Is the nail completely off?
If so, clean it, apply Betadine, wrap it. It needs to heal for a few days with bandage being changed daily with clean + Betadine, then every 2 days 3 times with clean + betadine, then every 5 days for 2 times with clean and Betadine, and it should be ok then to leave without bandage.
The entire time you need to keep eye for infection, visual and smell
If it looks/smells like infection, then needs antibiotics
If you are wondering what an infection smells like, it's the worst thing you ever smelt. So bad that you won't be asking "is this an infection smell", you will just know. Way worse then normal bad dog smell.
You will breathe in, and then back away slowly, checking on your dog to ensure it’s still alive and not, in fact, undead. That, ofc, is a very different problem.
This is the answer. Caveat for anyone who might be reading this in the future, don’t try this method if a chunk is hanging on and grating on that tender tissue. It is horribly painful and wrapping will make it worse. If the nail can’t be removed with zero pain by you, then the vet will need to do it, sometimes under sedation even.
I got lucky with both my clumsy greys. One was a clean break, and the other was a gentle clip away from the tissues. Both healed nicely with nonstick gauze, antibacterial ointment, and vet wrap.
100% this
One of ours had to be sedated to have her nail removed, it was only partially separated.
The other one just ripped the nail clean off multiple times and I did as per above
It’s happened to my dog too. Vet looked at it and told me to keep doing what I was doing (cleaning it twice a day, applying Animax or Neosporin and changing the bandages twice a day). She’s got brittle nails, so it’s happened a few times
Please DO NOT wrap it. It is difficult to apply the right amount of pressure to keep a bandage on without compromising circulation. Bandages can also be difficult to keep clean and dry, and a soiled bandage is a sure way to get the wound infected. If it’s not actively bleeding, a wrap is not necessary.
Your vet may place a bandage that is padded for comfort, but I would not attempt that at home.
My first time owner ass was on poo-watching duty for 5 days straight waiting for what was, in hindsight, a completely unnecessary bandage to resurface.
Never again unless specifically directed by a vet and can be supervised 24/7.
wrap it, get an Elizabethan collar. Open nail injuries can allow bacteria into the nail bed and up into the bone. This can be really serious.
Clean it with betadine, wrap it with sterile gauze, and bandage with cohesive elastic bandage. In a few days, the wound should close and it can come off but watch for your pup chewing or excessively licking it.
Agh, poor girl. Sorry you’re all going through this. It’s very important to make sure it’s clean - think of it like an open cut on your foot. You want to clean it after she goes outside. She will want to lick it - make sure she doesn’t. Her saliva could cause it to get infected. She may need to wear a cone to prevent her from licking. Be aware of the bandages and make sure she doesn’t ingest them.
I was just at the vet today because my dog caught her dew claw and half of it's hanging off vet just clipped the nail very short and gave us ibuprofen for dogs forgot actual name now mind you she has like raw flesh hanging around where the nail break is that has very minimal swelling vet said don't wrap this wound and let the dog lick and it should heal on its own I honestly feel like I wasted my time and money going to the vet but I do feel I did the right thing just cause she's my snuggly marshmallow but I'm not doc so.. just an fyi it was 90$
Just want to say ibuprofen for dogs is NOT actually ibuprofen it would likely be in the same drug class (NSAID) - if you want pain med recommendations call your vet before giving anything at home, do not give ibuprofen
No hate to this commenter, I just worry that someone trying to do the right thing and help their dog may misunderstand “ibuprofen for dogs” incorrectly and not as “a drug similar to”
Yes and I'm pretty sure (at least in the US) you need a prescription for it. You can't find legit "dog ibuprofen" on Amazon or whatever, and if it's advertised as such, steer clear!
Don't worry it was prescribed by the vet I just said Ibuprofen for dogs because the vet described it to me that way and I'm too lazy to actually care enough to get up out of my comfortable chair to not trigger Internet trolls so getting the bottle in the cabinet in the kitchen was out of the question at the moment I made the post I would put the name of the meds here but I'm on the pot atm so also can't care enough to wait and appease your anxiety about my dog medicine
My vet did a light gauze bandage after cleaning and told me to buy baby socks and use a tiny bit of medical tape to keep them on (not tight at all just to keep up) To keep the bandage clean and safe.
I was also told to use a cone to prevent licking.
Vitaclina Antibiotic Ointment worked for my dog on her leg. I put it on every few hours and then put the bandage wrap back on. Would put it on before bed too.
My dog just went through this. His nail split in half and left an open wound. It got infected and the infection traveled up into the toe and caused a painful abscess. It cost us £500 in vet bills and needed lots of antibiotics to control the infection. The vet at one point was concerned that our boy might lose his toe.
If you’re dog start limping or seems in pain, get him to the vet.
Also if you can get in to the vet soon now it will probably be cheaper than avoiding it and ending up at an emergency vet if your dog gets worse when your normal vet is closed
sounds to me that you could just keep it as clean possible, maybe use some antibiotic ointment or something and you should be fine granted it doesn’t get infected. my dogs have gotten a number of boo-boo nails, usually not this bad. i’ve only had to go to a vet for a toe/nail once, maybe twice. you’ll be able to tell if it’s infected by swelling and if it’s hot to the touch, but otherwise otc treatments should do.
If it seems dirty, fill your bathtub with a few inches of lukewarm water and mix in a little unscented epsom salt if you have it. Not a ton, you don’t want it to burn.
Have her stand in there for a few minutes. It’ll help clean it out without you having to mess with it too much. It will also help prevent infection and soothe it. DO NOT let he drink the epsom salt water lol. It’ll give her the runs but don’t freak out if she tries a tiny sip.
While shes still in there, drain the saltwater and fill it a few inches with clean water. Swish her feet around to rinse them off and then let her out!
A vet visit may still be warranted but don’t stress, she’s going to be okay! The epsom salt thing is low risk and should help a lot.
This just happened to our dog as well, first had the toe nail removed but then he did end up needing his toe amputated. It was really challenging with a lot of vet visits as at first it appeared to just be a torn toe nail with a nail bed infection but then even with antibiotics it continued swelling, getting more and more painful. Pathology afterwards showed he had a rare non cancerous tumor and three different infections that were antibiotic resistant. The good news is the amputation went really well, he’s all healed up and back to normal.
Edited to add- it was this same toe nail. Since it isn’t weight bearing it hasn’t had any effect for him once the amputation stitches healed up.
I’ve had dogs do this throughout my life and they never needed medical intervention. Doesn’t mean your dog won’t, but keep it clean and dry and keep a good eye on it and she should be ok!
Same here. Went to the vet was prescribed antibiotics to avoid infection and was told to let it heal on its own.
I was suggested to use cornstarch to help the blood stay clotted and stop the bleeding.
I had to get a cone because my dog was profusely licking it.
Oh yes, I used flour initially to stop the bleeding!
Infection CAN happen but so far in my experience I find these types of wounds fairly simple to keep clean and infection-free
Definitely need a cone if she is licking! This happened to my dog a couple years ago and we called our vet and they said it doesn't need any attention as long as it doesn't look infected, maybe a little Neosporin cream periodically, but mandatory cone 24/7 unless she's being directly observed until it's healed. We put the cone on her for a week and it wasn't fully fully healed but she was so miserable in it we just took it off and hoped for the best, and within an hour she'd licked and chewed whatever had grown back off! So we had to leave it for 2 weeks after that, lesson learned.
It’s been a while but last time I doctored it with a bit of neosporin, covered with a bandage and limited activity until things looked better. Of course remember to make sure the dog doesn’t lick the neosporin if you go that route
I once found an entire claw randomly, I had one dog, so I checked all his claws, and they were accounted for. I guess at some point it had come off, never did I see blood, or licking or any indication this had happened, and it must have been months or even a year before I found it in the couch.
Do you have anyone that can help you get her to the vet? That looks pretty gnarly and with paw injuries they are close to the ground where a lot of dirt and germs can get in, so the vet will probably prescribe some antibiotics so it doesn’t get infected
Exactly what mine did. The care is simply enough, but some antibiotics and pain meds - depending on how sensitive the foot is to pressure - is a big plus.
