Guinea pig torn claw

[MsAwesomeDragon]

Help! I was clipping my Guinea pigs claws a few minutes ago, and she yanked her claw back just as I closed the clipper and she's ripped one claw off! The whole of the "nail" on one "finger". It's bleeding, but we've been resting it on kitchen roll and a puppy pad and it seems to have slowed the bleeding.

Am I doing the right thing? I can't believe I hurt her like that, but I was being so gentle and she just pulled back at the wrong time.
Is there anything else I can do for her to help? I don't want to put her into her cage until I can keep it clean, but I can't exactly put a plaster on a guinea pig claw!!

This is why I normally get the vet to clip their claws!!!

Hi, one of our gps pulled the whole nail out earlier in the year, not sure on what, it happened overnight in the hutch. He was fine without going to the vets. DD put disinfectant on several times, and we did wash the paw when he was out for a cuddle a lot. But I didn’t increase hutch cleaning ( we are fairly frequent and thorough about that anyway) as they both mess all over the hutch anyway so don’t see how you could keep it remotely sterile. The nail has regrown and had its first clip recently. hTH.

Thank you.

She seems quite settled this morning and has been happily chomping through salad, basil, etc. They've both had lots of treats last night and this morning, because I feel guilty about it and I can't give one treats without giving the same treats to her sister.

It didn't take too long to stop bleeding (about half an hour or so of tiny amounts). I think she'll be fine. She's a surprisingly robust creature. She's already got an extra floppy toe, cataracts so she's pretty much blind, and she's had large lumps for over a year (the vet thought they were cancer but there are so many there's no way to operate and remove them). We fully expected to lose her months ago, but she's still here. I don't think I'd have been quite so bothered if the same thing had happened to the healthy one!

One of ours is still going despite having had blood in his urine for over a year and seems happy and healthy apart from this, popcorning and rumbling away regularly. We have taken him to the vets and he’s on painkillers for life but his heart rate slowed under anaesthetic to take a blood test to try to see what was wrong, he’d already had an x-ray which showed nothing, so we can’t really do anything but make sure He’s comfortable. They are quite robust little things really. And very cute and cuddly. He likes being snuggled in the crook of my daughters arm on his back like a baby and having tummy tickles.

I accidentally nicked off the claw of one of mine and cut it down to the quick a few years ago, exactly the same as you, they are so wiggly it's easily done - I've never felt so guilty in my life, the squeak she gave was heart-rending but like you we stemmed the bleeding and she seemed absolutely fine within half an hour or so, and it's not stopped her running around bullying her sister- , it took me much longer to get over it and to this day DH hovers anxiously over me when I trim their claws saying 'be careful', 'not too short' etc., soft-hearted bugger that he is!

See, the vet nurse often makes one or both of them bleed a little bit by cutting just a touch too short. The staff dread my phone call to make the appointment as they do it so often (they have very curly claws with very long quicks, so it's very easy to go just a bit too short)

But it feels hugely different when it's not "just a bit too short" it's "rip the nail of completely". The amount of blood is massively different too!!! I half thought I'd cut her actual toe off! I want to leave the clipping to the professionals from now on, but I'm not sure when they'll start doing claw clipping again at my vets (they aren't currently)

Poor soul (you and the pig) it is horrific just how much blood can spew from a claw !
But apparently if Vets need blood from a piggie they sometimes do it via claw rather than needle .

Best thing is salt water to bathe it (salt won't harm if they lick it) and let them tend it if it looks ok. The power of Piggie Spit . One of my sows had an injured eye , her cagemate groomed her , they eye cleared up.
Same piggie had an injured eye later - on her own- no Pig Spit . She needed a Vet .
Early intervention can sometime make it work.

For claws - yes they are awkward (especially the front claws inner ones) . If you get a bleed , push the claw straight into an eggcup of cornflour .
Long quicks you need to cut little 'n' often . It helps them shrink back .
Black claws are worse you cannot see the quick easily .

Clippers need to be ultra sharp for a clean cutting action not crushing . Though guineas are not the best patients

Judgey , wriggly and the knowledge that though they probably won't , they can give you a bite !

I did one bleed with GP4 who was a gentle tri colour sow . Had a major "Oh Hell" moment as it literally pulsed out then stemmed it , bribed the pig and bought her silence . She was fine after though DD claimed she gave me a fish-eye look forever after .

Thanks for your sympathy. I am somewhat recovered from the trauma now as I know she is perfectly happy terrorising her sister and squeaking for food every time dh speaks (he's the softy who gives them treats every time they open their mouths) which is interesting every time he gets a work call, lol.

It was one of the front paw inside ones, and I had just managed to get the clippers caught round the curved bit when she pulled away and took her own nail off. I hadn't even clipped yet iyswim.