Another of my silly stories

[LizStreithorst]

When people bring their dog to me for grooming they are entrusting me with a loved member of the family.  Today. I groomed Stella, a very nice Bichon with a very nice owner.  I've been doing Stella for years.  She has excellent table manners.  Never fights against me, always stands like a statue when I put her in position.

This time, when I was putting the very last snip on her face to round it her tongue came out as I was snipping and I either nicked the end of it or she put her tongue on my open shears.  It was tiny but OMG the blood.  She was licking because she had blood in her mouth so her entire muzzle was arterial blood red.  She likes licking her front legs so her front legs were bloody.  I tried to put pressure on the wound but you can't tell a dog to hold it's tongue out while you put pressure on it, and the tongue is a very strong muscle (ask your dentist).

I knew that the wound was tiny and that it would stop bleeding eventually so I went around the corner to the feed store for a couple bales of shavings.  I got back to the shop and the blood was still flowing.  I called the owner who thank God, knows a thing or two and doesn't freak out over something that looks terrible but is not terrible.  I told her what happened.  I told her that it was 20 minutes since it happened and that it was still bleeding.  I told her that I didn't know what to do.  I offered to take Stella to my vet and pay but she said, "No.  I have a silver nitrate pencil."  I don't have that because it's a prescription thing these days and I never think of asking my vet for a few when I'm there.

As soon as I hung up the phone I checked on Stella and the tip of her tongue had almost stopped bleeding.  In another 5 minutes it had stopped completely so I stuck the poor dog back in the tub, washed away the blood, toweled her off, and blow dried her.  It takes Stella's mom 20 minutes to get to my shop.  By the time she got there the dog was ready to go and you would never have known that anything had happened.  Ain't that something?

[Mugwump]

..all's well that ends well......

...shaving can have some tiny nicks that can be like that too.....I'm am very quick clot...but my brother used to look funny with little bits of tp stuck on his face to stop the bleeding....he never would but a styptic pencil either....

[LizStreithorst]

Today's styptic pencil is not the same  Sliver nitrate burns like a bitch.  I'd much prefer to go around with pieces of toilet paper on my face.