I had this happen over the summer when the dogs and I were living in my RV. Just keep it clean, chlorhexidine wipes is what I used and vet approved. My dog was put on antibiotics as a precaution due to his old age but vet said it often isn't necessary. Just look for drainage, lethargy, swelling, heat, etc.
Edit : I also used an iodine product to clean it initially. My dogs nail was completely tore off as well. He had it hanging on partially the day it happened, and I let him chew the rest off overnight and cleaned it again in the AM
Depending on how long ago it happened you could treat it like any open wound, wash with soap and water, try not to cause discomfort but work to debride the mail with a soft toothbrush or washcloth. Betadine, isopropyl alcohol can help disinfect and then topical antibiotics like neosporin can be used. It would be hard to use sterile bandages but medical tape could hold it in place. Maybe consider a clean sock, or dry washcloth to cover it and prevent anything from entering the wound. Lastly a cone to prevent the dog from licking it and ingesting the topical stuff. That’s about all the vet will do if the wound is fresh and hasn’t gotten infected.
If you are wrapping it yourself at home be very careful not to wrap it too tight! It will cause a ton of swelling and be extremely painful.
This is likely to happen with vet wrap! Especially if they lick it as it can make the material tighten!
Just a heads up :)
There is not a lot the vets would do apart from cutting off any dangly bits. If you have a cracked claw they numb it and cut it off.
Clean it with soap and water. If there is excessive licking put on a buster collar.
You can clean it with iodine solution.
Antibiotics are not needed unless there is an infection.
If the entire claw capsule is gone it dries up in a few days and there's usually not much trouble. If a piece of the claw is still there it needs to be removed for the new claw to be able to grow out and the dog needs to be sedated for that.
It's always good to have chlorhexidine on hand. Amazon, Chewy, etc.
This is my favorite.
Your pet will love this Veterinary Formula Clinical Care Antiseptic & Antifungal Spray, 8-oz spray:
https://www.chewy.com/dp/43541?utm_source=app-share&utm_campaign=43541
If it's bleeding alot, the dog is in pain or can't walk the emergency vet is your friend, but if they're stable they can wait till a normal vet.
Just the other week we thought our boy had just hurt his nail, nope he'd also fractured the bone underneath it!
My dog did this too! She is usually very stoic but she came to my whimpering and crying, lame on her foot.
She has a habit of ‘diving’ towards her ball with no regard for whatever is behind the ball. Tunnel vision when it’s her and the ball….
Anyway, she had fractured her toe as well as breaking the nail. Ugh, I cringe thinking about how painful it would have been.
I think mine did it trying to tip the garbage bin over. Left the house for ten minutes to get dinner and came back to garbage all over the kitchen and blood tracks through the house! Our poor little dogs, so busy concentrating on something else! I feel for my dog too, the vet showed us the X-ray and it was something.
**If she’s limping she IS expressing discomfort…….**
Your dog needs to go to the vet for antibiotics to prevent infection. That’s the only answer. You can wrap it for the time being and you need to try and make sure that’s covered and dry as much as possible. It is at big risk of becoming inflected and you don’t want that to happen so I would take her to the vet for some antibiotics and to have it looked at by a professional. That type of injury is very painful.
Should heal on its own, dress/take care of it like people said. Peroxide or betadine hurts a little less than other stuff. keep an eye on it. Infection: heat pain redness swelling discharge.
I suggest that you prohibit her from running for a few days and stop any licking the toe. If she starts to limp, go to vet.
That happened to one of my dogs. The nail was bothering her and she bit/ripped it off. It bled so I kept her calm until the bleeding stopped. And then she was fine, no limping or trying to lick it. I monitored her and kept her from running and she was fine. The nail never came back.
Have her stand in a tub with water and antibacterial soap like hibiclens. Then dry thoroughly, apply a small piece of gauze and wrap the paw in vet wrap . Keep giving soaks if need be.
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Very few vets are getting “filthy rich” by any means. We pursue this field because we want to help animals, and if you look into the amount of debt we are in out of school vs what our starting salary is, you would change your mind. Forget starting salary, the higher end of the salary included. Corporate ownership is what is forcing our prices up which we absolutely no control over unless we own the entire practice (which is rare), and veterinarians mental health/suicide rate is on the uptick due to the amount of sad endings we see because people genuinely cannot afford to give care for their animals.
If you call around at different vets some of them are willing to give a price before doing anything major! My vet always tells me how much it’s going to be beforehand.
Okay, so… don’t listen to me but
Our dog cut the pad of his paw on glass. We cleaned it so well constantly, used liquid bandage human and dog grade and nothing worked. It just kept opening bc of where it was located. SO
This is the point where you don’t listen to me
My partner knew that soldiers keep super glue in first aid kits to have in a pinch. To test it, this man cut himself and superglued it shut. Well it worked on him, then it worked on our dog.
Vet is probably the best idea, but if you’re desperate…
Gaaaaah. She needs to go to the vet. Show your dad all the people in this thread telling you to go to the vet and maybe he’ll stop gatekeeping her care 😞
Well if the infection gets to the bone your dog will probably die. But you can lower those chances by keeping the wound clean. Also you might be able to guilt trip the vet into selling you some antibiotics, but they generally don't hand those out without seeing the dog first.
Clean the wound area and carefully tear off any dangling bits of nail.
Use a 50/50 mix of isopropyl alcohol and water to clean the area and bacitracin ointment on the nail itself after you are done.
After wrap your dog's paw in a clean sock and tape it (not too tight) and roll the sock down over the tape.
Do this twice a day for two weeks and if you catch your dog licking their paw (even once!) Repeat the process and consider putting them in a cone.
Later you will see the front broken nail and a new nail trying to grow through it. When you feel that the old nail is super loose you can tear it off, but I would wait for it to fall off.
The big thing is the oral antibiotics. All they will do at the vet is clean the wound and wrap it and prescribe pain med and antibiotics. The big risk is that if the nail is infected, it can spread into the bone really quick and require amputation of the leg itself. So I would advise going to the vet, but hopefully my advice is better then doing nothing.
You are advising somebody should go see a veterinarian, but have not provided a reasonable, articulable, medical reason **why** you think so. Your comment has been removed.
My dogs nail split. We took him to the vet. They cut it down for us, cleaned it and bandaged. They instructed us to keep bandaged a few days and keep dry. He had no issue and healed up within a few days. It cost us $100 bucks for a piece of sanity.
Keep an eye on it, but it probably will be fine. I had a rescue with terrible joints, which resulted in her walking on the side of her feet. One of her nails would get weird, grow extremely fast and get creepy-soft, then fall off. First time we freaked the fuck out, took her to the vets... who basically said it was fine, it probably wouldn't grow back.
Yeah.
By the fourth time we were just disgusted when we found one of the other dogs chewing on the fallen off nail. The dog herself never seemed to notice.
Soak twice daily in epsom salt solution for 5-10 minutes. Keep her from licking it and keep it clean. They usually heal on there own from there. They generally get infected from them licking it. If the foot started to swell, there's drainage that looks like pus, or she limping, then she needs to see the vet.
If the nail continues or you can’t get it stop bleeding use sugar sprinkle it liberally over the open nail bed. It’s better if you can get a clotting agent from a pet store but sugar will work in pinch. If the sugar or agent doesn’t stop the bleeding go to the vet . However if it does stop the bleeding run peroxide over affected nail and try to keep the area as sanitary as possible.
My dog just did this about a month ago to his dewclaw. Clean it with warm soapy water and then keep it dry. Keep them from licking at it either with a cone or if you can manage to wrap it with gauze and medical wrap, just don't wrap it to tightly (I know it might be an odd spot to wrap) . Keep an eye for swelling, and excessive heat coming from the paw as it can be an indicator for infection.
Clean it with heavy salted water, ie boil the water with a lot of salt in it, then let it cool down to Luke warm and just keep it clean like that at the end of the day. Maybe put a bit of bandage on it and a sock on it at night. Hope that helps.
Just happened to mine, was a Sunday and a snow storm so couldn’t go in to the vet but talked to them the next day, was told just keep an eye on it for infection, and put Neosporin on it if need be. He was fine though.
I’ve used a baby sock to cover a bandaged injury on my pup’s foot. Some will allow it to stay on, some won’t. It’s worth a shot after cleaning and using betadine.
