Wool trimming accedent

[wigglynoses]

OK so I was giving my Angoras a trim and the first one went well with no incedent. but then when it came to the second bun, I accidentally cut floki’s legg. It didn’t bleed MMuch at all but I’m still really worried. How should I go about taking care of this cut? Should I let him clean it, or should I clean it with antibacterial soap or bandage it? There is still a lot of wool around cut. He doesn’t seem bothered by it but I know bunnies are very good at hiding pain and discomfort.

[Megabunny]

Hmmm Well, short of taking him to the vet to see if he needs stitches, I guess if you’re wanting to take care of things at home I’d suggest cleaning with hydrogen peroxide, covering with neosporin and putting a wrap on it. However, I don’t know how far up the leg it is cut. You can’t just put a wrap up high. It has to be wrapped all the way down to the toes or the leg could swell up below it. Do not take this as any official vet recommendations, as I’m no expert. Of course, going to the vet is always best. But if it isn’t that big of a chunk missing, you might be OK with cleaning and watching it for any signs of infection…oozing, pus, redness. There’s bound to be a bit of redness. Also bare in mind that if it does need stitches but you end up waiting several days, they probably will not be able to then stitch it after that long.

Kinda wondering why you were clipping them and how old they were and such. I’m sure you’re feeling bad enough about this and I’m not perfect, so I’m not commenting on that. But we have other angora owners who may have helpful insight about grooming.

[wigglynoses]

I might take him to the vet but I imagine it wouldn’t be open the 4th it being independence day. He is almost 6 months and his wool was knotting left and right. And with it being very warm out and my air conditioner not workworking properly in my room. I got $75 electric clippers to avoid using scissors but they did absolutely nothing. I will try the peroxide at least for the time being. I can’t seem to find a decent website that goes into detail about angora grooming.

[MissGabbster]

I’d do as MB suggested. If you use Neosporin, make sure you’re using the Original formula and not Plus.

I don’t have an angora, but I do have a Jersey Wooly that I keep trimmed. I’ve found the safest way to trim a rabbit with scissors is to use your fingers as a buffer between the skin and the blades. I’ll pinch the section of fur between my fingers and have the pointy part of the scissors facing into my palm so that if I slip I’ll either cut myself or poke my palm instead of bunny. I also find it handy to have a scissor sharpener on hand (I can share the I use if you’re interested) since rabbit fur dulls scissors so quickly. Sharp scissors are safer than dull ones!

[MoxieMeadows]

Hi, Fellow angora owner here!

Scissors are much safer when trimming a rabbit’s fur. If they get jumped or start to squirm away they can seriously be cut or injured with an electric clipper. Scissors take longer, but at least you can be sure of where you are cutting, and know you can stop at a second’s notice.
I gave my bun Moxie a hair cut last summer because I didn’t have an AC, and I found that some good quality scissors (ones for cutting human hair for instance) work well.
Good luck!

[LBJ10]

Make sure to always hold the scissors flat while cutting and use your fingers as a guard, like MissG suggested.

As for the cut, is it still bleeding? If not, then it probably isn’t too bad. I mean, we’re not vets or anything. So if you’re unsure, then have it checked out. The others are right about regular Neosporin being safe to use. Clean it up and put a little ointment on it. If it isn’t bad then I would think that a bandage isn’t necessary. Legs can be tricky as Megabunny said.

[wigglynoses]

Thank you so much for the trimming techniques! I always cut parallel with the wool, never towards it. The scissors I use are from the pet store for trimming around dog eyes and ears so they have rounded ball tips to avoid pokes. No it is no longer bleeding, it didn’t bleed very much to begin with. I’ve done my own grooming for all of my pets in the past (trimming everyone’s nails and even clipping birds wings) with out insident so this is first time anything like this has ever happend.

[Megabunny]

Let us know how you make out!

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