Cutting a dog on his neck...

[MissIvy]

Funny thing happened to me today. A dog that gets groomed only twice a year came in for a groom. I shaved his matts out of which were many and brushed him. He doesn't get a bath because he cannot stand long and the groom just consists of getting the matts out and blow drying the undercoat out.
When I lifted his paw to cut his nails at the end I saw blood. I realized it wasn't coming from the nail and it was coming from his neck! A little cut on his neck and I couldn't tell if I nicked a growth and it was bleeding or if I cut it. I cleaned it up. I could see a cut but again I couldn't tell if it was a growth. It stopped bleeding.
The owner was taking him to the vet anyway. I told her to have him look at it and told her it was probibly the clippers cutting the skin when I was cutting through the matt. The matt was deep into his skin.
The neck never bled after that. I spoke with the owner about it for a while but it never bled.
I hope he is okay. He is a much older dog which is why he doesn't get a bath.
Also, he cannot stand most of the time and lies down and I groom around him which was probibly why I cut him.
Anyone else have this? Does it sound like it could be a serious cut?

[sheilabgroomer]

Don't beat yourself up, these things happen (thankfully not often..lol). It doesn't sound serious to me since it stopped bleeding. Those older dogs can have such thin skin, add bad matting to that and you have a recipe for a booboo. I bet you sliced a skin tag or mole. They can bleed like buggers. Call the owner today or tomorrow for a followup and to check on the little fella. Let us know.

[plushpuppy]

Ouch, accidents happen. All you can do is make the owner aware of what happened and hope that they are understanding

[diamienono]

I got one on a wart. Just let them know. I am sure it is not serious. You feel bad, but these things happen. Especially when they are matted to the skin.

[milhasavilla]

I can relate

Ugggh, I hate when this happens. Even when it's not my fault, I still feel so bad! So I really empathize with you. Awhile back I nicked/cut a paw pad, but only becuase the dog was freaking out and I was trying to hold him so he wouldn't break his neck or something else and he jammed his paw into my scissors that I had just thrown into my pocket when I saw him starting to freak out - obviously I threw them in upside down - won't make that mistake twice. And yes did it ever bleed. I called the owner immediately becuase even after I got it to stop bleeding, as soon as he put pressure on his paw - out spurted the blood. I cried more than the dog! When the owner came to pick up the dog, she was like oh no big deal. I told her I would gladly pay for any and all Vet bills, and didn't think it was a bad idea if she took him in so they could check it out. I called then to check on him the next day, she insisted he was ok and she was not at all worried. Me on the other hand, I'm still thinking about it and it's been a long while ago. Things like this just happen and we all hate it when it does. Sometimes accidents aren't always preventable, becuase we're simply not perfect. Try not to beat yourself up about it - it's happened to all of us.

[toomuchfunbnme]

That Sucks

I hate it when that happens. It really isn't your fault. Espessially when you are working with a special needs dog that is terribly matted! The owners really need to give him better care between groomings. You handled it very professionally.

[RevWind]

I've given a few forked tongues. Only teenie cuts but they bleed forever though, when they mix with the saliva. Usually on poodles because they're licking while I'm making that last snip before they're done. What gets me, is that they stay split after they've healed. They won't meld back together like most cuts. I feel absolutely horrible after it's happened. One std. poodle got it pretty good and it bled off and on the entire day, after it went home. You can't really do anything about it, there's no blood clotter or bandage you can put on a tongue. Some of the people understand, some of them are horrified.

Has anyone else given the forked tongue look?? Jeez I hope I'm not alone.

[Pixie]

I've cut a dog on the neck before, and I can't blame it on a mat either. I blame it on a dog that was very skinny, no meat on it at all. The owner was ok with it, they even still bring it to me.
I've cut a dog on the tongue, an AE, just as I was finishing him up trimming his feet. He bent down to lick his foot just as the scissor went snip. Blood came rushing out I grabbed a towel wrapped it around his neck and mouth. Didn't get blood on his pretty white coat at all. I called the owner said it would be a few more min, told them what had happened. They were good about it too. They still come to me to. The dog keeps his tongue in his mouth at all times now! My clients just love me, I hurt their pets and they just keep coming back.

[JJk]

Yep, when a dog is not in a good shape--flithy, matted coat.. it is in a higher risk of grooming accidents, doesn't matter if it was a shave down or a brush out. Don't put too much on yourself, you did your best. The owner should bring the dog in on a more regular base.

[pamperedpups]

As others have said, accidents happen. I once caught an old Shih Tzu's neck with the clippers. The dog was getting a strip and his skin was very loose. I was finishing up when I noticed a little blood and found the cut. It looked worse than it was and with some Medistyp was fine. I was literally sick over my mistake, but the owner was understanding.

RevWind- I've only cut one tounge... and yes, yikes, they sure DO bleed!

[Wisconsin]

I'm happy to hear I'm not the only one. I tried to post this as a topic before X-mas and when I finished and tried to proofread I accidentally deleted the post. I thought, "just as well, I am ashamed". There is an owner who always comes at the end of her pets groom and holds on to the old fellow while I do nails and trim feet cuz he freaks and we chat. Needless to say, I nicked the pad and blood everywhere. The owner was very reassuring. I called the next day to check on him and left a voice mail offering a complimentary bath. It made me feel better to offer the free bath.

[Helly]

I've done it too. It's just one of those things, and like I've said before, they're usually pretty insignificant. If you nicked yourself like that you clean it up, slap a bandaid on it, and go about your business like nothing happened.

I do remember cutting off a good sized skin tag on an older cocker once. I pointed it out to her owner, who commented "I was going to have the vet take that thing off anyway. You just saved me a vet bill."

[bow_wow_wheels]

Worst cut I ever gave a pet was a Sheltie with a 5/8" comb. It happens-not happy about it but it does happen. Be honest with the client and all will be well

[SpikeyTheYorkie]

Worst cut I ever gave a pet was a Sheltie with a 5/8" comb. It happens-not happy about it but it does happen. Be honest with the client and all will be well

Hey, how'd you do that with a COMB on it? Was the comb sharp and cut it?

Tammy in Utah
(I want to learn from YOUR mistakes).

[ProPit]

I did this to a maltese when I first started grooming. The poor little thing was nothing but a huge pelt. I got a little too close on the neck and the skin ripped....I felt horrible. It wasn't bad enough it was dealing with a pelted coat and now this. Off to the vet we went where it got two stitches. The owner got a very long speech about getting her on a regular schedule. And I got a vet bill!