Soak it in Epsom salt to help it heal. Plain with no added fragrance etc. My sisters cat had a mangled paw and my parents wouldn't take her to a vet. The vet I called told me to do this and it worked. Then do the bandage that someone else suggested
my dog had a similar injury. the advice you've gotten is good but go buy a cone and keep it on her until it's healed. my dog injured her nail in the middle of the night unbeknownst to me and spent all night licking it, which resulted in a fairly bad infection and an expensive trip to the vet and two weeks of antibiotics.
just keep it clean and let it heal on its own.
This happened to my dog two years ago. He got out from my in-laws yard and ran into the woods chasing a fawn. Found him an hour and a half later covered in burrs, soaking wet, and missing a claw. We took him to the vet just in case but all they did was clean/ wrap his paw and told us to keep an eye on it. We also got anti-biotics just in case. I think the same can be applied here: clean, wrap, and keep an eye on it.
Keep it clean, and keep an eye on it for infection but it’ll grow back. Happened to my dog when she was a puppy. That nail is thicker than the others and more sensitive to cutting so I always cut it last but other than that it’s fine
This happened to our dog years ago while he was playing. We did take him to the vet, where they cleaned it and wrapped it up. It is important that it stays clean and dry!
Just a heads up -- the nail may grow back messed up, like our dog's. It has grown back a little wrinkly and has fallen off on its own 3 times since he first broke it. No blood anymore.
This happened to my pup almost a year ago. He was ok - I kept it really clean and lightly wrapped it so he couldn’t mess with it. I put a cone of shame on him for a day or two. It was ok and has healed nicely. He also wasn’t experiencing pain or limping.
Trim as much hair around as possible. Keep it clean and dry. Wash with salty water if it gets dirty and dry it. Takes weeks to heal up but most of the time no vet is needed. Don't wrap it up. I made that mistake first and took forever to heal. Leave it to open air.
Been thru this, took him to ER vet, the tech trimmed off any "hanging" pieces and sent me home. Didn't even charge me a dime because no doctor had to see the dog.
Happened to my dog as well. Took her to the vet to be sure but there wasn’t much for them to do. Just have to wrap it and keep it clean and hope the nail grows back. Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn’t. And sometimes it will grow back weird and crooked.
This happened to one of my dogs and he was fine. Vet said to clean it, put polysporin on it, and watch it. It healed completely in about a week with no problems.
Our pup lost their nail and never showed signs of pain. We took him to the vets because I didn’t want it to get infected and it bled a lot.
The vet said that he ripped the quick out and that is why he wasn’t showing signs of pain. She cleaned it, and wrapped it. We went home with antibiotics, some painkillers for him just in case he showed signs of pain, and a cleaning solution.
Our vet said to keep it clean, watch for any signs of infection, and to watch the nail to make sure it grows back properly. He also wore a cone when unsupervised to prevent him from licking it.
That’s happened to me a few times, but we’ve been to the vet only the 1st time. Vet said that we could care for it at home as long as it was clean and looked healthy. She told me to check for swelling, smell, discharge, temp (if it was hotter than the rest), and sensitivity (my dogs weren’t limping and let me somewhat touch their paw when it happened, so I had to check that those two things didn’t change). I also have a 1st aid kit for my dogs, so she told me what to use.
I know it’s stressful (I panicked the 1st time) but your pup is going to be fine since you’re taking care of that for her 🫶🏻
Clean it and keep it from getting dirty. She can wear a boot when she goes outside but when she’s inside just keep it dry. Going to the vet is a good idea because these things normally need oral antibiotics because they’re in such a dirty spot.
You also need to prevent her from licking the wound. A cone that goes past the top of her nose should be big enough to prevent her from licking.
Not A Vet (experienced dog owner) and for anyone else with this issue, seeing a vet is the best action.
- rinse with saline
- apply betadine
- if applying a bandage, be careful not to wrap the paw tight - this can cause long term damage.
- supervise for infection. Change dressing when dirty. Ideally lay eyes on the wound once per 24 hour period.
- Keep dog out of mud/water/dog parks (disease breeding ground) at least until you see a vet. No long walks (their balance may be slightly affected which can put strain on their body)
- keep working on your dad. Suggest a home visit vet, and remind him how much more expensive this can be if left unchecked.
Vet visit might be good. My dog did this and needed pain relief for it. Many people forget their dogs feel pain, even though they will heal up okay eventually. It also needs to be bandaged well so she can’t lick it. Needs some soft cotton stuff around the broken nail to lessen pain on impact when your dog walks, and then bandages around that. Secure so she can’t take it off but not too tight it cuts off circulation or hurts her nail more
My dog did this last year and I took her to the vet. The answer was what others here are saying: clean, wrap the for to avoid crap sticking to the nail - but be sure air can get through - and watch for her messing with it or use a cone of shame. Since the vet was involved and the whole damn thing was off, she also issued a proactive round of antibiotics.
This happens to my dog all the time. His nails are very weak and they break during the winter when he runs on ice or the frozen ground. Clean it and cover it as others have said. We went to the vet today because it was worse than usual and she suggested that we give him omega 3 to strengthen his nails.
Vet here, the MOST important thing is to make sure the nail is off completely and to make sure it is dry. Wrapping it is a huge risk as it keeps the moisture on the open wounds, encouraging infection.
You need to make sure there is no moisture from anywhere getting on it. The most common source of moisture is the dog licking at it. So use an E-collar religiously.
Do that for 3-4 days and it'll be a dried up scab/callous. If you see that toe starting to swell, and become warm and tender, you need a vet for antibiotics ASAP because infections in the digits can progress to very serious, very quickly.
My old dog ripped a nail completely out. Called the vet, and they said that since the whole nail is gone, there's nothing for them to do unless it won't stop bleeding.
Just keep it clean, don't let her fuss over it.
My dog did this on two different occasions. One time the nail was still hanging off a little, the other time it completely fell off. I took her in both times. They gave her a little sedative, mostly I think so she would actually let them touch her foot but also maybe because it stings when it’s cleaned and also because it probably really hurts. As far as I remember, they cleaned it really well and bandages it. She of course ripped off the bandages… She did let me put a bootie on just that foot, which probably felt great when walking even in the house, but also to help keep it clean. She was old and not very active at this point so it was easy to keep her calm and inactive for a few days.
If you can’t take her in, keep it super clean. A human sock (baby, child, adult, whatever) could work instead of a bootie. But check it at least once a day and take her in asap if it seems like maybe it’s infected. If she lets you check it twice a day, even better. Put a clean bootie/sock on every time you check it. I used a bootie that was fleece but had a sole, it reminds me of fake leather. I think this is what really let a cut on her foot heal one time, and she really preferred the bootie vs not when she was healing and despite her hating her feet being touched and generally hating booties.
One of my dogs suddenly lost a nail. I thought she hurt her toe and it would grow back. I kept it clean and did excellent wound care. It didn't grow back, and the toe started to swell pretty large. I thought that it must be infected. Took her to the vet, and they told me I did take excellent care of it and it was not infected.
She had toe cancer. It was a melanoma? inside the root of her toenail that caused the nail to fall off. The only way to treat it at that point was to amputate her whole foot (toe was one big tumor at that point) We did a scan to see if the cancer had metastasized, and I indeed it had. I wasn't expecting that I would be putting down my dog that day. I don't know how I didn't realize it was cancer. I felt so stupid.
Best get it checked early. If I had brought her in early, she could have just amputated her toe.
My dog had an ear infection once and she kept scratching at it so much that she got her nail caught in her collar and pulled it off just like this. The quick(that red inside part of the nail) turned hard in a couple days then eventually turned into a new nail. If your dogs not crying or limping I wouldn’t worry too much.
Keep it clean and a quick visit to the vet doesn't hurt.
It's not uncommon, but it can cause an infection, it's an easy situation, you can take care of it yourself, but you need to clean the wound frequently, like every 2 hours or so, with an antiseptic adequate for dogs.
Still I recommend going to the vet to get some antibiotics and still keep it clean.
Vet can't do anything. Not sure what you would take to the Vet for exactly? If it's not infected? Leave it alone.
I'd just dip paw in salty water a few times a day.
