Please help: my puppy is bleeding?

I have a 7 month old White German Shepherd dog named Lily. I took her to the dog park around 4:30 today, and she had a great visit. When we were leaving we went over the new bridge they'd built right outside the exit fence while heading back to the car. Lily was pulling on her leash excitedly as her friend was getting into another car to leave. All I saw was that Lily slipped off the side of the bridge and fell onto the cement below (the bridge is less than a foot high, it was built because water collects under it sometimes). When I put her into her dog carrier in the car I noticed quite a bit of blood, which I initially thought was my own as I’d scraped back my cuticle on the fence post when Lily became excited, but it was hers. Apparently several of her back toe nails were stuck and tore completely off on the metal grate that the bridge is made of. Some nails were even twisted to the complete opposite side.



When we got home around 6, I sprayed a few squirts of antiseptic on her foot. Then I had to give Lily a bath since she'd gotten really muddy. She continued to bleed, and I could see streaks of red flowing down the bottom of the tub. The bath lasted probably 20-30 minutes. After I got her out, I called our vet. He suggested packing black pepper into the wounds to stop the bleeding, and he assured me it wouldn’t burn too badly. He also mentioned that she may have fractured it and that if that were the case, “it would be something we may have to look at tomorrow.“ I did my best with the pepper even though I was skeptical about his advice (but hey, he IS the vet) and used all that we had trying to cover the entire foot and my best guesses at the source of the bleeding (my dog is snow white… the better part of her foot is completely stained red). While I was coaxing her to her cage so that she wouldn’t track any more blood onto the wood floors, I noticed she was favoring the foot and limping. Every time I let her out of her cage to check on her since then, her foot continues to bleed. She also either got a piece of fiber from her bedding stuck on a dangling toe nail or else what looks to be a nerve is dangling about off of the end of her toe.



Just now I decided to try and pack flour all over her foot to stop the bleeding since I read online that this sometimes helps. I do not have corn starch or a styptic stick. I put her back into her cage, but I am still worried. I’m not even sure that the vet will be open tomorrow since it is Saturday. There is one other vet in town that I’ve taken one of my cats to a year or so ago, but she’s never seen my dog before. Should I try calling her emergency line right now and asking for any advice? Also, although money isn’t really the issue here, I was just wondering if my vet is closed tomorrow, will he charge some type of emergency fee for me to bring her in tomorrow? I’m really not sure that her foot or toes could be fractured, as I didn’t notice any limping until after I poured the stupid pepper on it, but of course if she continues to bleed I’m bringing her in. My husband and I have wondered before if she had a bleeding problem since she’s gotten a small nick on her tongue and ear before and bleed like crazy at first, but it stopped in no time. I’s also like to mention that when she was a puppy one of her nails were cut into the quick and she bleed for a half hour or so, but it is not like this. I’m guessing at least one or two of her nails are completely ripped out. Any and all advice on the matter is appreciated, and I’ll answer all questions quickly. I love my dog, and I’m freaking out as my husband is at work until after midnight, and I can’t reach him. : [ Thanks for reading this, and sorry it was so long.

Please help: my puppy is bleeding?
just take her to the emergency vet.

i wouldn't wait overnight.

the area could be infected and of course its probably really really painful for your dog.



p.s. your pets are adorable(:
Reply:if i were you, i would have taken my dog to the vets as soon as it happened. infection is a huge risk, and the constant bleeding is just as bad.



go to the vet, if not the nearest to you, go to the next one. your dog is worth it..

leave a note for your husband, and haul ***.
Reply:You love your dog, you should definitely call the emergency vet, she's in pain. You should've taken her to the vet as soon as you saw nails missing, others turned around and a lot of blood. If you can't get in tonight, tomorrow the animal hospital should be open, it's a saturday, not a sunday.
Reply:TAKE HER TO THE VET!
Reply:My dog ripped his toenail off too. And it bled for quite sometime. It hurt him too bad to keep wiping it. I stood him in the tub to clean it, and you just have to wait it out for the blood to stop. That's what my vet said. I'm just guessing it's oozing blood and not actually flowing...like from a cut?



