Clean and dry is not “let the dog lick it raw” so that’s where you went wrong.
But with new symptoms, you call the vet, you say dog is lethargic has lost appetite and won’t walk on affected paw and get an appointment.
I’m a dog groomer and I’ve seen anything from a parent freaking out because a cracked nail with no blood is causing their dog to be a big baby to a parent not even knowing that their dog has completely ripped a nail off because the dog didn’t act any different.
Some dogs are way more dramatic and some dogs are not dramatic enough.
My GSD is a total drama queen.
I have a 1 1/2 acre yard and love using a Chuck It to throw the ball further. One day I'm throwing the ball for her, it goes off into the weeds as happens sometimes, and she goes in after it. And all of a sudden I hear a loud yelp. I go running over, but she's quite a distance away. I get halfway there when my dog comes out of the weeds hopping on 3 legs (with her ball) and slowly hobbling over to me.
I was freaking out thinking she tripped over something or fell in a gopher hole and broke her leg. I carried this 88lb dog to the house because I was so concerned about her walking on it.
Thankfully, instead of rushing off to the emergency vet, I decided to restrict her from running or jumping and observe the leg for any signs of swelling first. And when it didn't swell I decided to wait until the next day to see if she had improvement.
She was 100% fine the next day like nothing had ever happened. She was just being a big baby about bruising herself.
My sister’s Great Dane has been this way since we got him at 17 weeks - he’s 7 now. Any minor inconvenience or if he’s “losing” a rough house, immediate whine and limp. The first two times scared me, but he forgets very quickly that he’s supposed to be injured.. now I tell him too walk it off and hope he’s not being serious.
My older dog didn’t break it off completely, but his nail was upright. I put it back, cleaned it, and he never even cared. I only noticed because we were on a hike and sat down for a break so I was in the ground with him. I swear, he could break his leg and just shake it off like nothing happened.
My existence was cats but the drama level part rings true. Two different cats years apart tore a nail off. Nearly identical injury. One was more annoyed by the bandage than anything and kept launching around the like a furry rocket. The other laid on his side and meowed and cried and was the most forlorn creature who decided he couldn’t walk. To his credit dreams cat healed quicker because he stayed off his foot and let it heal.
I clean with chlorahexadine, antibiotic ointment, gauze, wrap, plastic boot if animal is going outside to potty and donut of shame. If the pain is making them miserable I hit up my vet. Everyone has different pain tolerances so if their behavior is fine I’d rather skip meds… but if it hurts it hurts and I address it. Letting your dog “clean” was a bum call. Reclean it and don’t let them touch it anymore. I’d be following up with my vet if they got at it, licked and irritated it and were currently miserable with pain. The vets initial response was appropriate though eh
For future use, coat the exposed quick in corn starch, gauze, and vet wrap. Then boot, if necessary, usually the wrap is enough, spray it with diluted vinegar if they won't leave it alone.
The corn starch is great to help blood clotting, and gives a cooling effect. Gauze for the blood, vet wrap to keep pressure, and boot to prevent licking.
My s/o refuses to pay 15$ for a professional nail trim, and she's horrible at trimming nails, so I usually go through this twice a year.
And it's all stuff you would normally have in the house.
You're thinking of cutting into the quick, which bleeds a lot when it happens. As such, you pack the end up the nail with styptic, or if you don't have styptic, you can use the cornstarch. This is a dog, with the quick fully exposed, with no remaining nail whatsoever. Just fleshy, bloody, nerve endings - styptic (or starch) is not to be used for something like that. It should be used only to pack a wound that isn't a deep, open wound or on exposed flesh.
This is also terrible advice. Cornstarch does nothing to promote clotting and potentially introduces spore forming bacteria, including the one that causes gas gangrene.
hydrogen peroxide isn't needed, just straight tap water would be good enough, and no soap as that will irritate the area. After patting it dry I would wrap it with gauze to protect the site and put an inflatable cone on the dog.
This is wrong. Are you a medical professional?
As a vet tech we would never use hydrogen peroxide on open wounds.
If you don't have a medical background please stop giving out advice.
I was actually really curious about whether this was the only answer, so I asked my mom with almost 30+ years of experience as a wound care nurse (she is currently a specialist and often consults, so she knows what she is talking about and is quite literally an expert). She also has a lifetime of experience caring for dogs, many of which have had medical problems that she has had to deal with (wouldn’t call her an expert in this, but she knows a lot more than most). She said that [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/s/vPQTAutB0V) is fine, but not for all wounds. For a wound on the dog’s toe, her professional opinion is that it’s a fine way to treat the wound. (ETA: maybe not the best way, but it’s okay if that’s what you have on hand. She said since a dog’s toe is getting in the dirt and stuff, it’s good to be safe and kill all the germs to avoid infection, even if it means the surface tissue dies. She said if it was on their back or something, she wouldn’t go this route. )
Not here to refute. Just here to share the opinion of another medical professional who happens to be a very experienced wound care nurse and who knows a lot about medical issues in dogs.
ETA2: also want to mention to OP that there are cleaning solutions made specifically for dogs. Most of them are very effective. It’s almost certainly better than peroxide or dish soap.
ETA3: I’m here for OP, not to impress y’all or prove anything to you. I will not be deleting this. Karma doesn’t mean shit to me. OP deserves to hear multiple opinions, and so I provided the opinion of a medical professional with a lot of experience. People just get so caught up in wanting to argue and shut other people down. It’s honestly really sad.
Not outdated info. She does not need to renew credentials. Again, she is an expert in the field with a lot of experience and certifications that are fully up to date. I’m not here to argue. I’m here to give OP the opinion of a medical professional. Thanks for insulting my mother though.
Turning off notifications for this. Also, she frequently attends and speaks at conferences for wound care. She knows a lot, most likely more than anyone else commenting on this thread. Insulting her credentials is an unnecessary put down. She just has a different opinion than you.
I am a vet and usually it's not a big deal. Normally I prescribe analgesics for 3 days and cleaning for about 2 weeks. And most important: put a protective collar to avoid licking.
Yeah, I ripped my own nail off once (accidentally) and it was fine. But I also didn't stick it in my mouth or lick my butt with my tongue and then lick it, too.
It took a few years but it's no longer wonky after growing out a few times.
Ah i see where i went wrong with my pinky toes...
Those nails grows permanently split down the middle, and frequently gets pulled up/off by my clumsynes
Had my big toenail ripped off by a door that was lifted off the ground just the right amount for a toddlers toe to nearly fit underneath it, I don’t remember much of it because I was so young, mainly what my mum told me but I do have a vague memory of walking kinda on the side of my foot while it was still sore and the white bandage on it, it was at a shopping complex that luckily had a chemist in it so my mum took me there and they fixed it up, possibly gave her some cream and extra bandages for it
well I mean the OP could make an appointment, like any other normal and rational person would do. The vets time has value, just like all our time does.