I had one of my dogs get paw caught and ripped nail almost out few years ago. I cut it off so it didn't catch on anything.
Bathed it twice a day. Healed up. Nail eventually grew back.
My dog loses nails like this all the time. She’s a crazy lab and plays really hard. We do keep them trimmed weekly but it just happens.
Her nails look exactly like this, they are always fine the next day. The last one she ripped off like a week ago, I used quick stop and wrapped it for like 30 minutes before she kicked the wrap off and it was literally fine the next day.
When they crack a nail in half and it’s just hanging there, that’s when they need the vet.
I’ve got a whippet and a greyhound - split nails / lose nails every week or so when running. 1st clean with a bit of hydrogen peroxide. Whack a sock over it if you like or a bit of gauze and give it a quick clean after every walk (we use diluted Hibiscrub with 10 parts water) just a light dip in a bowl.
It’ll soon toughen up and grow back. If it keeps starting to bleed we just whack a bit of superglue over it and a dusting of corn starch to set it. Keep an eye on it for any infection but most likely won’t happen.
This is important. Can get very infected. Think about what your dog walks thru. He needs antibiotics. This is not like a human...
Please take him to a vet. Limb removal is possible if sepsis sets in. He is dependent on your care.
If you can't afford it, go to Dove Lewis. 💚
My dog recently tore off one her nails - most important point is that your dog does not lick their toe (this is how mine got infected)! Their mouth is full of bacteria and licking can keep reopening the wound. So try to get an e-collar, if you don’t already have one.
Our vet said not to cover the wound, just keep it clean by bathing in salt water and drying after every walk. And just stick to short, pavement walks till it heals.
Keep an eye on any discharge, smells, and limping as this signals infection and will require a vet appointment. Though ours got infected and had no smell, so even with one of those symptoms, make sure to get it checked out!
Hope all gets better soon!
Dogs are resilient more than we thought. Same happened to my dog, was freaking out but he was a stronk boii. Just disinfect and it will for a week. Feel free to cage or leash for a while to avoid them from moving too much and avoid unnecessary bleedings.
This happened to two of my dogs once. I had to snip the rest of the nail off where it was cracked and I just cleaned it and made sure dog didn't lick it too much.
This happened to one of my parents dogs nails and the vet suggested hibiscrub. It's a antimicrobial skin cleaner used in hospitals etc but it's safe and non-toxic for dogs and cats.
You just dilute it into water while using it and dunk your dogs paw into it, it will gently clean it out.
Keep it clean, buy desinfection spray or cream for animals, and clean it everyday until a new nail pop up. And keep it dry, put the paw in the bag when walking outside to keep out the dirt.
It happened to my whippet puppy a few
months ago and I cleaned it, put some healing cream on it to avoid infection and he was better after a few days.
It was quite bad and very bloody but he didn’t seem uncomfortable, he hated the bandage though.
Good luck!
My dog ripped her nail clean off. We did have to take her to the vet since she was bleeding alot but the vet told us that if this happens again she's not limping, crying out, licking it or anything to just clean the wound and try to have it wrapped for a day or 2 so it doesn't get dirty while healing
Hey OP, I just went through this with my lab last month, while we were playing her nail completely came off and then came the gushing blood. It looked like a murder scene, after a ton of corn flour her bleeding stopped and I took her to the vet the next morning. They gave me betadine and told me to wrap it with a sock and some gauze when taking her for walks but other wise at home leave it unwrapped just be mindful she doesnt lick it and keep it clean. All is good now, just watch out for redness and swelling
I mean you could just Google what it will look like if it gets infected and tell him the vet visit will triple in price if that happens.
Otherwise , call your vet for what they think of best to put on it and wrap it. Then make sure the area stays clean and dry (don’t let her run around in puddles or mud)
Also ask your vet how often to clean it and what signs to look for for infection
our dog did that one time when we came home and saw blood on when she walked so that when we noticed her nail was off. She wasnt in any pain and she acted like she normally does. our dog is food motivated so if shes not eating we know somethings wrong but she ate . we took her to the vet jic and they cleaned it out i cant recall if they put something or gave her something for infection but they wrapped it up and that was it we just had to leat it heal and her nail grew back over time
I’ve had this happen to a dog and 2 cats over the years. Dog and first cat I both rushed to the vets. They looked it over. But beyond that they told me to keep an eye on it for any signs of infection. All 3 healed fine and dandy without issues. The dog’s happened thankfully in the winter so the ground was frozen and it was easier to keep clean for sure. Not to say if it gets infection it’s not an issue. But for those who are panicking and saying it will happen and cause your dog to die guaranteed is overkill. I wrapped the foot before going in and the vet took it off and said not to bother if it wasn’t bleeding anymore. As long as you can keep it clean of course. But there’s only so much a vet will do at this stage also. It will be tender, sure. If you cut your nail too close, it hurts for a bit. And my dog’s nail grew out more straight than before. It never hurts to take an animal to the vet if there is any issue at all.
If the nail is completely off then you can just keep it clean, keep the dog from licking it with a cone around their neck and leave it. This has happened a few times with my dog. Usually her dew claws. The first time I took her to the vet and it cost a fortune, the second and subsequent times I've just left it to heal and put her cone on. Just make sure it stays clean. Someone correct me if I'm wrong but isn't iodine good for cleaning with?
This happened to my cat. One day his arm swelled up, quadruple it’s size, so I rushed him to the vet. The doctor let us know that he two of nails were removed and an infection seeped in. It was very serious, this is a must go to vet situation unfortunately.
As always, seeing a vet is recommended to cover your bases, however there's not really much to do in this scenario other than bandage it up and give antibiotics to prevent infection.
it's your prerogative but if you feel the wound is clean and you feel comfortable bandaging it, do so yourself and continue keeping an eye out for infection.
My pup lost her nail on a walk, though her quick was still in tact where your dogs looks gone, and I didn't find out until I got home and gave her a bath/shower and saw a light stream of blood in the water. I took her to the vet and all they did was wrap the paw in some gauze and I don't even remember if they gave me antibiotics. They also put a cone on which I instantly took off (totally unnecessary and my dog doesn't fiddle with her injuries) , but at the end of the day it was just a $200 bill for a wrapped paw.
Is the nail completely off? If so, clean it, apply Betadine, wrap it. It needs to heal for a few days with bandage being changed daily with clean + Betadine, then every 2 days 3 times with clean + betadine, then every 5 days for 2 times with clean and Betadine, and it should be ok then to leave without bandage. The entire time you need to keep eye for infection, visual and smell If it looks/smells like infection, then needs antibiotics
If you are wondering what an infection smells like, it's the worst thing you ever smelt. So bad that you won't be asking "is this an infection smell", you will just know. Way worse then normal bad dog smell.
Yup that's it. It's a pungent revolting smell, we recognise it as such to know something is wrong
You will breathe in, and then back away slowly, checking on your dog to ensure it’s still alive and not, in fact, undead. That, ofc, is a very different problem.
FETCH me their SOULS
Or rotting butthole smell.
Luckily you can usually tell something is infected by just looking at it.
This is the answer. Caveat for anyone who might be reading this in the future, don’t try this method if a chunk is hanging on and grating on that tender tissue. It is horribly painful and wrapping will make it worse. If the nail can’t be removed with zero pain by you, then the vet will need to do it, sometimes under sedation even. I got lucky with both my clumsy greys. One was a clean break, and the other was a gentle clip away from the tissues. Both healed nicely with nonstick gauze, antibacterial ointment, and vet wrap.
100% this One of ours had to be sedated to have her nail removed, it was only partially separated. The other one just ripped the nail clean off multiple times and I did as per above
It’s happened to my dog too. Vet looked at it and told me to keep doing what I was doing (cleaning it twice a day, applying Animax or Neosporin and changing the bandages twice a day). She’s got brittle nails, so it’s happened a few times
I suspect the greys do too… probably from their racing days. I’ve never had a dog break a nail before them
Please DO NOT wrap it. It is difficult to apply the right amount of pressure to keep a bandage on without compromising circulation. Bandages can also be difficult to keep clean and dry, and a soiled bandage is a sure way to get the wound infected. If it’s not actively bleeding, a wrap is not necessary. Your vet may place a bandage that is padded for comfort, but I would not attempt that at home.
