Accidentally Cut Dog’s Skin With Scissors | 9 Menacing Facts

Sometimes, it happens while grooming a dog that you end up cutting his skin accidentally. This can understandably cause you to panic. And it can cause the dog considerable anguish. In this sort of situation, you are likely to have questions on whether it will heal on its own, what sort of first aid you need to administer and what the worst case scenario may be like.

What am I supposed to do, if I accidentally cut dog’s skin with scissors? Well, if it is a small cut (less than ¼ inch), all you may need to do is clean up any bleeding, using a cotton pad soaked in betadine. You can then dab the betadine soaked cotton pad on the cut area, remove it, then leave the cut alone and allow it to heal by itself.

For bigger cuts (more than ½ inch), you will need to first apply firm pressure using a towel. This is to stop the bleeding.

Then once the bleeding stops, it will be ideal to clean and thereafter disinfect the wound. You may consider putting an e-collar on the dog, to keep him from licking the wound.

If the cut is particularly big or deep, it is better to take the dog to a vet for suturing. Besides suturing, the vet will also undertake pain relief and advanced anti-infection treatment.

Read on, to find answers to those questions.

Can A Dog Get Sick From A Cut?

Yes, it is possible for a dog to get sick from a cut. It rarely happens, but it is a possibility. The way it can happen is if infection occurs. The infection may then enter the bloodstream, and turn into a systemic infection. Therefore if you accidentally cut dog’s skin with scissors, it is really important to keep a close eye on him.

You need to be on the lookout for any signs of systemic infection. And if you do pick any such signs, you need to whisk the dog to the vet immediately.

The signs of a systemic infection arising from a cut in a dog will typically include lethargy and fever-like symptoms. Even a small cut can develop infection, potentially leading to quite severe illness. Therefore even you accidentally cut dog ear while grooming, and the cut isn’t particularly big, you still need to be on the lookout for possible infection.

The same applies if you accidentally cut dogs tail or for pretty much any other random cut on dog. There is potential for infection.

Will A Cut On A Dog Heal Itself?

Upon discovering that you accidentally cut dog’s skin with scissors, one of your key concerns is likely to be on whether the wound will heal by itself. Obviously, what to do when you cut your dog depends on whether or not the wound is capable of healing by itself.

So, will a cut on a dog heal itself? Well, small cuts on dogs do heal by themselves, quite fast. So it is possible for a cut on your dog to heal by itself.

Big cuts can also heal by themselves, but that process typically takes very long. This is why interventions whose aim is to speed up the healing process are often necessary. Thus, for instance, if I accidentally cut my dogs ear with scissors, and the cut seems to be quite serious, I would consider taking measures to hasten the healing process.

In the final analysis, a small (less than ¼ inch) cut on a dog will probably heal itself. But a bigger cut (more than ½ inch) will probably need some intervention, in order to hasten the healing process. The intervention may also help to minimize the risk of complications.

Accidentally Cut Dog’s Skin With Scissors – Will He Be Ok?

Once you realize that you have accidentally cut dog’s skin with scissors, your main concern will be on whether he will be okay. In most cases, the scissors cuts that dogs incur in the course of grooming tend to be small and superficial.

Therefore, if you accidentally cut dog’s skin with scissors in the course of grooming, chances are that he will be okay. All you may need to do is firstly stop the bleeding. Then put in place measures to prevent infection and hasten healing.

Of course, much also depends on where exactly on the dog’s body the cut is. For instance, if I accidentally cut dogs tail, my level of concern would be quite different from if I accidentally cut dogs ear (or if I cut my dogs leg while grooming). In this regard, a cut on the ear would typically be more cause for concern than a cut on, say, the leg.

Ultimately, if you accidentally cut dog’s skin with scissors, and the cut is not particularly big or deep, the dog will probably be ok.

What Should I Do If I Accidentally Cut My Dog’s Skin?

What to do if you accidentally cut your dog’s skin depends on the severity of the cut. How big is it? How deep is it? Thus in answering the question on what do I do if I accidentally cut my dog’s skin, the first step is to examine the cut. Find out how big and how deep it seems to be.

If it is a small cut (less than ¼ inch), chances are that it will heal by itself, quite fast. All you may need to do is soak a pad of cotton in betadine. Then apply it on the area, to clean up bleeding and minimize chances of infection.

If it is a big cut (more than ½ inch), chances are that there will be some profuse bleeding. So your first course of action is to stop this bleeding. That you do by applying firm pressure using a towel. Then clean the area with betadine. Further apply a triple antibiotic ointment.

Consider bandaging the wound but don’t use tape, as its removal will inevitably revive the wound. Then put an e-collar on the dog, to prevent wound licking.

After that, allow for natural healing, while watching out for complications.