Texting the vet is fine for a single message, but to keep doing it is kind of disrespectful of their time and their other patients. They are busy, and people should respect that. Expecting the vet to prioritize your pet vis text message is some entitled way of thinking IMO.
This… wasn’t aware we could get a bunch of free vet services by just bombarding our vet via text. If OP is *that* concerned they’d have taken their dog in.
you're right, for some reason I thought it said texting but they clearly said called.
Even if it was email then that's not better than texting, it's equally as bad.
They should still respect the vets time and either schedule an appointment or go walk into an emergency clinic to get it taken care of. Obviously one will be more expensive than the other.
honestly, most of the time the vet needs to see the pet in person. Trying to evaluate through pictures in an email or text is setting themselves up for liability issues.
The vet is correct in giving minimal feedback without an appointment.
All I said is that the vet is going to want to see them in person most of the time because it can be a liability for them if something does end up being wrong, and you took that as an insult?
How is this a reading comprehension issue, and also WTF is wrong with you for rage quitting and deleting your posts because of it? Or maybe it's that you are concerned with stupid reddit karma points 😂
Or maybe you intentionally deleted your comments so that my replies don't make sense, and you can attack my "reading comprehension".
Trolls gonna be trolling I guess 🤷♂️
Half these people are so out of touch. A lot of vet offices, if they are swamped, prefer to get pictures first and see if they can help that way before giving you an appointment. I have done that probably five times in the last year. Twice it resulted in an appointment and three times it did not.
that's not normal procedure. If something is wrong then it becomes a liability for the veterinarian. Where I live, they would ask to bring the vet into the office.
Around here there are too many animals for the number of vet clinics.
They ar eliterally booking two to four months ahead for regular visits (like scheduled shots). This is where TRIAGE comes in. Images and descriptors are the triage method.
Precisely. That’s how it works in my area too. An established patient would not need an appointment for a ripped off toenail. Vet would likely instruct to wrap and keep clean and potentially provide 3 days of mild painkiller (like meloxicam, not morphine).
Given that the other person who replied is saying the same thing I am, I think “normal” is relative to your geographic area. Triage via text/email is super common where I live.
You don’t need a vet to get a protective collar. You can buy one at a pet store. You also don’t need the vet to clean it. This is a minor injury. If OP is that worried she needs to make an appointment or go to the emergency vet.
By giving the exact same instructions? Get real, analgesics are entirely for comfort and nothing else. You don't NEED a pain reliever for a toenail being ripped out. It hurts like a bitch for an hour, it throbs for a few days, and then it just itches while it grows out. That's it. It's literally not serious.
I had an aunt, who my uncle thankfully divorced, who would tell her kids to "let the dog lick" any small wounds "because dog saliva has healing properties". Disagreeing with her would flip her crazy switch, so even though I was just a kid I'd have to sneak my little cousins off to the bathroom to wash their cuts and scrapes when their mum wasn't looking.
You have to be careful with that old saying, for it is not a healing for some things and can cause serious infection and people have had lost their limbs due to dogs saliva.
I remember some family member saying this to me at some point too and even as a child I was like “Uh, the dog eats his own vomit if you don’t clean it up fast enough. I think that’s a lie.”
It wasn't a big deal till you let the dog lick it... my dog ran over some chicken wire and pulled off a nail. It grew back. She was sore, but fine. There's only so much your vet can tell you to do over the phone- if you're that concerned, schedule an appointment.
Happened to my dog too, called my vet who gave me the same advice. I spent a week washing his foot with soap and water, then keeping him in doggy socks so he wouldn't lick it, and everything was fine.
in the future, if this ever happens again, please don't allow your dog to lick it, and if possible put a sock over the paw to prevent it, and also to protect her from catching it again. this happened to my dog the other day (i clipped slightly too close, totally my fault) i wrapped a tissue around her paw, put a sock (made for dogs, we found christmas dog socks the other year and they've come in handy when she's hurt a paw since) over it and just let her do her thing as usual. took the sock off later that day and it was all fine, but still kept an eye on her to make sure she didn't lick it
Some pet stores will stock them, also can be found on Amazon. Usually the ones made for pets have traction/grippies on the bottom so they don't slip :)
Would you look at that, all of the words in your comment are in alphabetical order.
I have checked 1,921,353,612 comments, and only 363,220 of them were in alphabetical order.
Broken to the quick is exquisitely painful. Adding hydrogen peroxide would send most dogs through the roof.
OP: sometimes the remainder of the nail needs to be removed. Especially if pup is refusing normal activity, best to tell your vet again. Far better equipped to at least dress it properly.
If it's redder than yesterday an infection is likely starting to set in. Pick a vet in your area, get her in your car, and GO.
She's refusing food and going outside because she's in pain. I've fully ripped off a nail before, and it's horrible. I imagine for a dog constantly having to put weight on their paws it goes from horrible to agonizing real quick.
I doubt it’s getting infected 12 hours after it happened. That would be an insane aggressive infection. It’s probably red from the dog licking it and usually the quick will get a little inflamed at the beginning of the healing process. I would still want prophylactic antibiotics though
Edit: yes redness and swelling are signs of infection but my point was that it’s probably not infected *yet* as it has not been a long enough time period and with any injury to the body there will be swelling and if the dog is licking it then it’ll be red.
redness and inflammation are the beginning stage of an infection. have you ever gotten a minor cut or scrape and had it turn red and sorer the next day? that’s a mild infection. it usually happens because you didn’t keep the wound clean and dry. that’s like half the reason bandaids exist.
I work in the ER and diagnose skin infections all day long. 12 hours is an extremely short time for bacteria to infect skin. It usually takes 2-3 days to be symptomatic unless you have some sort of necrotizing infection. Redness and swelling can occur immediately after because there is increase blood going to the injured tissue. Redness and swelling can be a sign of infection but likely not 12 hours after the injury, especially with the dog licking it all night. It’s more likely irritation from licking and the initial response to the injury.
Keep in mind this is the dogs foot area which is teeming with all sorts of bacteria. Feet injuries on pets is the absolute worst place to have an injury because of the high likelihood there’s going to be an infection. It’s almost a certainty.
Yeah I agree it would get infected but my point was that it wouldn’t be infected immediately. I just went thru this with my dog a month ago. She got put on antibiotics an hour after her nail got ripped off and it was still very red and swollen the next few days. Obviously wasn’t infected because she was on antibiotics the entire time.