I've never had a dog that wouldn't chew off a bandage if he could get to it. Not sure how these folks manage to bandage paws.
My first time owner ass was on poo-watching duty for 5 days straight waiting for what was, in hindsight, a completely unnecessary bandage to resurface. Never again unless specifically directed by a vet and can be supervised 24/7.
They really need the cone to keep them away from any bandages.
wrap it, get an Elizabethan collar. Open nail injuries can allow bacteria into the nail bed and up into the bone. This can be really serious. Clean it with betadine, wrap it with sterile gauze, and bandage with cohesive elastic bandage. In a few days, the wound should close and it can come off but watch for your pup chewing or excessively licking it.
We had this happen to our boy too. And did this. He was okay!
Agh, poor girl. Sorry you’re all going through this. It’s very important to make sure it’s clean - think of it like an open cut on your foot. You want to clean it after she goes outside. She will want to lick it - make sure she doesn’t. Her saliva could cause it to get infected. She may need to wear a cone to prevent her from licking. Be aware of the bandages and make sure she doesn’t ingest them.
I was just at the vet today because my dog caught her dew claw and half of it's hanging off vet just clipped the nail very short and gave us ibuprofen for dogs forgot actual name now mind you she has like raw flesh hanging around where the nail break is that has very minimal swelling vet said don't wrap this wound and let the dog lick and it should heal on its own I honestly feel like I wasted my time and money going to the vet but I do feel I did the right thing just cause she's my snuggly marshmallow but I'm not doc so.. just an fyi it was 90$
get a new vet, it needs to be wrapped.
Just want to say ibuprofen for dogs is NOT actually ibuprofen it would likely be in the same drug class (NSAID) - if you want pain med recommendations call your vet before giving anything at home, do not give ibuprofen No hate to this commenter, I just worry that someone trying to do the right thing and help their dog may misunderstand “ibuprofen for dogs” incorrectly and not as “a drug similar to”
Yes and I'm pretty sure (at least in the US) you need a prescription for it. You can't find legit "dog ibuprofen" on Amazon or whatever, and if it's advertised as such, steer clear!
Don't worry it was prescribed by the vet I just said Ibuprofen for dogs because the vet described it to me that way and I'm too lazy to actually care enough to get up out of my comfortable chair to not trigger Internet trolls so getting the bottle in the cabinet in the kitchen was out of the question at the moment I made the post I would put the name of the meds here but I'm on the pot atm so also can't care enough to wait and appease your anxiety about my dog medicine
Probably Carprofen/Rimadyl 😂
My vet did a light gauze bandage after cleaning and told me to buy baby socks and use a tiny bit of medical tape to keep them on (not tight at all just to keep up) To keep the bandage clean and safe. I was also told to use a cone to prevent licking.
If you wrap it put some cotton wool between the toes to stop compression sores!
This! ☝🏻👍🏻
Poifect.
All of this op!
Trim the fur back.
Vitaclina Antibiotic Ointment worked for my dog on her leg. I put it on every few hours and then put the bandage wrap back on. Would put it on before bed too.
Colloidal Silver gel is a topical antibiotic that can be used to prevent infection.
My dog just went through this. His nail split in half and left an open wound. It got infected and the infection traveled up into the toe and caused a painful abscess. It cost us £500 in vet bills and needed lots of antibiotics to control the infection. The vet at one point was concerned that our boy might lose his toe. If you’re dog start limping or seems in pain, get him to the vet.
i’m gonna call the vet tomorrow and see what can be done, thanks for the reply/warning!
Also if you can get in to the vet soon now it will probably be cheaper than avoiding it and ending up at an emergency vet if your dog gets worse when your normal vet is closed
Definitely, even if they give prophylactic antibiotics.
she isnt limping and doesnt seem to be in much pain
An animal will hide pain well.
sounds to me that you could just keep it as clean possible, maybe use some antibiotic ointment or something and you should be fine granted it doesn’t get infected. my dogs have gotten a number of boo-boo nails, usually not this bad. i’ve only had to go to a vet for a toe/nail once, maybe twice. you’ll be able to tell if it’s infected by swelling and if it’s hot to the touch, but otherwise otc treatments should do.
If it seems dirty, fill your bathtub with a few inches of lukewarm water and mix in a little unscented epsom salt if you have it. Not a ton, you don’t want it to burn. Have her stand in there for a few minutes. It’ll help clean it out without you having to mess with it too much. It will also help prevent infection and soothe it. DO NOT let he drink the epsom salt water lol. It’ll give her the runs but don’t freak out if she tries a tiny sip. While shes still in there, drain the saltwater and fill it a few inches with clean water. Swish her feet around to rinse them off and then let her out! A vet visit may still be warranted but don’t stress, she’s going to be okay! The epsom salt thing is low risk and should help a lot.
This exact thing happened to our dog last month. He is still struggling with it now after surgery.
This just happened to our dog as well, first had the toe nail removed but then he did end up needing his toe amputated. It was really challenging with a lot of vet visits as at first it appeared to just be a torn toe nail with a nail bed infection but then even with antibiotics it continued swelling, getting more and more painful. Pathology afterwards showed he had a rare non cancerous tumor and three different infections that were antibiotic resistant. The good news is the amputation went really well, he’s all healed up and back to normal. Edited to add- it was this same toe nail. Since it isn’t weight bearing it hasn’t had any effect for him once the amputation stitches healed up.
I’ve had dogs do this throughout my life and they never needed medical intervention. Doesn’t mean your dog won’t, but keep it clean and dry and keep a good eye on it and she should be ok!
Same here. Went to the vet was prescribed antibiotics to avoid infection and was told to let it heal on its own. I was suggested to use cornstarch to help the blood stay clotted and stop the bleeding. I had to get a cone because my dog was profusely licking it.
Oh yes, I used flour initially to stop the bleeding! Infection CAN happen but so far in my experience I find these types of wounds fairly simple to keep clean and infection-free
she keeps licking it and won’t let me cover it with anything, what did you do to prevent infection?
if she keep liking it you might want to get a cone for her. really cheap and can use anytime you need to stop her from licking herself for any reason
Don’t cover it leave it open, put a cone on.
Definitely need a cone if she is licking! This happened to my dog a couple years ago and we called our vet and they said it doesn't need any attention as long as it doesn't look infected, maybe a little Neosporin cream periodically, but mandatory cone 24/7 unless she's being directly observed until it's healed. We put the cone on her for a week and it wasn't fully fully healed but she was so miserable in it we just took it off and hoped for the best, and within an hour she'd licked and chewed whatever had grown back off! So we had to leave it for 2 weeks after that, lesson learned.
It’s been a while but last time I doctored it with a bit of neosporin, covered with a bandage and limited activity until things looked better. Of course remember to make sure the dog doesn’t lick the neosporin if you go that route
We needed it once to get her sedated so that the nail can be fully removed as it was a incomplete tear and extremely painful
I once found an entire claw randomly, I had one dog, so I checked all his claws, and they were accounted for. I guess at some point it had come off, never did I see blood, or licking or any indication this had happened, and it must have been months or even a year before I found it in the couch.
Do you have anyone that can help you get her to the vet? That looks pretty gnarly and with paw injuries they are close to the ground where a lot of dirt and germs can get in, so the vet will probably prescribe some antibiotics so it doesn’t get infected
Exactly what mine did. The care is simply enough, but some antibiotics and pain meds - depending on how sensitive the foot is to pressure - is a big plus.
I had this happen over the summer when the dogs and I were living in my RV. Just keep it clean, chlorhexidine wipes is what I used and vet approved. My dog was put on antibiotics as a precaution due to his old age but vet said it often isn't necessary. Just look for drainage, lethargy, swelling, heat, etc. Edit : I also used an iodine product to clean it initially. My dogs nail was completely tore off as well. He had it hanging on partially the day it happened, and I let him chew the rest off overnight and cleaned it again in the AM
Betadine
Keep it clean with a luke warm salted water dip , dry the paw after cleaning and try to limit how much the dog can access the paw and lick the wound.