Of course, if it is clear that you have a very deep or very large cut, the best thing is to take the dog to the vet. So you first administer first aid (by stopping the bleeding and cleaning the wound as well as you can). Then you take the dog to the vet for suturing and better anti-infection treatment.

How To Treat Accidentally Cutting Dog’s Skin With Scissors?

What to do if you cut your dog with scissors on the skin depends on how bad the cut is. But the treatment generally revolves around stopping bleeding, cleaning the wound and trying to minimize the chances of infection.

For minor cuts (less than ¼ inch), all you may have to do is dab a pad of cotton in betadine – or some other similar antibacterial solution. Then apply the pad on the wound, to clean any bleeding and to reduce chances of infection. Thereafter, you remove it, and let the cut heal by itself.

For medium size cuts (in the ½ inch range), you first stop bleeding using a towel. So you apply firm pressure on the area that was cut, using a towel, to stop bleeding. Then you clean the area using betadine (or another antibacterial solution).

Thereafter, you apply a bandage – lightly, so as not to restrict blood flow or impede healing. Then you put an e-collar on the dog, to prevent wound licking, which can cause hue complications.

For larger cuts (more than 1 inch), you still need to first stop the bleeding, using a towel. Then clean the area using betadine. Thereafter, take the dog to a vet for suturing. That, at least, is the course of action I would follow if I cut my dogs leg while grooming, and the cut seems large/deep (more than 1 inch).

How To Do After Care For Accidentally Cutting Dog’s Skin With Scissors?

Firstly, you may need to be cleaning the area that was cut on a regular basis. The objective here is to prevent infection, and this is very important. You have to ensure that you do the cleaning in a humane manner, so as not to cause the dog any more anguish.

Secondly, you may need to ensure that the dog remains on an e-collar, to prevent wound licking. The dog’s mouth has lots of bacteria, and wound licking can therefore cause major complications.

Thirdly, it will be necessary to keep on examining the area for complications such as redness, swelling, bleeding or pus discharge. You also need to be on the lookout for signs of systemic infection, such as lethargy and fever-like symptoms.

How To Be Careful To Not Accidentally Cut Dogs Skin With Scissors In The Future?

First of all, wherever possible, you need to do grooming using clippers, rather than scissors. Can dog clippers cut skin? Yes, but not as easily as scissors. Therefore it is a good idea to minimize scissors usage while grooming dogs. Use clippers, wherever possible.

Where you have to use scissors in dog grooming, you need to ensure that there is some sort of barrier between them and the dog’s skin. For instance, you first place a flat dog comb on the skin. Then you cut the hair on top with scissors. Since there is a comb between the skin and the hair, you won’t be able to accidentally cut the skin.

Perhaps the reason for grooming your dog using scissors is that the dog has seriously matted fur. In that case, it will be better to first brush the hair using a de-matting comb. Once you do this, the hair tends to loosen up to a level where it can be cut using clippers.

If dog grooming is too much of a challenge to you, it may be worthwhile to consider retaining the services of a professional dog groomer. Their services don’t tend to be too costly, and they have tools (and experience) to prevent injuries.

 Will Accidentally Cutting Dog’s Skin With Scissors Heal On Its Own?

If you accidentally cut dog’s skin with scissors, you may wonder whether the wound will heal by itself. This is also a question I would have if, say, my dog got nicked at groomer shop or if dog cut knuckle in the course of grooming.

The good news is that the cuts that typically come from scissors (in the course of grooming) are not very deep or big. Therefore, they typically heal on their own.

It is still important to stop any bleeding that may be taking place. It is also important to ensure that you apply some sort of antibacterial solution to prevent infection.

Of course, some scissors cuts can be more serious than others. For instance, if I accidentally cut dog hear (that is, if I cut dog hear while grooming), it may be hard to believe that the injury will heal by itself.

In such cases, where the injury looks particularly bad, it may be better to give the dog first aid. Then take him to a vet, for further treatment. Indeed, any deep cut that is more than 1 inch probably warrants veterinary attention.

Final Verdict – Accidentally Cut Dog’s Skin With Scissors

As we have seen, if you accidentally cut dog’s skin with scissors, you need to act fast. First focus on stopping any bleeding that may be taking place. Then apply antibacterial solution such as betadine to the area that was cut, to prevent infection.

For bigger cuts, consider light bandaging and using an e-collar to keep the dog from licking the wound. For particularly bad wounds, take the dog to a vet for suturing, pain relief and anti-infection treatment.

As a pet lover, take care of your pet dogs and learn about pet care more and implement so you don’t make the mistake of accidentally cutting dog’s skin with scissors again.

Rajkumar Ravichandran

Welcome to Learn About Pet. My name is Rajkumar Ravichandran and I love all pets, travel, and amazing food. I write about my passion and personal experience caring for multiple pets in this blog! ❤️