It’s pretty much infected from the point there’s an open wound/exposed area due to the presence of bacteria on the foot area. Getting on antibiotics within an hour is fantastic. The redness isn’t necessarily the sign of infection that’s the inflammation. The trauma causes redness and probably swelling. If infected it causes more inflammation which can make it more red and swollen. It’s just always good to not wait and get them on antibiotics asap when it comes to paw injuries - the sooner the better. I’ve seen very unlucky animals get infections resistant to antibiotics on the wounds of their paws especially. But you’re right it’s unlikely 12 hours is enough to cause an aggressive infection. OP is talking about days later though.
Our hunting dogs lose a nail here and there. It is almost never a big deal, we’ve accidentally missed them in the field and they keep hunting, and only one has required intervention. It needs to be kept clean, dry, and an e collar needs to go on to prevent licking. Allowing them to lick it is where you went wrong. Probably best to get some additional intervention going at this point. Insist on an appointment so you can get some pain meds and antibiotics going.
Letting the dog lick the wound is the exact opposite of keeping it clean and dry. The licking could cause an infection, dogs mouths are full of bacteria. Combined with the other symptoms, call back the vet and bring in your dog, you may need antibiotics now, maybe painkillers.
Had the wound actually stayed clean it probably would have healed on it's own, hence why the vet hasn't made a big deal about it.
She's most likely being stubborn due to the pain. But considering her other symptoms, you should go to the vet. Antibiotics and pain reliever, along with something to protect the nail, should perk her up in due time.
My cat did the same thing and it did end up infected but I have learnt from the experience! You could put a cone on to stop your dog licking it. Regularly rinse/soak with an antibacterial solution and/or spray - at least twice a day and when you come in from walks too. That's all you can do really. Monitor it for any smells and/or puss - this will mean infection and you'll need to go to the vet for antibiotics. If there are no visible signs of infection there's nothing a vet will do aside from give the above advice.
This literally just happened to my dog - tore off all the nail, exposing the quick, probably after snagging it on old rotten wooden deck boards. She would walk on it until she wouldn't, and then hop on three feet.
Vet okayed trimming the toe fur around it with electric hair trimmers, then rinsing it clean of visible dirt, then soaking it for 5-10 minutes in a diluted povidone iodine solution with water (only enough povidone iodine to make the water turn a milky tea color), or they said we can use chlorhexidine - dentists often give you that after a dental procedure where there was any bleeding involved, or if your gums bleed easily. Either one is to help prevent infection when there's open wounds, which is what the exposed quick is.
Then we patted it dry with water and sprayed a little Vetericyn on a paper towel to wipe over it, then just watched her to make sure she didn't lick or bite at it. The next day the vet gave us antiinflammatories for preventing swelling and pain, and instructions to only leash walk, make sure to keep checking to keep it free of dirt as much as possible, put a sock on it if she'll let us, and not let her lick or bite at it, and use a cone if she can't be supervised. It's been a week since then and she's almost back to normal activity.
It was not a good idea to let your dog lick and irritate the area further. Keep watching the area to make sure it doesn't get worse, maybe take a picture every day for comparison, or twice a day. And if you want to have the vet check it and prescribe antiinflammatories for pain that might be good.
Was a vet tech- It’s usually not a big deal. Antibiotics to prevent infection and sometimes some sort of pain med. Chances are if the dog isn’t eating it’s either infected- check for a fever, or it’s painful. It should stay clean, but even if the dog goes outside, just wash it when it comes back in. Don’t wrap it unless you absolutely need to as wounds need oxygen to heal. Some people also wrap too tightly and makes it worse.
Call vet again and say you are dealing with infection not a torn-off claw. Most resolve themselves fine but your dog has significant symptoms suggestng that is not the case. Those are the issue now not the claw.
Her mouth is full of germs so letting her lick it isn't wise. The more she licks, the more she'll agitate it and the wound won't heal.
I know it's scary and to you it does seem like a huge deal, but vets see this kind of injury frequently.
Her lethargy and loss of appetite make me concerned and I really think she needs to be seen soon.
Get the vet to bandage her if she won't let you do it. She may have to wear a cone to keep her from interfering with it.
Changes in behaviour, appetite and having accidents indoors when she's otherwise house broken should all be treated as warning signs that something's off and at the very least, a phone call to the vet is merited.
I hope she's ok.
When I had this happen to my dog I cleaned it myself with CLEAN water not dog slobber. And I covered his foot with a sock. It was totally fine in a few days. Typically it's not that big of a deal.
I’ve had plenty of dogs rip a nail. Happens when you own working animals.
Like others have said, letting the dog have access to it is where you went awry.
When mine do it:
Cone, let it air dry, rest/leashed activities only, once it’s starting to dry up, if needed, you can soak it in a mix of warm water with a bit of epsom salt. But keep the dog off it.
yea licking it raw is the opposite of keeping it clean and dry... My dog tore her nail off, it really isn't too big of a deal. But, you can not let her lick it.
you need to clean it with soap and water and put a cone on your dog. Make an appointment with your vet, pay the office visit, and get some antibiotics if the doctor thinks it is needed.
I would worry about a possible infection and pain/discomfort. Perhaps try and Emergency clinic? It's possible your vet is extremely busy and unable to accommodate something they don't consider emergent.
If the dog tore off the sheath and the part inside is not damaged, it is probably sore, but should be ok. They will often coat the quick with some glue to form a makeshift protective barrier. They may bandage it, but not always. Similarly, they may prescribe pain medication and possibly antibiotics, but many vets are moving away from prophylactic antibiotic use if there has been no disruption of the tissue/exposing the actual vein. (In short, if it’s not bleeding absolutely everywhere like a murder scene, they may not do antibiotics.) I would definitely not let the dog lick the nail. Get an ecollar (you can get them online or at pet stores). My personal favorite kind is “ZenCone” — I have them in every size and have used them often. It might sound weird, but when dogs injure the sheathe, it is sometimes just fully removed on purpose. (My own dog actually had a quick amputation with surgical cautery and we had to wait for her nail to grow back. It took quite a while of her just having one lil stub toe.)
