My dogs nails/claws always bleed when I clip them, how can I stop them from bleeding?

My golden retriever is a senior dog whose turning 9 years old soon, but has had these issues ever since he was a pup. I would try cutting his nails and they would bleed, at first I thought I was doing something wrong, but when the vet tried cutting them they too bled pretty bad, and that was the top dead part of the nail, not the darker thicker veiny part. Now my dogs claws are too long as they havent been clipped in ages and he is constantly making himself bleed all over his body while scratching. Do some dogs have problems like this,if so, whats the reason and how can I clip his nails properly or stop the excessive bleeding when i do?<br />

Clipping a dog's nail too short can cause pain and bleeding. The nail quick is also prone to infection if a dog's nail is broken or trimmed too short.<br />
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Clipping a dog's nails on a regular basis is an important part of home dog grooming. But many dog owners get nervous when it comes to clipping a dog's nails, and even the most careful and cautious pet owner may accidentally cut a dog's nail too short, causing pain, bleeding and even a nail infection that can spread up into the toe and paw.<br />
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Clipping a dog's nail too short is something that happens to many dog owners at one point or another. Understanding how to clip a dog's nails properly is key to preventing nail injuries that result from cutting a dog's nails too close to the quick - the live nerve-rich center of the dog's nail.<br />
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Before starting a dog's nail trimming, get some styptic powder - a powder that promotes blood clotting, thereby stopping the flow of blood from a dog's broken nail or a nail that's been trimmed too short. Keep the styptic powder nearby, just in case of a nail trimming mishap.<br />
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If a dog's nail breaks or if the dog's nail is trimmed too close to the quick, bleeding will occur almost instantaneously. Dip the dog's bleeding nail into the styptic powder. In the absence of styptic powder, use corn starch. If corn starch is not available, try flour.

You should not clip them yourself without specialist knowledge, a dogs blood vessels run very close to the edge of the nail so this would be like ripping off half your finger nails.<br />
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See a vet.<br />
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Sharon, how about NOT copy/pasting your answers from other sites and ripping off other people and other sources but writing something original that actually help search engines and the person querying?

Qwik Stop, bought at any petshop will stop the bleeding, however if your dog is scratching you have more of a problem than simply long toenails. Get him on to a kibble that doesn't have corn, wheat, soy, or by-products, and also get your vet to run a thyroid panel to make sure there is not a problem with his thyroid gland. Goldens are very prone to food allergies as well as thyroid problems.

ok i think you may be clipping to far up to the paw so it will bleed so you should probbally take it to a dog place where they groom your dog and stuff

if your dogs nails are bleeding when you cut them then you are cutting them too short.not being rude but it would probably be best to get a groomer to do this as its very painful for the dog.what vets do to stop the bleeding is seal the end of the nails with a bar of soap and toothpaste can also be used

Are you cutting into the quick? I'm guessing your dog's nails are a dark color and you cannot see the quick... so clip only a tiny bit and keep going until you see the beginning of the quick. <br />
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http://my.execpc.com/~rebec/dog_nails.gif<br />
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There is a picture for your reference...

A dogs nails won't bleed if they are clipped in front of the quick. It's like clipping your own nails, if you clip down too far it bleeds and hurts. Only trim just the tip off if he has a long quick. You can see the vein if he has white or light colored nails. With black nails, just be careful. Nails will not bleed if clipped properly.

if his nails are bleeding ur clipping them to short i think her clipping into the membrane ..try clipp little amounts at a time plus since theve never been clipped the membrane might have gotten larger.