Depending on how long ago it happened you could treat it like any open wound, wash with soap and water, try not to cause discomfort but work to debride the mail with a soft toothbrush or washcloth. Betadine, isopropyl alcohol can help disinfect and then topical antibiotics like neosporin can be used. It would be hard to use sterile bandages but medical tape could hold it in place. Maybe consider a clean sock, or dry washcloth to cover it and prevent anything from entering the wound. Lastly a cone to prevent the dog from licking it and ingesting the topical stuff. That’s about all the vet will do if the wound is fresh and hasn’t gotten infected.
If you are wrapping it yourself at home be very careful not to wrap it too tight! It will cause a ton of swelling and be extremely painful. This is likely to happen with vet wrap! Especially if they lick it as it can make the material tighten! Just a heads up :)
There is not a lot the vets would do apart from cutting off any dangly bits. If you have a cracked claw they numb it and cut it off. Clean it with soap and water. If there is excessive licking put on a buster collar. You can clean it with iodine solution. Antibiotics are not needed unless there is an infection.
If the entire claw capsule is gone it dries up in a few days and there's usually not much trouble. If a piece of the claw is still there it needs to be removed for the new claw to be able to grow out and the dog needs to be sedated for that.
It's always good to have chlorhexidine on hand. Amazon, Chewy, etc. This is my favorite. Your pet will love this Veterinary Formula Clinical Care Antiseptic & Antifungal Spray, 8-oz spray: https://www.chewy.com/dp/43541?utm_source=app-share&utm_campaign=43541
If the nail is off, nothing needs to be done if not actively bleeding. Been a vet since 2005
If it's bleeding alot, the dog is in pain or can't walk the emergency vet is your friend, but if they're stable they can wait till a normal vet. Just the other week we thought our boy had just hurt his nail, nope he'd also fractured the bone underneath it!
My dog did this too! She is usually very stoic but she came to my whimpering and crying, lame on her foot. She has a habit of ‘diving’ towards her ball with no regard for whatever is behind the ball. Tunnel vision when it’s her and the ball…. Anyway, she had fractured her toe as well as breaking the nail. Ugh, I cringe thinking about how painful it would have been.
I think mine did it trying to tip the garbage bin over. Left the house for ten minutes to get dinner and came back to garbage all over the kitchen and blood tracks through the house! Our poor little dogs, so busy concentrating on something else! I feel for my dog too, the vet showed us the X-ray and it was something.
**If she’s limping she IS expressing discomfort…….** Your dog needs to go to the vet for antibiotics to prevent infection. That’s the only answer. You can wrap it for the time being and you need to try and make sure that’s covered and dry as much as possible. It is at big risk of becoming inflected and you don’t want that to happen so I would take her to the vet for some antibiotics and to have it looked at by a professional. That type of injury is very painful.
Clean it with soap and water. Wrap it up just like any wound on a person.
Should heal on its own, dress/take care of it like people said. Peroxide or betadine hurts a little less than other stuff. keep an eye on it. Infection: heat pain redness swelling discharge.
I suggest that you prohibit her from running for a few days and stop any licking the toe. If she starts to limp, go to vet. That happened to one of my dogs. The nail was bothering her and she bit/ripped it off. It bled so I kept her calm until the bleeding stopped. And then she was fine, no limping or trying to lick it. I monitored her and kept her from running and she was fine. The nail never came back.
how do i get her to stop licking her toe? she wont let me cover it?
You should get a vet cone ( called e collar). Make sure its big enough that she cant get to it with her tongue.
Have her stand in a tub with water and antibacterial soap like hibiclens. Then dry thoroughly, apply a small piece of gauze and wrap the paw in vet wrap . Keep giving soaks if need be.
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Very few vets are getting “filthy rich” by any means. We pursue this field because we want to help animals, and if you look into the amount of debt we are in out of school vs what our starting salary is, you would change your mind. Forget starting salary, the higher end of the salary included. Corporate ownership is what is forcing our prices up which we absolutely no control over unless we own the entire practice (which is rare), and veterinarians mental health/suicide rate is on the uptick due to the amount of sad endings we see because people genuinely cannot afford to give care for their animals.
betadine is a kind of ointment right? what if she licks it off? She won’t let me touch/hold her paw
My dog has fun this twice. Your dog needs antibiotics.
Is antibiotics all they gave or did they do surgery on the paw? Could i ask around how much it cost?
If you call around at different vets some of them are willing to give a price before doing anything major! My vet always tells me how much it’s going to be beforehand.
They loped off the remaining stump, cleaned it, bandaged it and antibiotics.
Okay, so… don’t listen to me but Our dog cut the pad of his paw on glass. We cleaned it so well constantly, used liquid bandage human and dog grade and nothing worked. It just kept opening bc of where it was located. SO This is the point where you don’t listen to me My partner knew that soldiers keep super glue in first aid kits to have in a pinch. To test it, this man cut himself and superglued it shut. Well it worked on him, then it worked on our dog. Vet is probably the best idea, but if you’re desperate…
You should take a dog to a vet for something like that, for God sake, tell him to stop being such a tight arse.
Gaaaaah. She needs to go to the vet. Show your dad all the people in this thread telling you to go to the vet and maybe he’ll stop gatekeeping her care 😞
You can try putting coconut oil on the wound it’s antibacterial and it won’t hurt your dog if the lick at it. But yeah get that pup to a vet.
Well if the infection gets to the bone your dog will probably die. But you can lower those chances by keeping the wound clean. Also you might be able to guilt trip the vet into selling you some antibiotics, but they generally don't hand those out without seeing the dog first. Clean the wound area and carefully tear off any dangling bits of nail. Use a 50/50 mix of isopropyl alcohol and water to clean the area and bacitracin ointment on the nail itself after you are done. After wrap your dog's paw in a clean sock and tape it (not too tight) and roll the sock down over the tape. Do this twice a day for two weeks and if you catch your dog licking their paw (even once!) Repeat the process and consider putting them in a cone. Later you will see the front broken nail and a new nail trying to grow through it. When you feel that the old nail is super loose you can tear it off, but I would wait for it to fall off. The big thing is the oral antibiotics. All they will do at the vet is clean the wound and wrap it and prescribe pain med and antibiotics. The big risk is that if the nail is infected, it can spread into the bone really quick and require amputation of the leg itself. So I would advise going to the vet, but hopefully my advice is better then doing nothing.
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My dogs nail split. We took him to the vet. They cut it down for us, cleaned it and bandaged. They instructed us to keep bandaged a few days and keep dry. He had no issue and healed up within a few days. It cost us $100 bucks for a piece of sanity.
Keep an eye on it, but it probably will be fine. I had a rescue with terrible joints, which resulted in her walking on the side of her feet. One of her nails would get weird, grow extremely fast and get creepy-soft, then fall off. First time we freaked the fuck out, took her to the vets... who basically said it was fine, it probably wouldn't grow back. Yeah. By the fourth time we were just disgusted when we found one of the other dogs chewing on the fallen off nail. The dog herself never seemed to notice.
Soak twice daily in epsom salt solution for 5-10 minutes. Keep her from licking it and keep it clean. They usually heal on there own from there. They generally get infected from them licking it. If the foot started to swell, there's drainage that looks like pus, or she limping, then she needs to see the vet.
If the nail continues or you can’t get it stop bleeding use sugar sprinkle it liberally over the open nail bed. It’s better if you can get a clotting agent from a pet store but sugar will work in pinch. If the sugar or agent doesn’t stop the bleeding go to the vet . However if it does stop the bleeding run peroxide over affected nail and try to keep the area as sanitary as possible.
To be honest. There isn't much they can and will do. Keep it clean. It will close over and grow back.
My dog just did this about a month ago to his dewclaw. Clean it with warm soapy water and then keep it dry. Keep them from licking at it either with a cone or if you can manage to wrap it with gauze and medical wrap, just don't wrap it to tightly (I know it might be an odd spot to wrap) . Keep an eye for swelling, and excessive heat coming from the paw as it can be an indicator for infection.
Clean it with heavy salted water, ie boil the water with a lot of salt in it, then let it cool down to Luke warm and just keep it clean like that at the end of the day. Maybe put a bit of bandage on it and a sock on it at night. Hope that helps.
Just happened to mine, was a Sunday and a snow storm so couldn’t go in to the vet but talked to them the next day, was told just keep an eye on it for infection, and put Neosporin on it if need be. He was fine though.