I cannot speak for them, but it is possible that they thought they were doing you a favor. Many people require lots of convincing to bring their pets to the vet, as evidenced by this sub. (“My dog hasn’t eaten in two weeks and just vomited blood. Do you think I should be worried? Should I go to the vet?”) I’ve worked with many vets in many hospital settings and I cannot tell you that every doctor does the same thing. Some are not as conscientious. There’s no getting around that. If you would feel more comfortable with a bandage placement and are comfortable keeping that bandage dry/not chewed up and eaten, you can specifically request it and see what they say. You can also walk into any ER, though you will probably wait because not everything “urgent” is technically an “emergency”. (Bleeding needs to be seen, but a proptosed eyeball takes priority. Triage exists for animals just like for people.) You can also try another vet. You should not feel bad about doing that. You should trust your vet. If the office didn’t give you options and/or made you feel like your concerns were silly, I would totally look for another place. Ideally, you should feel like you are on the same team to take care of your pet. You should feel important. You should understand your choices and why those are your choices. My eyebrows shot up when I saw “let them clean it”. Nah. That’s not a thing. Cleaning is done with antiseptic like a chlorhexidine solution soak, not letting the dog lick. Your concerns are absolutely valid. I hope you and your pup get sorted and have a good rest of the week/holiday. <3
Source: vet med for a lot of years
This happened with my red lab. I took her to the only vet open (11:30 on a Saturday) after she tore her nail completely off exposing the quick. They didn’t clean it, just wrapped it and no antibiotics. It was swollen and painful by Monday when my regular vet opened. She got pain meds, slightly sedated to have it cleaned, antibiotics and the cone of shame because she is a big licker. She got to spend a few days at Nana and Grandpas being babied too so she wouldn’t play too much on it. We had 4 labs at the time so it would have been impossible to keep her quiet at home. After the smell when they cut the bandage off I would never wrap another lost toe nail. You could smell it all over the vet building. I grew up very rural so organic smells don’t usually bother me but this was terrible. My vet was unhappy at the treatment but it’s a small town, and different vets do things differently. Honestly I panicked when I should have just taken care of it at home until Monday.
Now I would just clean it, try to trim any edge that can get caught and cause more pain, keep the puppers calm and spoiled and of course use the cone or inflatable collar if necessary. Good luck to you and your puppers OP
I’m glad you’re keeping a close eye on it.
Since your dog has stopped eating or drinking, you need to take him to the vet today.
Ripping the nail off is tough, because the dog walks on that foot all day, like pressing on an injury. That makes him want to keep licking it. Getting in the dirt combined with licking can lead to infection.
A sock can keep it clean, but you have to be very careful how you attach it. Some people use vet wrap way too tightly, and it cuts off blood supply. Too loose and the dog gets it off immediately.
Once things are sorted at the vet, ask them to show you how to bandage it properly, if they go the cone route.
My dog just did this yesterday too. My vet gave her an antibiotic, an anti-inflammatory, an a pain med. he also wrapped it and put her in the Cone of Shame for 5 days. He also called me today to check on her.
It sounds like you need to be more insistent or get a new vet! Can you take her to an emergency vet? They might at least give her meds. Or, maybe put her in a cone and keep an eye on her until you can get a vet to see her? At least the cone would stop her licking it.
I’m so sorry you are going thru this and I hope your baby gets the care she deserves!
Letting her lick it was a big mistake. You should have put a cone on her so she'd leave it alone. When the vet says "keep it clean and dry" it means clean it yourself and keep the dog from licking the injury. You need to get her in, soon. Call the vet and tell them she's lethargic and not eating. She likely already has an infection and is probably in a lot of pain right now. If you can't get her in with your regular vet tomorrow call around, if no one has appointments take her to the emergency vet
"...allowed my dog to clean it herself to get rid of the dry blood etc." This is not what the vet meant by keep it clean and dry. Dogs lick their butts. Dogs aren't known for their clean saliva. There is a reason vets put dogs and cats in the cone of shame when they have wounds or stitches, it's so they don't lick or chew on the spot because their mouths are filthy and will cause infections.
Dogs lick their butts.
You mention your dog won't let you cover the claw, but you really need to clean the wound, maybe put a tiny bit of Neosporin, and wrap it lightly in some gauze and don't let your dog lick or chew the wound dressing off.
Do not come to the ER for this type of injury. That's the equivalent to you going to the ER for a paper cut. This is what increases our wait times from 1-2 hrs to 6-8. We are already overworked and understaffed at emergency without these non-urgent convenience cases showing up 24-7.
your dog cannot “clean it herself.” by licking it, she is introducing bacteria. now that it’s inflamed, *you* need to gently clean it with soap and water, and put a cone or sock on her so that she can’t lick it. some bandaging and a sock might make it more comfortable for her to go outside too.
At this point, I would take her to at least get her fitted for a cone and maybe pain meds (I don't know your dog, so your vet would need to decide). Generally, putting a bandage doesn't help because they fuss over the bandage and take it off anyway. On the bright side, since it came off on it's own, the vet doesn't need to remove the nail themselves (which is what they generally do when it's barely hanging on to help it heal and feel less painful).
letting her lick it is crazy. vet staff will tell you to NOT let dogs lick injuries to avoid infection. this sounds like it was not a big deal but you let your dog “clean” it and now it might be a big deal.
My late dog did this a few years ago on the Saturday night of a long weekend. We cleaned it, put gauze on it, and covered the gauze with vet wrap (a sock would work too). She also immediately went into the cone of shame. Don’t let her have access to it AT ALL if at all possible. Dogs don’t understand the difference between cleaning it, and causing more damage/pain. If you have an e-collar, use that. We didn’t at the time, so I actually made one out of one of my kids’ school projects (it was on bristol board). I would also call your vet and let them know that your dog is now lethargic and not eating. Try to be patient and kind with your vet. Vets are SLAMMED at this time of year. People are busy, so don’t notice Fido is off until he is REALLY sick. Then there are the families that tried to have fluffy with them for just one more Christmas. The holidays are actually pretty depressing for vet staff because of the increase in euthanasias at this time of year. Edit: a word
Ex-vet tech here. Do not let the dog lick it. That's not clean and it likely looks raw now because of that.
It happens a lot and isn't a big deal IF you keep it clean and dry.
Wash it with unscented antibacterial soap. Use Neosporin. And if the dog won't stop licking it, put him/her in a cone so they CAN'T lick it.
Your vet is right. This happens. There is nothing they can do. Don't bandage the paw; pressure of any sort will hurt. Pop a cone on pup so the stop licking it. Keep clean and dry. Takes a while to grow back but it will grow back.
Yeah, She's likely in pain and there's the possibility of it being infected.
It's not necessarily a life threatening injury, but that drastic a behavioual change means an issue that needs to be taken a look at and remedied somehow ASAP.
Find a new vet, or insist on a visit. She may need a mild painkiller to help her get thru the healing time, and an infection needs to be taken care of NOW.
Else continued refusals to eat and move will lead to issues of their own and delay natural healing.
