You don't always need to take your dog to the vet if you cut their nail too short, unless it's bleeding and you can't stop the bleeding.
You can often stop your dog's nail from bleeding by applying some pressure with a clean towel and use some flour or cornstarch to help stop the bleeding.
If the bleeding does not stop, then you should take the dog to the vet and they will use some styptic powder to stop the bleeding.
If the bleeding of the dog's nail continues after 15 minutes to 20 minutes of firm pressure you should take the dog to the vet.
If you cut the dog's nail too short and it's bleeding and you cannot stop it, then yes you need to take the dog to the vet.
If a dog's nail is cut too deep, you will cut into the dog's quick which contains blood vessels and nerves and so cutting into the quick when cutting the dog's nails too deep, will result in pain and even bleeding.
It hurts a dog pretty bad when you cut the quick, although the pain from cutting the dog's quick is temporary and often goes away within a few minutes.
Cutting a dog's quick can be a traumatic experience for the dog and lead to a fear of future nail trimming.
The dog's quick has nerves, so cutting the quick hurts the dog and causes pain, and is similar a human accidentally their own fingernail too short and it will also lead to some bleeding.
Dogs have a sensitive area inside their nails that is called and known as the "quick".
The "quick" in a dogs nails contain nerves and blood vessels.
And cutting into the dogs "quick" when cutting the dogs nails can cause bleeding and pain.
So it's important to trim the dogs nails very carefully to avoid cutting the "quick".
And if you're unsure of how to cut the dogs nails correctly to avoid the "quick" or you're nervous you may cut into their "quick" and cause bleeding and pain you should have a vet or a dog groomer or someone else that knows how to cut the dogs nails properly instead.
I'm pretty confident myself in cutting nails and could do it, but I prefer to pay a dog groomer to cut my dogs nails to be safe.
If you do cut a dog's "quick" it will bleed and cause pain as the "quick" contains blood vessels and nerves.
To stop any bleeding if you accidentally cut the dog's "quick", apply some cornstarch, flour or styptic powder directly to the dog's nail with pressure.
And keep the area clean and monitor it for any signs of infection, such as redness or swelling and if the bleeding persists or an infection is occurring, you should contact the vet.