Dog injury question...(any vets here or other experience?)

[Richard]

Our little American Eskimo was limping. Noticed she had a paw with some blood between the toes.

She's not been very helpful letting me look closely at it but, last night I got a chance.

It looks like her toenail is either missing or broke off at the paw. Meaning, it's gone.

I know when clipping the nails, you have to watch out for the nerve or vessel thing that's in there. She's in some obvious discomfort however, she's getting around fine. (she doesn't realize she's a fru-fru dog living on a farm....she jumps into the mud faster than any of the 10 dogs)

So is this worth a trip to the vet for any reason or just let it heal?

I don't really see what the vet can do other than maybe some antibiotics.

Just to make it personal to you.... she's looking at you right now!

 

[psj12]

I would make the trip to the vet's to get the antibiotics. 1/2 a tab of Aleve for a big dog will help with the pain.

 

[zzvyb6]

A fractured or broken off toenail is common in my pack of 4. The most pain is when its partially severed and the segment is still attached. All a vet will do is numb it and break it off. You can do this yourself and risk a bite in anger or wait a few days and they will chew it off or it will separate by itself. If its bleeding, wash with antiseptic and apply some stiptic powder to stop the blood flow. No need for a bandage unless they step in a lot of poop. This is a self regulating problem. If it hurts, they won't do it.

 

[Richard]

That's what I'm looking for.

It strikes me as something for which, little to nothing can be done. With other dogs, I hate to admit that she's sort of the home favorite, but she is. So it's more difficult seeing her in pain. She's the one that jumps up on the bed and curls up next to me every night.

As for bleeding... it's not actively bleeding. It might bleed a bit if she's been outside running loose but once she calms down any weeping stops. I told the wife we need to keep her penned inside for a couple days.

If the nail is broken at the quick, do they grow back like new or, like the tooth she's missing (have no idea how this one happened!) is it gone for good?

I didn't cut her fur away, it looks like it's broken WAY up there. I saw nothing hanging.

 

[General Lee]

If it were me, I'd just keep an eye on it and keep it clean with a 50/50 mixture of water and peroxide. If she works at it, get one of those E-collars (Cone) to keep her from gnawing at it. If things get worse, then go to the vet. I've had dogs all my life, with a leg or foot injury they will favor it until its good to go. For example, One of my labs jumped off a deck 12 feet in the air and broke a toe. Vet placed a splint on it and it was so much aggravation to bag it and keep it dry the splint didn't last. I removed it and my dog just favored the foot until he was good to go. Another time he cut his foot (pad) on a piece of glass swimming in the river. I controlled the bleeding for a bit, he licked at for a bit and favored it for a bit and in no time he was back to normal. I would just watch for signs of infection and let her do her thing. Instinct will kick in and she'll do what she needs to do to stay off of it.

 

[twinjayhawks]

My wife is a Veterinarian... she would recommend bringing the Dog in to the Clinic to be seen. Not to pad her pocket with an Exam charge, but to make sure your Dog has the best care possible and to make sure that your Dog recovers with the least pain while tying to minimize any long term problems.

It is almost impossible to diagnose a problem without seeing the animal. Many try and a lot of times makes the problem even worse for you and your pet.

 

[clemsonfor]

My wife works at a vet as a vet assistant. They would mostlikely give anitibiotics and you can give a half an asprin. I think alive is bad bor dogs i may be wrong, again its not me with any experience. I know you cant give a lot of the stuff like pain pills to cats that you can give to dogs.

 

[orezok]

Aspirin is OK, NEVER tylenol or other NSAIDS. Aspirin must not be enteric coated as dogs cant dissolve the coating.

 

[arpt209]

I've had 2 different vets tell me to use exclusively enteric coated aspirin for dogs. One of them a close personal friend until his death told me that nothing angered him more than someone waiting until their animal was dying to bring it in & expect him to perform a miracle. Having been through the toe nail tear off on 4 different occasions with 2 different dogs I opt for go to the vet. 35, 50 or 100 dollars for me is pretty cheap peace of mind about the well-being of my best friend. I'm one of "those" people who treats their dog like one of their kids now that my kids are grown & gone. That warm, fuzzy person in the dog suit next to me in the bed being happy & healthy is priority one.

 

[zzvyb6]

No matter what the length of the broken stub, the nail will grow back completely in a month. The pain (for both of you) is seeing the raw white root of the nail hanging out. Youch !

The best way to prevent this is to regularly trim and file their nails. I use a pliers like deal with a cap stop on it to limit the amount of cut. Do this especially if the nail has already developed a hook on it. Cut them down to just beyond the hair growth. Then, use a nail file to trim off the burr at the corners. It will take a few weeks to get the nails back to a proper length. The more often and earlier in life you do this, the smoother it gets. My youngest pub actually holds her paws out for the trimming. A soft (as in wet) nail cuts easier and won't crack or split when being trimmed. So after swimming or after a bath is a good time to do it.

The reason they get broken in the first place is because they are too long and hooked. Running them on rough concrete is a natural way to trim the nails (just like horses). If you hear a lot of nail contact on a hard surface floor, they are probably too long. You can see some dogs who have trouble walking because the long nails hurt their foot and hip bones because it puts them in an awkward position. This leads to more hair growth on the bottom of the foot, too, as the walking pattern gets reduced. Hairy feet are slippery on smooth floors, which can lead to hip strains etc. (which we all know from dating French women).