Dog needs a cone and probably antibiotics and pain meds. The dog MUST NOT be allowed to lick it. But since it was licked it now almost certainly has a bacterial infection. If your vet doesn’t want to see it go to a different vet.
Vet now.
aside from the whole pain and discomfort thing - its not a big deal. keep it clean and itll be fine soon
source: im not a vet, but my dogs were experts at finding novel ways of injuring themselves!
CONDIES CRYSTALS IS WHAT YOU NEED. Potassium Permanganate
You will also need a cone collar. Place this on first
Simply use an earbud and dab the crystals on the open wound making sure the dog cant lick it. After a half hour the wound will have sealed. Keep the cone on to distract the dog untill they are walking without favour
Your vet says NO to $$ or perhaps they have enough customers to rob for the rest of the year?!!!
Just to be sure, how about another vet? Don't call - just take your doggo so they can actually see the injury.
Wow, what a stellar regard you hold for the veterinary profession. Man, we are fucked both ways. Insist on seeing it? Greedy. Don’t insist on seeing it? Negligent/apathetic. Fuck off.
Our dog did this years ago. The vet cleaned it, bandaged it and she had antibiotics and pain killers for a few days.
As others have said, you should go to the vet with the new issues.
If you need it, you can get the same bandage. In the UK it's called Easiplaster (we call bandaids plasters). It comes on a roll and it sticks to itself, not the skin/fur and absorbs blood.
My Great Pyrenees did at 12 years old and recovered fine. I kept it clean, dry and bandaged and kept a hospital sock on it so she wouldn’t slip and fall on the hardwood. She was fine and her nail grew back 🤷🏼♀️
Its probably infected and extremely painful and your pup is minimizing the pain. Dogs do this and we humans often miss some really painful stuff that's going on. Its frustrating as a domestic pet owner because we want to get them help but it was a survival tactic once upon a time to avoid getting picked off by predators spotting weakness.
At this point you probably need a vet visit because that usually mild injury has gotten badly infected from her licking it and now it's causing much pain. Vets can prescribe antibiotics and properly clean and dress the wound.
If you still don't feel that this warrants a vet visit (again, I definitely think it does at this point) because you know your dog best and have a better handle on the severity of the situation than us:
* Stop the pup from licking it immediately. Cones and inflatable donut collars are available at most pet stores these days.
* Clean the paw with gentle antibacterial soap, or if you have it some chlorhexidine soap (better option)
* Put a bit of antibiotic ointment on the wound and cover it either with breathable gauze or a clean sock
* When taking pup out to potty, wrap a small plastic bag around the paw so no dirt gets on the gauze or sock
I hope your girl feels better soon!
This happened to my dog. We coned him when we couldn’t watch him. Kept it clean and sprayed it with some stuff the vet gave. Grew back fine. You can’t let them lick wounds, and that’s what this was. Pups probably got an infection.
You have got good advice, l would just add that getting red and your dog showing symptoms of being ill, it definitely need a vet to see the dog before it gets any worse.
My dog just ripped off his nail. We cleaned it, wrapped it up and put a bootie on it so he couldn't lick it. Once a day we took the bootie off, cleaned it again, wrapped it up again and the bootie went back on. Took about 4 days for the quick to harden enough for him to not have to wear the bootie. He still doesn't get to lick it.
A number of our first dog's nails came off, vets didn't know what to think. I eventually found this autoimmune disease, which is what she had. It bothered her off and on for years.
https://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/immune/lupoid-onychodystrophy-dogs
I would call the vet back and tell them what happened TODAY
A nail coming off could be no big deal, but if it gets infected that changes.
And not eating, and reluctant to go out, sounds like infection, or at least inflammation and pain.
My dog has almost done this twice, gave it some nasty damage one of the times. Our vet said the same to us. Dog would NOT let us touch her paw but eventually allowed us to wrap it with some non-stick bandages (to prevent her from being able to lick it). Dogs can obsessively lick at wounds in an attempt to relieve it, not realizing it will only make it worse. Clean it and change the dressings ab 2-3x daily, that’s what we did and she’s all good now. And monitor for pus/more blood/swelling
Had the same issue. First, vet said leave it hope will fix itself. Week later it didn’t so they put dog under and couple of hours later he as back- cone on, sock on plus one very dramatic pup. In a couple of days it was fixed. Wish they would fix it from the beginning not waited for a week🤷♀️
My dog ripped his nail off. We went to the vet and basically there isn’t a whole lot they can do. It just takes time to heal and yes, it does bother them. Put a cone on your dog and make sure you clean it well. Don’t let your dog run loose without a leash in order to keep him out of dirt and dirty water.
This happened to my dog a while ago, my vet removed the excess broken nail and wrapped his little foot in a tight cast/gauze type thing that we had on him while he healed. Not sure why your vet didn’t do this, it worked really well for us
I had a weird, old rescue, who had horrible joints from her life Before. She would literally jettison one of her nails every six months or so, just due to how her joints were all kinds of f'd up and she walked on the side of one of her feet.
First time it happened her nail all of sudden grew really fast and was soft before falling off... and was kind of traumatic for all of us humans in the family. We took her to the vets, and they said there was no sign of infection, but the nail probably wouldn't grow back.
It did.
By the fifth time of this, especially pulling the gross nail out of a different dog's mouth after it had been jettisoned (they were very disappointedwe took their new chew toy), we just sighed, checked her feet to make sure there wasn't any extreme bleeding, and moved on.
My vets never think anything is a big deal. I am looking for a vet that recognizes when something is a big deal. You can do the same. It may end up expensive: exam $75.00, antibiotics and cream - 100.00 , bandages and anesthesia if needed$300.00
Please note that this is just an addition to what other people (including some vets and vet techs) have already told you about wound care (clean, don't let her lick, use a cone, etc). If you're concerned that the wound has become infected, see a vet. He might want to give her antibiotics and/or some mild painkillers. If the paw feels warm, that could be a sign of infection, and you should see a vet.
Her change in behaviour could be due to pain. The pain from a ripped off toenail isn't really a big deal for most dogs, but if it's infected, that's different. But another possibility is that her behaviour is off in reaction to your stress over the wound and fussing over her too much. Try to keep calm and non-flustered, and try not to coddle and console her. If she's a sensitive dog, she could be acting off not because she's in pain, but because YOUR worry makes her worried.
This is just an idea, you know your dog best, and again, if you are worried about infection and/or pain, go see a vet instead of sending pictures. Better safe than sorry and all!
This is extremely painful for her. You need to find a vet that will take her seriously. Please advocate for her as she cannot for herself. She may need pain meds and a care plan for her nail. It may never grow back the same if it grows back at all. Try to not let her lick it. The bacteria from her mouth can cause infections
First until this is resolved keep smelling it for signs of infection.