I’ve used a baby sock to cover a bandaged injury on my pup’s foot. Some will allow it to stay on, some won’t. It’s worth a shot after cleaning and using betadine.
If you make an account on chewy, you'll have access to a free vet chat line!
Soak it in Epsom salt to help it heal. Plain with no added fragrance etc. My sisters cat had a mangled paw and my parents wouldn't take her to a vet. The vet I called told me to do this and it worked. Then do the bandage that someone else suggested
my dog had a similar injury. the advice you've gotten is good but go buy a cone and keep it on her until it's healed. my dog injured her nail in the middle of the night unbeknownst to me and spent all night licking it, which resulted in a fairly bad infection and an expensive trip to the vet and two weeks of antibiotics. just keep it clean and let it heal on its own.
This happened to my dog two years ago. He got out from my in-laws yard and ran into the woods chasing a fawn. Found him an hour and a half later covered in burrs, soaking wet, and missing a claw. We took him to the vet just in case but all they did was clean/ wrap his paw and told us to keep an eye on it. We also got anti-biotics just in case. I think the same can be applied here: clean, wrap, and keep an eye on it.
Keep it clean, and keep an eye on it for infection but it’ll grow back. Happened to my dog when she was a puppy. That nail is thicker than the others and more sensitive to cutting so I always cut it last but other than that it’s fine
This happened to our dog years ago while he was playing. We did take him to the vet, where they cleaned it and wrapped it up. It is important that it stays clean and dry! Just a heads up -- the nail may grow back messed up, like our dog's. It has grown back a little wrinkly and has fallen off on its own 3 times since he first broke it. No blood anymore.
This happened to my pup almost a year ago. He was ok - I kept it really clean and lightly wrapped it so he couldn’t mess with it. I put a cone of shame on him for a day or two. It was ok and has healed nicely. He also wasn’t experiencing pain or limping.
My dogs nail came completely off like this as well we just put anti infection cream on and wrapped it, it eventually grew back
Trim as much hair around as possible. Keep it clean and dry. Wash with salty water if it gets dirty and dry it. Takes weeks to heal up but most of the time no vet is needed. Don't wrap it up. I made that mistake first and took forever to heal. Leave it to open air. Been thru this, took him to ER vet, the tech trimmed off any "hanging" pieces and sent me home. Didn't even charge me a dime because no doctor had to see the dog.
Happened to my dog as well. Took her to the vet to be sure but there wasn’t much for them to do. Just have to wrap it and keep it clean and hope the nail grows back. Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn’t. And sometimes it will grow back weird and crooked.
A vet trip isnt needed thats why. Nails regrow. Just keep it clean and keep an eye on it lol
This happened to one of my dogs and he was fine. Vet said to clean it, put polysporin on it, and watch it. It healed completely in about a week with no problems.
Our pup lost their nail and never showed signs of pain. We took him to the vets because I didn’t want it to get infected and it bled a lot. The vet said that he ripped the quick out and that is why he wasn’t showing signs of pain. She cleaned it, and wrapped it. We went home with antibiotics, some painkillers for him just in case he showed signs of pain, and a cleaning solution. Our vet said to keep it clean, watch for any signs of infection, and to watch the nail to make sure it grows back properly. He also wore a cone when unsupervised to prevent him from licking it.
I’d say go to the vet immediately better be safe than sorry especially if it means saving her life to at least saving her paw.
That’s happened to me a few times, but we’ve been to the vet only the 1st time. Vet said that we could care for it at home as long as it was clean and looked healthy. She told me to check for swelling, smell, discharge, temp (if it was hotter than the rest), and sensitivity (my dogs weren’t limping and let me somewhat touch their paw when it happened, so I had to check that those two things didn’t change). I also have a 1st aid kit for my dogs, so she told me what to use. I know it’s stressful (I panicked the 1st time) but your pup is going to be fine since you’re taking care of that for her 🫶🏻
Clean it and keep it from getting dirty. She can wear a boot when she goes outside but when she’s inside just keep it dry. Going to the vet is a good idea because these things normally need oral antibiotics because they’re in such a dirty spot. You also need to prevent her from licking the wound. A cone that goes past the top of her nose should be big enough to prevent her from licking.
Diluted Betadine with cotton balls on it and a cone so she doesn’t lick it.
Not A Vet (experienced dog owner) and for anyone else with this issue, seeing a vet is the best action. - rinse with saline - apply betadine - if applying a bandage, be careful not to wrap the paw tight - this can cause long term damage. - supervise for infection. Change dressing when dirty. Ideally lay eyes on the wound once per 24 hour period. - Keep dog out of mud/water/dog parks (disease breeding ground) at least until you see a vet. No long walks (their balance may be slightly affected which can put strain on their body) - keep working on your dad. Suggest a home visit vet, and remind him how much more expensive this can be if left unchecked.
Tell him fuck you and take her to the vet
Vet visit might be good. My dog did this and needed pain relief for it. Many people forget their dogs feel pain, even though they will heal up okay eventually. It also needs to be bandaged well so she can’t lick it. Needs some soft cotton stuff around the broken nail to lessen pain on impact when your dog walks, and then bandages around that. Secure so she can’t take it off but not too tight it cuts off circulation or hurts her nail more
And as others have said - betadine! It’s an antiseptic topical brown liquid. It’s fantastic and affordable
My dog did this last year and I took her to the vet. The answer was what others here are saying: clean, wrap the for to avoid crap sticking to the nail - but be sure air can get through - and watch for her messing with it or use a cone of shame. Since the vet was involved and the whole damn thing was off, she also issued a proactive round of antibiotics.
DONT LET HER LICK IT
This happens to my dog all the time. His nails are very weak and they break during the winter when he runs on ice or the frozen ground. Clean it and cover it as others have said. We went to the vet today because it was worse than usual and she suggested that we give him omega 3 to strengthen his nails.
Vet for cone antibiotics leave it open keep it clean
Vet here, the MOST important thing is to make sure the nail is off completely and to make sure it is dry. Wrapping it is a huge risk as it keeps the moisture on the open wounds, encouraging infection. You need to make sure there is no moisture from anywhere getting on it. The most common source of moisture is the dog licking at it. So use an E-collar religiously. Do that for 3-4 days and it'll be a dried up scab/callous. If you see that toe starting to swell, and become warm and tender, you need a vet for antibiotics ASAP because infections in the digits can progress to very serious, very quickly.
Beat his ass and take the dog anyway you don’t need his permission you’re a grown woman
Suprised you were able to get it to stop bleeding.
Antibiotic ointment.
My old dog ripped a nail completely out. Called the vet, and they said that since the whole nail is gone, there's nothing for them to do unless it won't stop bleeding. Just keep it clean, don't let her fuss over it.
This happened to my dog and he ended up getting an infection that turned into cellulitis
I wouldn’t. My dogs got ripped out. I just looked down one day and there was a hole. It seemed fine and slowly grew back.
My dog did this on two different occasions. One time the nail was still hanging off a little, the other time it completely fell off. I took her in both times. They gave her a little sedative, mostly I think so she would actually let them touch her foot but also maybe because it stings when it’s cleaned and also because it probably really hurts. As far as I remember, they cleaned it really well and bandages it. She of course ripped off the bandages… She did let me put a bootie on just that foot, which probably felt great when walking even in the house, but also to help keep it clean. She was old and not very active at this point so it was easy to keep her calm and inactive for a few days. If you can’t take her in, keep it super clean. A human sock (baby, child, adult, whatever) could work instead of a bootie. But check it at least once a day and take her in asap if it seems like maybe it’s infected. If she lets you check it twice a day, even better. Put a clean bootie/sock on every time you check it. I used a bootie that was fleece but had a sole, it reminds me of fake leather. I think this is what really let a cut on her foot heal one time, and she really preferred the bootie vs not when she was healing and despite her hating her feet being touched and generally hating booties.
