Will cornstarch stop a dog’s nail from bleeding? A Step-by-Step Guide

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What Not To Do When Your Dog’s Nail Is Bleeding

    • Don’t wipe the blood away from the nail.
    • The blood will help the Quik Stop or flour coagulate.
    • Don’t let your dog lick the nail that is bleeding.
    • Don’t use glue!
    • Don’t squeeze the nail. If you squeeze the bleeding nail it’s not going to stop bleeding.

    • If all else fails a bandage wrap may be needed to keep the pressure on the nail or to keep the nail covered so that the dog doesn’t lick it or walk on it creating the bleed to start all over again.

    Using Styptic Powder to Stop the Bleeding

    Styptic powder is the best and quickest way to stop toenail bleeding from a dogs toenail. Its available at any pet supply store or online. Kwik-Stop is one of the best-known brand names, but there are others available too.

  • To use the powder, either get some on your finger and press onto the bleeding nail or pour some into the lid of the container and dunk your dogs nail into it.
  • Apply pressure for several seconds. If the nail is bleeding badly, you may need to add more styptic powder.
  • When the nail no longer bleeds when you remove pressure, you can relax.

    • Another option is to get sticks with styptic powder on the end, or silver nitrate sticks. All of these sting a little bit to one degree or another (including the powder), so your dog may flinch when you first contact the sensitive nerve. This discomfort will pass quickly.

    No styptic powder on hand? There are several common household materials that can help in a pinch. Here are a few and how to use them:

  • Bar soap: Grab a plain bar of soap and soften it so its slightly mushy. Press your dogs nail into the soap and hold in place for 3–5 minutes or until the bleeding stops.
  • Cornstarch: Plain cornstarch or cornstarch mixed with baking soda also work. Place a bit of the cornstarch in your hand and dip your dogs nail in it. Apply pressure for several seconds—up to 2 minutes—then check if the bleeding has stopped.
  • Ice: Ice cubes can also help to slow bleeding, since the cold temperature causes the blood vessels to contract, resulting in less bleeding. Icing your dogs toe will also numb the pain. If your dog objects to the ice, wrap the cube in a paper towel or thin cloth to act as a bit of a barrier. This will also help to absorb any blood or melting water.

    • Once the bleeding has stopped, its time to do damage control to make sure this experience doesnt taint future nail trims. Release your dogs paw, then pick it back up again and tell her how perfect she is. Do this a couple times, gently massaging her toes and holding her paw for varying amounts of time with lots of praise. This is to remind her that when you handle her feet its a good thing.

    If you arent done trimming all of her nails, keep going, but ramp up your usual praise-and-reward schedule. For example, if you normally give her a treat after each paw is done, reward her for every other toe or so. If she is really upset, you can even reward after each nail. Your goal is to overwrite the bad experience of having a nail clipped too short with the positive experience of a routine nail trim.

    If you are stressed about continuing the nail trim, take a deep breath but persevere. You can do it! Even if you just take the slightest amount off the tip of each nail, you are still doing your part to help your dog remember that nail trims are okay. You can always come back and do a more thorough job another day when you are feeling more relaxed.

    Limit your dogs activity for the next couple hours. Running around can disturb the fragile blood clot and cause the bleeding to start back up. Its also possible to get an infection if bacteria invades the quick, so prevent her from going outside during this time if at all possible. Keeping her paw clean and dry will set you up for success.

    4 Easy Home Remedies To Stop a Dog’s Nail Bleeding Fast

    If you don’t have Kwik Stop on hand, don’t worry!

    You can use flour, baking soda, cornstarch or a bar of soap

    You probably have some of these common household items that will help with your dog’s nail injury right in your kitchen pantry!

    HOW TO Stop A Bleeding Toenail!

    There is no definitive answer to this question as it depends on the individual dog and the severity of the bleeding. Cornstarch may help to stop minor bleeding from cuts or wounds, but it is not likely to be effective in stopping more serious bleeding. If the bleeding is severe, a veterinarian may be necessary to treat the dog.

    If your dog is bleeding from a cut or wound, you can try to apply a bandage or dab some cornstarch on the wound to stop the bleeding. However, it is not likely to be very effective in stopping more serious bleeding, so if the bleeding is severe, a veterinarian may be necessary.