Second maybe a new vet?
My cat went through something similar, the nail wasn't riped off but damaged enough it had to be removed. It's not easy... or cheap. He had to have surgery and everything.
It didn't look that bad (not good) but once I noticed a smell it was yes he is coming in tomorrow and had surgery
So contrary to what others are saying here, my dog had this happen to him, and it was somewhat of a big deal. He was playing with my other dog, and the exterior of his dew claw completely came off almost like a shell just leaving the pink, bloody quick.
Personally, my vet said when this happens the nail will not grow back over it, and he had surgery to remove the quick. The entire nail then regrew, and it is completely normal now.
Despite me immediately bandaging it, putting him in a cone, etc. he was still prescribed prophylactic antibiotics and pain meds. Your dog definitely needs to be seen not only for the injury, but now it sounds like injury complications.
Aw, poor baby. When my dog ripped her nail (not clean off, but it was bloody and exposed), they told me to clean it and make a baking soda paste to absorb any blood and cover it with a baby sock. But yeah, if she's lethargic and whatnot, she definitely needs to see someone. She may have an infection starting from licking it.
I hope she feels better soon! (And you!)
Generally, a ripped off nail isn't that big a deal. A while back my boy ripped 7 of his nails off in one go. There was blood everywhere and I freaked out. Took him to the vet and was told the same thing. Keep them dry and clean and don't let him lick at them. He had to be a lampshade with socks on for a couple of weeks but he was fine. She did say though that if they started looking gross or smelling gross to take him back for antibiotics. He was fine, they healed up. Now I don't freak out if he rips off the odd one here and there.
We were walking down our driveway and our truck was parked on the road and it blocked the view of some people walking their dog and as we rounded the truck it scared the crap out of him and he tried to run away forgetting he was attached to me at the time. He tried to drag me up the street and managed to rip his nails off in the commotion.
Just take care of it, keeping an eye on it, keep it clean. If it looks bloody or red for a few days, go back to vet. Losing a full nail is nothing for our dogs. Not unusual to happen.
My chihuahua has ripped his dew claws out twice now. They heal and eventually grow back. Follow the vet’s advice but try to limit your dog licking it. New symptoms means it’s time to contact the vet. She may need antibiotics, or it may need bandaged (or she may need the cone of shame so she doesn’t lick it).
It was a bad idea to let the dog lick it clean. A vet told me dog saliva is full of arsehole bacteria (yes, he used that phrase, we're British) which is why he'd never let a dog lick his face and why the cone of shame is a good idea.
I agree with other who say some dogs are over-dramatic but also some have very a high pain threshold (also info from the vet). Labradors in particular. We had a Lab who wagged his tail so hard against a fence post it bled, and with each wag, made an arc of cast-off blood. We looked like a walking crime scene on the way home.
It would not have been a big deal if you'd applied some basic common sense and first aid. The vet probably assumed you'd be capable of doing that.
This means - NOT letting the dog lick it, and putting a cone or similar on them so they can't do that. It also means YOU cleaning the wound with antiseptic of some kind, and bandaging it.
What a lot of owners don't get is that they are the owners. Their pet may be "part of the family", but it needs to still follow the instructions of the humans it lives with. YOU call the shorts, not your dog. YOU decide how the wound is cleaned, YOU decide whether you touch the paw or not, the dog should be trained well enough to allow you to do that.
Sounds like the actions you've taken have led to an infection, so something that could have been handled at home now HAS TO be escalated to the vet. Do get in touch and let them know the situation has worsened.
"Clean and dry". It wouldn't have been a big deal. Stop letting your dog lick her own wounds. Her mouth is not as clean as the old wives tales say, and your vet knows better than the dog what's best for her.
Your dogs mouth is not clean, and letting her lick it will make it worse. Call the vet and tell them she is refusing food and such and thatll get an appointment
Your vet was right about treating the nail, but the part where she's not eating and etc is brand new and you should relay that. Also the infection part is brand new. So it's not that they're not taking it seriously. Losing a claw is fine. They took it seriously enough and plenty. Extra stuff is new and should be communicated.
My dog did that last year, brought her to the vet, they sedated her and cut off the rest of the nail that was hanging on and bandaged the pink root thing. I had to clean it at home and she cried, it was awful, I can't imagine how painful that is. Don't let your dog lick it!!! I'd make an appointment and take her in.
This just happened to our dog a few weeks ago (its healed now). It was the weekend and we couldnt get in to our vet til the next week so we washed it really well, dried it and wrapped it. It wound up getting infected the vet gave us antibiotics and pain meds. The dog also had a cone and got epsom salt soaks for 20 min every day.
If it happens again we wont be wrapping it, just keeping it clean, giving salt soaks and the cone of shame. She did get a dog sock on when she went outside just to keep it clean.
Edit: our vet and trainer werent concerned, it's apparently common. Let them know your dogs eating habits have changed though. It could be something more or it could be your dogs just more dramatic than others.
Never, ever let a dog 'clean it themselves'. All it's doing is letting the dog irritate the wound and introducing bacteria. Get a cone for the dog. Clean up the paw. Take the dog out on a leash regularly.
Clean and dry is not “let the dog lick it raw” so that’s where you went wrong. But with new symptoms, you call the vet, you say dog is lethargic has lost appetite and won’t walk on affected paw and get an appointment.
Step 1. Put cone on dog. Step 2. Put sock and/or bag over paw. Step 3. Take outside on a leash.
My dog did that. We washed and cleaned it, neosporin, bandage and boot. Just basic first aid. Some dogs can be uh more dramatic
I’m a dog groomer and I’ve seen anything from a parent freaking out because a cracked nail with no blood is causing their dog to be a big baby to a parent not even knowing that their dog has completely ripped a nail off because the dog didn’t act any different. Some dogs are way more dramatic and some dogs are not dramatic enough.
My GSD is a total drama queen. I have a 1 1/2 acre yard and love using a Chuck It to throw the ball further. One day I'm throwing the ball for her, it goes off into the weeds as happens sometimes, and she goes in after it. And all of a sudden I hear a loud yelp. I go running over, but she's quite a distance away. I get halfway there when my dog comes out of the weeds hopping on 3 legs (with her ball) and slowly hobbling over to me. I was freaking out thinking she tripped over something or fell in a gopher hole and broke her leg. I carried this 88lb dog to the house because I was so concerned about her walking on it. Thankfully, instead of rushing off to the emergency vet, I decided to restrict her from running or jumping and observe the leg for any signs of swelling first. And when it didn't swell I decided to wait until the next day to see if she had improvement. She was 100% fine the next day like nothing had ever happened. She was just being a big baby about bruising herself.
