Bunny nail- did I do the right thing?

Question
Hi Dana,
I was trimming my 5-year-old dwarf bunny's nails tonight, and one of them (pinky nail on a back paw) came right off in my hand. There seemed to be a pink nub (the quick?) left behind and it bled a bit (there was also evidence of bleeding there, dried blood, from before), although bunny didn't seem to be bothered by it at all. After the bleeding stopped, I diluted some povidone-iodine in warm water and applied it to the spot with a cotton swab, then made sure bunny's cage was completely clean. Did I do the right thing? Anything else I should do? I'm a little worried, but he seems to be ok ... I just don't want it to get infected or anything. Have had rabbits for years and have never seen this before!

Thanks!
Tara

Answer
Dear Tara,

Sorry for the delay.  We had a bit of computer downtime, and I'm only now accessing AllExperts.  :(

You did exactly the right thing, and I'm sure your bunny will be fine.  He might have loosened his nail sheath on something, and it came off easily in your hand while you were trimming:  the nail sheath is not easy to pull off, so it might not even have been your doing!

Just keep an eye on the toe for any sign of redness or swelling.  The pink nub (the quick) is homologous to the fleshy tip of your finger, and it will regrow a nail in time.

If you see any sign of infection (not likely), you can find a good rabbit vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

But I'm betting he'll get over this without any problems. It happens more often than you'd think!

Dana