broken dog nail

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highflyr - 26 Oct 2007 07:05 GMT

Hello everyone,
My 2 yr. old beagle broke his nail on his hind leg. I trimmed what I
could without clipping the quick but on the initial break there was
some bleeding (I only saw the blood on his paws between his claws).
The bleeding subsided quickly as there wasn't much blood.

Should I bandage this and take him to the vet?

Or will the new nail grow in and he'll pretty much heal himself in
about a week?

I've heard contradicting advice.

There maybe some contributors to this group who have been around for
quite some time. This is the same beagle that I posted the x-rays
when he broke his tibia. I received world wide advice for his
treatment and never got a chance to say thanks to all those who
posted. It's been 2 years, and his leg is brand new.

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buglady - 26 Oct 2007 14:45 GMT

> My 2 yr. old beagle broke his nail on his hind leg. I trimmed what I
> could without clipping the quick but on the initial break there was
> some bleeding (I only saw the blood on his paws between his claws).
> The bleeding subsided quickly as there wasn't much blood.

.............Is the end of the nail clean now or is the nail still split?

> Should I bandage this and take him to the vet?

.........if you bandage you give the bacteria a great place to grow. Leave
it open to the air. I took a dog to the vet for a broken nail, mainly to
have them cut it down to a good surface, and they wrapped and wrapped and
gave me 3 days of antibiotics. I took the wrap off the next day, gave no
antibiotics and she healed up just fine. It didn't bother her at all. What
bothered her before the visit to the vet was the half broken nail hitting
the ground every time she walked. Whether it grows back fine or not depends
on how far back it broke. Sometimes they grow back slightly deformed.
Honestly I wouldn't worry about infection, unless your dog is immune
compromised. However, I wouldn't let him roam through a bunch of cow
patties for a week!

buglady
take out the dog before replying

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highflyr - 26 Oct 2007 18:46 GMT

> > My 2 yr. old beagle broke his nail on his hind leg. I trimmed what I
> > could without clipping the quick but on the initial break there was
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
> buglady
> take out the dog before replying

Bug Lady, thanks for the reply

With regards to the nail, it's hanging off but not bothering him when
the surface is smooth. When he walks outside, every blade of grass
that pokes into the nail (the stump is exposed and looks really
sensitive) looks quite uncomfortable. He guards it and stays on 3
legs mainly when he's outside.

We'll quarantine him for the next few days until a new nail can grow
over.

The antibiotics that the vet gave you, was it topical or oral? Can I
simply use polysporin in the wound after cleaning it with peroxide?

I'm not too worried about a deformed nail, I just want it to heal
quickly so he can go do beagle stuff again.

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buglady - 27 Oct 2007 02:12 GMT

> With regards to the nail, it's hanging off

...........then I might have the vet cut it off for you. They didn't give
my dog any kind of numbing agent, just nipped it. Ugh.

> We'll quarantine him for the next few days until a new nail can grow
> over.

.......it takes longer than that for a new nail to grow. The quick retreats
after a few days and it's not as sensitive.

> The antibiotics that the vet gave you, was it topical or oral?

.......I don't remember if they slathered antibiotic on the paw - I suspect
so. They gave me 3 days of antibiotic pills. I'm sure some people would
have used the oral antibiotic, but I'm not fond of prophylactic antibiotic
use.

>Can I simply use polysporin in the wound after cleaning it with peroxide?

.......I guess.....if you can get anywhere near the nail!

buglady
take out the dog before replying

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Pet Forum / Miscellaneous / Animal Health / October 2007

broken dog nail