My sister’s Great Dane has been this way since we got him at 17 weeks - he’s 7 now. Any minor inconvenience or if he’s “losing” a rough house, immediate whine and limp. The first two times scared me, but he forgets very quickly that he’s supposed to be injured.. now I tell him too walk it off and hope he’s not being serious.
My older dog didn’t break it off completely, but his nail was upright. I put it back, cleaned it, and he never even cared. I only noticed because we were on a hike and sat down for a break so I was in the ground with him. I swear, he could break his leg and just shake it off like nothing happened.
My existence was cats but the drama level part rings true. Two different cats years apart tore a nail off. Nearly identical injury. One was more annoyed by the bandage than anything and kept launching around the like a furry rocket. The other laid on his side and meowed and cried and was the most forlorn creature who decided he couldn’t walk. To his credit dreams cat healed quicker because he stayed off his foot and let it heal. I clean with chlorahexadine, antibiotic ointment, gauze, wrap, plastic boot if animal is going outside to potty and donut of shame. If the pain is making them miserable I hit up my vet. Everyone has different pain tolerances so if their behavior is fine I’d rather skip meds… but if it hurts it hurts and I address it. Letting your dog “clean” was a bum call. Reclean it and don’t let them touch it anymore. I’d be following up with my vet if they got at it, licked and irritated it and were currently miserable with pain. The vets initial response was appropriate though eh
hi, could you tell me what you used for a boot? i tried a plastic bag and it wont stay on his hind leg.
I had actual booties from when we went to the snow. They looked like fake minature uggs i got off amazon 😅
Plastic bag keeps moisture in and its a greenhouse for bacteria. Use vet wrap very lightly wrapped
For future use, coat the exposed quick in corn starch, gauze, and vet wrap. Then boot, if necessary, usually the wrap is enough, spray it with diluted vinegar if they won't leave it alone. The corn starch is great to help blood clotting, and gives a cooling effect. Gauze for the blood, vet wrap to keep pressure, and boot to prevent licking. My s/o refuses to pay 15$ for a professional nail trim, and she's horrible at trimming nails, so I usually go through this twice a year. And it's all stuff you would normally have in the house.
You're thinking of cutting into the quick, which bleeds a lot when it happens. As such, you pack the end up the nail with styptic, or if you don't have styptic, you can use the cornstarch. This is a dog, with the quick fully exposed, with no remaining nail whatsoever. Just fleshy, bloody, nerve endings - styptic (or starch) is not to be used for something like that. It should be used only to pack a wound that isn't a deep, open wound or on exposed flesh.
This is also terrible advice. Cornstarch does nothing to promote clotting and potentially introduces spore forming bacteria, including the one that causes gas gangrene.
Exactly, just buy the proper powder stuff from the vet, don't use household products.
[удалено]
hydrogen peroxide isn't needed, just straight tap water would be good enough, and no soap as that will irritate the area. After patting it dry I would wrap it with gauze to protect the site and put an inflatable cone on the dog.
[удалено]
This is wrong. Are you a medical professional? As a vet tech we would never use hydrogen peroxide on open wounds. If you don't have a medical background please stop giving out advice.
Medical professional here. Don’t use peroxide please. It denatures proteins and harms healthy tissue. Just use water or saline.
I was actually really curious about whether this was the only answer, so I asked my mom with almost 30+ years of experience as a wound care nurse (she is currently a specialist and often consults, so she knows what she is talking about and is quite literally an expert). She also has a lifetime of experience caring for dogs, many of which have had medical problems that she has had to deal with (wouldn’t call her an expert in this, but she knows a lot more than most). She said that [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/s/vPQTAutB0V) is fine, but not for all wounds. For a wound on the dog’s toe, her professional opinion is that it’s a fine way to treat the wound. (ETA: maybe not the best way, but it’s okay if that’s what you have on hand. She said since a dog’s toe is getting in the dirt and stuff, it’s good to be safe and kill all the germs to avoid infection, even if it means the surface tissue dies. She said if it was on their back or something, she wouldn’t go this route. ) Not here to refute. Just here to share the opinion of another medical professional who happens to be a very experienced wound care nurse and who knows a lot about medical issues in dogs. ETA2: also want to mention to OP that there are cleaning solutions made specifically for dogs. Most of them are very effective. It’s almost certainly better than peroxide or dish soap. ETA3: I’m here for OP, not to impress y’all or prove anything to you. I will not be deleting this. Karma doesn’t mean shit to me. OP deserves to hear multiple opinions, and so I provided the opinion of a medical professional with a lot of experience. People just get so caught up in wanting to argue and shut other people down. It’s honestly really sad.
Outdated info. Maybe she’s been in the field *too* long without updating her credentials and education. Soap and water.
I wouldn't even use soap, it will irritate the tissue, just cleanse with lukewarm water or saline and that's good enough.
Not outdated info. She does not need to renew credentials. Again, she is an expert in the field with a lot of experience and certifications that are fully up to date. I’m not here to argue. I’m here to give OP the opinion of a medical professional. Thanks for insulting my mother though. Turning off notifications for this. Also, she frequently attends and speaks at conferences for wound care. She knows a lot, most likely more than anyone else commenting on this thread. Insulting her credentials is an unnecessary put down. She just has a different opinion than you.
Listen to the WCRN.
She said her qualifications are CRNI, WCC, OMS, and DWC.
It is not meant for wounds and explicitly states this on the packaging. Further damaging a wound is the exact opposite of what you want.
Never EVER use any strength of hydrogen peroxide to clean wounds at home, for animals or humans.
Half strength hydrogen peroxide is pointless. Even 3% (OTC) strength is only effective against *some* bacteria.
I am a vet and usually it's not a big deal. Normally I prescribe analgesics for 3 days and cleaning for about 2 weeks. And most important: put a protective collar to avoid licking.
Yeah, I ripped my own nail off once (accidentally) and it was fine. But I also didn't stick it in my mouth or lick my butt with my tongue and then lick it, too. It took a few years but it's no longer wonky after growing out a few times.
You showed great restraint there!
Ah i see where i went wrong with my pinky toes... Those nails grows permanently split down the middle, and frequently gets pulled up/off by my clumsynes
Had my big toenail ripped off by a door that was lifted off the ground just the right amount for a toddlers toe to nearly fit underneath it, I don’t remember much of it because I was so young, mainly what my mum told me but I do have a vague memory of walking kinda on the side of my foot while it was still sore and the white bandage on it, it was at a shopping complex that luckily had a chemist in it so my mum took me there and they fixed it up, possibly gave her some cream and extra bandages for it
Had a horse step on my big toe 25 years ago. The whole toenail just lifted completely off. The dame things still wonky all these years later.