For healing, I use something called Shriner's. You get if from feed stores usually. It's an herbal wound coating with properties to stop pain, speed healing, and prevent infection. It's pricey...not too bad...but it works! I use it on my horses, cats, dogs, and even ourselves.



And my dog limped for a couple of days...wouldn't you if you tore your nail off? After about a month, the nail is almost regrown. Once the initial pain of the exposed skin passed, he just licked it all the time, and kept it clean himself.



So, not alot the vet can do about missing nails, which is why he told you to bring your dog later. Broken toes are painful, but not life-threatening.



Hope you and your pup get through this with least amount of stress possible!
Reply:It sounds like she needs to go back to the vet. If the nails are torn or especially turned completely around, the vet can re-set them or remove them. Either of which would be less painful for your puppy then letting her heal on her own. Also, there is a significant chance of infection if you try to let it heal on its own.
Reply:Wrap her foot in a washcloth (or better yet, if you have it, antiseptic medical gauze like Johnson %26amp; Johnson brand) and secure it so that it isn't tight, but won't fall off. Then get your phonebook and call a vet emergency line. If they tell you there is nothing to worry about, which is obviously a lie at this point, get your dog and yourself into the car and drive as fast as you can to the nearest emergency vet. Their prices are very steep, but any price is a small price to pay to save your pet. Your dog is beautiful...the idea of something happening to her breaks my heart, and I don't even know her. Please, get her some medical attention as soon as you can.
Reply:German shepherds can have a genetic condition called Von Willebrands disease which affects their blood clotting ability. There are also very large veins in hind legs of dogs that if cut can cause serious bleeding. What you need to do is take your puppy to an emergency 24 vet no matter how far away it is from you. Dogs can bleed to death %26amp; you sound very concerned - please take her to the vet ASAP



ADDED: Call the emergency line again and tell them that your dog has still not stopped bleeding, and that you are very concerned!
Reply:Go to an emergency vet. If you can't stop the bleeding doesn't that just make sense? You probably would be charged extra but it wont matter if your dog bleeds to death, will it?
Reply:hiya, i just had to write and ask how poor lilly is doing. i have a black and tan who also is seven months old, sorry i cant actually give any great answers, although my daughter swears by the powder they use on new born babies belly buttons sometimes to help dry it up if it bleeds.she is a beautiful dog,so sweet looking, hope you let me know the outcome. from mo
Reply:GO TO THE VET, now!!!



Your dog needs a veterinarian!
Reply:In situations like this, when in doubt take the animal to the vet.
Reply:You do need to go see a vet, especially when she is bleeding like that. Dog heals on their own very well, but you don't want her to bleed nonstop. Many vets will charge an emergency fees if they are not in their schedule, but some vets will make exception depending on your vet's business practice. If you are really that worry, call the emergency line and see what the other vet has to offer. It doesn't matter which vet you go to, your puppy is going to get treated. Unless you have a bad experience with that certain vet.
Reply:WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU ??? DO YOU WANT YOUR DOG TO BLEED OUT , BE IN PAIN, GET AN INFECTION OR WORSE DIE ??? stop typing - take the poor out thing out of the crate, screw your floors !! AND GO TO THE EMERGENCY VET TONIGHT
Reply:Try wrapping her foot, to try and control the bleeding. Just a suggestion.



And, yes, go to the vet tomorrow. Didnt you say your vet said he would look at her tomorrow? My vet is open half days on Saturdays, so your vet might be open. If he/she isnt, then you should definately go to the other place.
Reply:what you saw more than likely was a nerve. she needs to go to vet and have the nails removed and get some antibiotics. the feet bleed quite a bit. if you ever cut a dogs nails and hit the quick it bleeds like crazy. vet. may need to put in a couple stitches.