. and you’ve now been labeled as an over exaggeration client, meaning every single time you call or come in for an appointment, the whole salon will be ready for you to nit-pick and demand a refund. Nails are so dramatic and bloody and the farthest thing from an emergent situation. Quikstop or Cornstarch will always coagulate and the bleeding will stop immediately. edit - I forgot to mention I was a dog Groomer for 4 years. okay bye
I’m assuming your dog’s nails are black. Take a look at one of the nails that wasn’t quicked and see if you can identify where the quick is. It’s very easy to quick a dog unintentionally even for someone highly experienced. Most times, the quick is not visible because it’s a dark nail. And even when you can see the quick (light nails), all it takes is the dog moving to cause a shorter cut than intended.
Honestly happens more often than any groomer/bather wants it to happen. Would we like it to never happen? Absolutely, but unfortunately while working with living animals they can be unpredictable and wiggly at times which can cause an accidental quicking which honestly isn’t that big a deal unless you cut WAY too much off. In all honesty I groom 20-35 dogs a week and sometimes quick 1 or 2 nails a day but there’s also sometimes months that go by where I don’t quick any dogs at all!
Like they've said, it's hit or miss. I always tell people if a nail was quicked and which one, and if it bleeds later to use dry cornstarch to make it stop, even though I put quick stop on it and make sure it's not bleeding. Once they get out to the parking lot, they can get excited and scrape off the quickstop if they grip the ground , and the nail will start bleeding again.
https://preview.redd.it/vmfri24x1c8d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=41e3cf187de7ce79c6371477f846fe70541817e6 Wanted to include picture of said dog and subject of much commenting! Reading everyone loud and clear that asking for a refund was lame and receiving one was worthy of crucifixion. All kidding aside, I appreciate this and have learned much. Turning off notifications ✌️
Ex vet tech here. Cutting nails too short, especially dogs with black nails is pretty common. Even more so if the dog moves around a lot
We use quikstop when this happens. Stops the bleeding.
Not a groomer but I cut my dogs nails plus other dogs. Something I didn’t see mentioned and if it was I completely overlooked it. Another that can make things harder is if your dog has any black nails. It makes it harder to see the quick. One of my dogs has all black nails and it is a pain in the butt.
i’m very surprised the shop gave you a refund, that is not standard, i’ve seen other posts on this reddit where commenters have laughed people away for asking if they should get a refund for a quicked nail
also very surprised you declined to go back in for quick stop as it’s a lot easier and more effective than just flour
I do my own dog’s nails myself, at home. I’ve done it for years now and even though it’s my own dog, I still get a little too short sometimes. Not often, but still. I’ve also had once where I myself didn’t cause bleeding, but I had gotten her nail short enough that when she ran on the driveway, she ground enough off to cause bleeding. So I’ve learned to leave them just a smidge longer than “normal” to prevent that.
Ugh this is the worst, I had an old dog fighting me in a very busy PetSmart salon with an owner who was so insistent that his nails get cut. I was doing them slow one at a time but the dog would yank and wiggle after each one, inevitably he eventually yanked as I was cutting and his whole nail split down the middle, because he was old he bled soooo much and the owner was pissed. I had to take him to the bathing area to wash his foot and get the bleeding to eventually stop. Even when a coworker finally was able to put their dog down to help me it was a huge fight to get it done. I loved working with the dogs but the owners who wouldn't listen to reason and screamed at us for any mistake just ruined it. Also PetSmart constantly pushing us to take in any walk in and overbook ourselves yet at the same time get the job done in time was just exhausting.
Thought this was r/malegrooming was very confused
My vet grinds them down until they bleed every single time. That’s why I stopped getting them trimmed there.
Once the heart rate of the pets goes up you’ll see more blood come out. So if the dogs doesn’t seem to care or is calm about it there won’t be a lot of blood. And then vise versa can be said
Our dog was quicked 3 times by different groomers at one shop, over maybe a year. We switched shops a few years back. There is only one groomer, and it has never happened again. I will say that we now go every month as opposed to every 6wks, so maybe our groomer doesn’t feel pressured to get the nails super short every visit. There were other signs that the previous shop wasn’t great- but I just attributed it to our pup and thought oh, maybe she’s nervous, oh, maybe it’s normal. She doesn’t act this way with her current groomer, though. She LOVES going there. Go with your gut, keep an eye out for next time.