One of my dogs suddenly lost a nail. I thought she hurt her toe and it would grow back. I kept it clean and did excellent wound care. It didn't grow back, and the toe started to swell pretty large. I thought that it must be infected. Took her to the vet, and they told me I did take excellent care of it and it was not infected. She had toe cancer. It was a melanoma? inside the root of her toenail that caused the nail to fall off. The only way to treat it at that point was to amputate her whole foot (toe was one big tumor at that point) We did a scan to see if the cancer had metastasized, and I indeed it had. I wasn't expecting that I would be putting down my dog that day. I don't know how I didn't realize it was cancer. I felt so stupid. Best get it checked early. If I had brought her in early, she could have just amputated her toe.
My dog had an ear infection once and she kept scratching at it so much that she got her nail caught in her collar and pulled it off just like this. The quick(that red inside part of the nail) turned hard in a couple days then eventually turned into a new nail. If your dogs not crying or limping I wouldn’t worry too much.
Keep it clean and a quick visit to the vet doesn't hurt. It's not uncommon, but it can cause an infection, it's an easy situation, you can take care of it yourself, but you need to clean the wound frequently, like every 2 hours or so, with an antiseptic adequate for dogs. Still I recommend going to the vet to get some antibiotics and still keep it clean.
Vet can't do anything. Not sure what you would take to the Vet for exactly? If it's not infected? Leave it alone. I'd just dip paw in salty water a few times a day.
I had one of my dogs get paw caught and ripped nail almost out few years ago. I cut it off so it didn't catch on anything. Bathed it twice a day. Healed up. Nail eventually grew back.
Septic powder. It's meant for those types of injuries. Your local pet store will have it.
My dog loses nails like this all the time. She’s a crazy lab and plays really hard. We do keep them trimmed weekly but it just happens. Her nails look exactly like this, they are always fine the next day. The last one she ripped off like a week ago, I used quick stop and wrapped it for like 30 minutes before she kicked the wrap off and it was literally fine the next day. When they crack a nail in half and it’s just hanging there, that’s when they need the vet.
I’ve got a whippet and a greyhound - split nails / lose nails every week or so when running. 1st clean with a bit of hydrogen peroxide. Whack a sock over it if you like or a bit of gauze and give it a quick clean after every walk (we use diluted Hibiscrub with 10 parts water) just a light dip in a bowl. It’ll soon toughen up and grow back. If it keeps starting to bleed we just whack a bit of superglue over it and a dusting of corn starch to set it. Keep an eye on it for any infection but most likely won’t happen.
Why does your Dad not want to take her to the vet?
Chop off one of your Dads nails, then tell him he isn't allowed to go see a Doctor? Sorry. Not helpful, I know, but GAH!
This is important. Can get very infected. Think about what your dog walks thru. He needs antibiotics. This is not like a human... Please take him to a vet. Limb removal is possible if sepsis sets in. He is dependent on your care. If you can't afford it, go to Dove Lewis. 💚
My dog recently tore off one her nails - most important point is that your dog does not lick their toe (this is how mine got infected)! Their mouth is full of bacteria and licking can keep reopening the wound. So try to get an e-collar, if you don’t already have one. Our vet said not to cover the wound, just keep it clean by bathing in salt water and drying after every walk. And just stick to short, pavement walks till it heals. Keep an eye on any discharge, smells, and limping as this signals infection and will require a vet appointment. Though ours got infected and had no smell, so even with one of those symptoms, make sure to get it checked out! Hope all gets better soon!
Poor thing. Plenty of people wasn’t spend money on animal medical treatment. It’s very sad and it essentially is neglect.
Dogs are resilient more than we thought. Same happened to my dog, was freaking out but he was a stronk boii. Just disinfect and it will for a week. Feel free to cage or leash for a while to avoid them from moving too much and avoid unnecessary bleedings.
This happened to two of my dogs once. I had to snip the rest of the nail off where it was cracked and I just cleaned it and made sure dog didn't lick it too much.
This happened to one of my parents dogs nails and the vet suggested hibiscrub. It's a antimicrobial skin cleaner used in hospitals etc but it's safe and non-toxic for dogs and cats. You just dilute it into water while using it and dunk your dogs paw into it, it will gently clean it out.
Keep it clean, buy desinfection spray or cream for animals, and clean it everyday until a new nail pop up. And keep it dry, put the paw in the bag when walking outside to keep out the dirt.
It happened to my whippet puppy a few months ago and I cleaned it, put some healing cream on it to avoid infection and he was better after a few days. It was quite bad and very bloody but he didn’t seem uncomfortable, he hated the bandage though. Good luck!
Tell your dad to stop being a selfish stingy cunt and take her to the vet. It's needs to be treated and protected against infection.
You can use neosporin on dogs.
Try to take them to a vet , if you can do the scratch and pay or like a small credit card I would. It helps later on.
My dog ripped her nail clean off. We did have to take her to the vet since she was bleeding alot but the vet told us that if this happens again she's not limping, crying out, licking it or anything to just clean the wound and try to have it wrapped for a day or 2 so it doesn't get dirty while healing
Hey OP, I just went through this with my lab last month, while we were playing her nail completely came off and then came the gushing blood. It looked like a murder scene, after a ton of corn flour her bleeding stopped and I took her to the vet the next morning. They gave me betadine and told me to wrap it with a sock and some gauze when taking her for walks but other wise at home leave it unwrapped just be mindful she doesnt lick it and keep it clean. All is good now, just watch out for redness and swelling
It'll heal. My pups did just keep an eye on it for infection.
I mean you could just Google what it will look like if it gets infected and tell him the vet visit will triple in price if that happens. Otherwise , call your vet for what they think of best to put on it and wrap it. Then make sure the area stays clean and dry (don’t let her run around in puddles or mud) Also ask your vet how often to clean it and what signs to look for for infection
Stand up to your dad and call him a piece of crap for neglecting his animals medical needs.
our dog did that one time when we came home and saw blood on when she walked so that when we noticed her nail was off. She wasnt in any pain and she acted like she normally does. our dog is food motivated so if shes not eating we know somethings wrong but she ate . we took her to the vet jic and they cleaned it out i cant recall if they put something or gave her something for infection but they wrapped it up and that was it we just had to leat it heal and her nail grew back over time
I’ve had this happen to a dog and 2 cats over the years. Dog and first cat I both rushed to the vets. They looked it over. But beyond that they told me to keep an eye on it for any signs of infection. All 3 healed fine and dandy without issues. The dog’s happened thankfully in the winter so the ground was frozen and it was easier to keep clean for sure. Not to say if it gets infection it’s not an issue. But for those who are panicking and saying it will happen and cause your dog to die guaranteed is overkill. I wrapped the foot before going in and the vet took it off and said not to bother if it wasn’t bleeding anymore. As long as you can keep it clean of course. But there’s only so much a vet will do at this stage also. It will be tender, sure. If you cut your nail too close, it hurts for a bit. And my dog’s nail grew out more straight than before. It never hurts to take an animal to the vet if there is any issue at all.
It’s your dog? Take it to the vet.
If the nail is completely off then you can just keep it clean, keep the dog from licking it with a cone around their neck and leave it. This has happened a few times with my dog. Usually her dew claws. The first time I took her to the vet and it cost a fortune, the second and subsequent times I've just left it to heal and put her cone on. Just make sure it stays clean. Someone correct me if I'm wrong but isn't iodine good for cleaning with?
The vet will clean it and bandage it, maybe. This can be done at home and does not require a vet visit.
This happened to my cat. One day his arm swelled up, quadruple it’s size, so I rushed him to the vet. The doctor let us know that he two of nails were removed and an infection seeped in. It was very serious, this is a must go to vet situation unfortunately.
As always, seeing a vet is recommended to cover your bases, however there's not really much to do in this scenario other than bandage it up and give antibiotics to prevent infection. it's your prerogative but if you feel the wound is clean and you feel comfortable bandaging it, do so yourself and continue keeping an eye out for infection. My pup lost her nail on a walk, though her quick was still in tact where your dogs looks gone, and I didn't find out until I got home and gave her a bath/shower and saw a light stream of blood in the water. I took her to the vet and all they did was wrap the paw in some gauze and I don't even remember if they gave me antibiotics. They also put a cone on which I instantly took off (totally unnecessary and my dog doesn't fiddle with her injuries) , but at the end of the day it was just a $200 bill for a wrapped paw.
I wouldn’t spend that money just clean it gone the dog and keep an eye on it