It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 3:50 pm

All times are UTC - 8 hours




 Page 1 of 1 [ 7 posts ] 
Author Message
 Post subject: Quick stop / styptic powder - harmful?
PostPosted: Mon Jul 30, 2018 6:41 pm 
Chick
Chick

Posts: 70
Joined: Feb 2018
Gave happy chirps: 9 times
Got happy chirps: 0 time
I was trimming Kermit’s nails and one of them bled a little. I have a product called Kwik Stop that stops the bleeding. Kermit reached for it while I was trying to apply it to his nail, and he got some on his beak. He may have eaten some of the powder. Is it harmful to ingest? It’s advertised specifically for birds. It also works very well when you accidentally cut a nail too short - the bleeding stopped immediately.


Offline
  Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Quick stop / styptic powder - harmful?
PostPosted: Mon Jul 30, 2018 6:49 pm 
Conure
Conure

Name: Baruch
Posts: 3718
Joined: Jul 2013
Gave happy chirps: 213 times
Got happy chirps: 246 times
I never used kwik stop, but judging from my common sense, I don’t think they would make a product used on a bird’s body part with the risk of death if consumed. It’s well known birds are curious and like to put everything in their mouth. I think it’s harmless.


Offline
  Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Quick stop / styptic powder - harmful?
PostPosted: Mon Jul 30, 2018 7:09 pm 
Chick
Chick

Posts: 70
Joined: Feb 2018
Gave happy chirps: 9 times
Got happy chirps: 0 time
On the package it says “for external use only”. Does this mean it’s harmful if swallowed? I think he only consumed a small amount. I would assume it’s fine.


Offline
  Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Quick stop / styptic powder - harmful?
PostPosted: Mon Jul 30, 2018 9:44 pm 
Site Admin
Site Admin
User avatar

Name: Carolyn
Posts: 7986
Joined: Jun 2008
Location: Arizona
Gave happy chirps: 201 times
Got happy chirps: 725 times
There are numerous reports on the internet of dogs licking it off without problems, so a little bit probably isn't harmful. But even if it's not poisonous, there is a potential danger because styptic powder can cause chemical burns to skin and other soft tissues. It's fine to use it on nails, but it's better to use something else (like flour or cornstarch) on bleeding skin wounds.

You can also use flour or cornstarch with bleeding nails - it's cheaper than Kwik Stop and safer too, because it can't cause chemical burns if it gets on the skin and you don't have to worry about what happens if the bird eats it. I keep some flour in a small plastic container handy when I'm trimming nails so I can apply it fast if a nail gets cut too short.



_________________
Image
Offline
  Profile E-mail  
 
 Post subject: Re: Quick stop / styptic powder - harmful?
PostPosted: Tue Jul 31, 2018 7:07 am 
Chick
Chick

Posts: 70
Joined: Feb 2018
Gave happy chirps: 9 times
Got happy chirps: 0 time
I have used corn starch before and it takes a while to stop the bleeding. Kwik Stop seems to work much faster. This is actually the first time Kermit bled from a nail clipping. Ducky seems to bleed often, even when the nail isn’t cut that short.


Offline
  Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Quick stop / styptic powder - harmful?
PostPosted: Tue Jul 31, 2018 7:43 am 
Site Admin
Site Admin
User avatar

Name: Carolyn
Posts: 7986
Joined: Jun 2008
Location: Arizona
Gave happy chirps: 201 times
Got happy chirps: 725 times
In young birds, the vein goes out closer to the tip of the nail than it does in older birds. When nails get really long, the vein gets longer too, and the way to make it get shorter is to gradually cut the nail back to where it should be over a period of time instead of trying to do it all at once. I'm sure there are individual variations in vein length too.

So there are lots of factors that affect the location of the vein. If you have a bird where you're frequently nicking the vein, the solution is to just barely take off the sharp tip and not actually try to make the nail shorter.



_________________
Image
Offline
  Profile E-mail  
 
 Post subject: Re: Quick stop / styptic powder - harmful?
PostPosted: Wed Aug 01, 2018 11:29 pm 
Previous owner
Previous owner
User avatar

Name: Melissa
Posts: 3264
Joined: May 2008
Location: Renton (Seattle), WA
Gave happy chirps: 142 times
Got happy chirps: 69 times
you can also get styptic pens



_________________
Image
Offline
  Profile E-mail  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
 Page 1 of 1 [ 7 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 8 hours


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 5 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Jump to:  

cron