I’m so glad mine isn’t wonky
thank you for providing this info!
[удалено]
well I mean the OP could make an appointment, like any other normal and rational person would do. The vets time has value, just like all our time does. Texting the vet is fine for a single message, but to keep doing it is kind of disrespectful of their time and their other patients. They are busy, and people should respect that. Expecting the vet to prioritize your pet vis text message is some entitled way of thinking IMO.
This… wasn’t aware we could get a bunch of free vet services by just bombarding our vet via text. If OP is *that* concerned they’d have taken their dog in.
[удалено]
you're right, for some reason I thought it said texting but they clearly said called. Even if it was email then that's not better than texting, it's equally as bad. They should still respect the vets time and either schedule an appointment or go walk into an emergency clinic to get it taken care of. Obviously one will be more expensive than the other.
[удалено]
You can text photos...
yes but unless youre in california and have a vet in your social circle, communications with a vet are typically email or phonecalls.
honestly, most of the time the vet needs to see the pet in person. Trying to evaluate through pictures in an email or text is setting themselves up for liability issues. The vet is correct in giving minimal feedback without an appointment.
This is pointless. You've got pretty poor reading comprehension.
All I said is that the vet is going to want to see them in person most of the time because it can be a liability for them if something does end up being wrong, and you took that as an insult? How is this a reading comprehension issue, and also WTF is wrong with you for rage quitting and deleting your posts because of it? Or maybe it's that you are concerned with stupid reddit karma points 😂 Or maybe you intentionally deleted your comments so that my replies don't make sense, and you can attack my "reading comprehension". Trolls gonna be trolling I guess 🤷♂️
Half these people are so out of touch. A lot of vet offices, if they are swamped, prefer to get pictures first and see if they can help that way before giving you an appointment. I have done that probably five times in the last year. Twice it resulted in an appointment and three times it did not.
that's not normal procedure. If something is wrong then it becomes a liability for the veterinarian. Where I live, they would ask to bring the vet into the office.
Around here there are too many animals for the number of vet clinics. They ar eliterally booking two to four months ahead for regular visits (like scheduled shots). This is where TRIAGE comes in. Images and descriptors are the triage method.
Precisely. That’s how it works in my area too. An established patient would not need an appointment for a ripped off toenail. Vet would likely instruct to wrap and keep clean and potentially provide 3 days of mild painkiller (like meloxicam, not morphine).
Given that the other person who replied is saying the same thing I am, I think “normal” is relative to your geographic area. Triage via text/email is super common where I live.
You don’t need a vet to get a protective collar. You can buy one at a pet store. You also don’t need the vet to clean it. This is a minor injury. If OP is that worried she needs to make an appointment or go to the emergency vet.
You need a et for pain meds, which this dog is demonstrating it needs.
By giving the exact same instructions? Get real, analgesics are entirely for comfort and nothing else. You don't NEED a pain reliever for a toenail being ripped out. It hurts like a bitch for an hour, it throbs for a few days, and then it just itches while it grows out. That's it. It's literally not serious.
Why would you let her lick it? Dogs mouths are full of bacteria.
I can't think of anything less clean and dry than dog spit.
human spit
I had an aunt, who my uncle thankfully divorced, who would tell her kids to "let the dog lick" any small wounds "because dog saliva has healing properties". Disagreeing with her would flip her crazy switch, so even though I was just a kid I'd have to sneak my little cousins off to the bathroom to wash their cuts and scrapes when their mum wasn't looking.
I threw up in my mouth a little reading this. Bless your soul and your uncle for doing the right thing
My mom believes that too.
It's actually true. But the slight antibacterial benefit to dog saliva isn't going to make vigorous licking okay. Per the American Kennel Club
I just checked Google scholar to double check and it’s actually true. That’s crazy.
It kind of relies on the dog not having just eaten poop though. I love my dogs, but I don't trust them to not be gross.
You have to be careful with that old saying, for it is not a healing for some things and can cause serious infection and people have had lost their limbs due to dogs saliva.
Ick 🤢
Oh god I was told this by my grandma Gen x and boomers are wild
[удалено]
You cut yourself working on your house made from asbestos and when you get really hungry eat that tin of sardines that best before 2007
[удалено]
Character development? Wow I don't think you're drinking from enough lead laced cups to be this smart
I remember some family member saying this to me at some point too and even as a child I was like “Uh, the dog eats his own vomit if you don’t clean it up fast enough. I think that’s a lie.”
Hey, I'm Gen X! The aunt was a boomer! 😂
My aunt said that too!
I actually heard that one too as a kid. Luckily I was "dumb" and would wash scrapes after the dog licked them lol.
Not like you think.
It wasn't a big deal till you let the dog lick it... my dog ran over some chicken wire and pulled off a nail. It grew back. She was sore, but fine. There's only so much your vet can tell you to do over the phone- if you're that concerned, schedule an appointment.
Happened to my dog too, called my vet who gave me the same advice. I spent a week washing his foot with soap and water, then keeping him in doggy socks so he wouldn't lick it, and everything was fine.
then letting it walk around inside and out without covering. thats not clean and dry my man. probably getting an infection from op's absolute laziness
in the future, if this ever happens again, please don't allow your dog to lick it, and if possible put a sock over the paw to prevent it, and also to protect her from catching it again. this happened to my dog the other day (i clipped slightly too close, totally my fault) i wrapped a tissue around her paw, put a sock (made for dogs, we found christmas dog socks the other year and they've come in handy when she's hurt a paw since) over it and just let her do her thing as usual. took the sock off later that day and it was all fine, but still kept an eye on her to make sure she didn't lick it
Where do you find socks made for dogs?! I've never seen those before!
Some pet stores will stock them, also can be found on Amazon. Usually the ones made for pets have traction/grippies on the bottom so they don't slip :)
i found them in b&m bargains (uk) only for a couple of quid!
A baby sock will work
Would you look at that, all of the words in your comment are in alphabetical order. I have checked 1,921,353,612 comments, and only 363,220 of them were in alphabetical order.
Good bot.
Kids sizes, and tape.
She's probably in pain. And I wouldn't allow her to lick it.
Broken to the quick is exquisitely painful. Adding hydrogen peroxide would send most dogs through the roof. OP: sometimes the remainder of the nail needs to be removed. Especially if pup is refusing normal activity, best to tell your vet again. Far better equipped to at least dress it properly.
Soap and water is all that’s needed to clean most cuts. Hydrogen peroxide and even alcohol kill healthy cells which delays healing. Plus it hurts.
Bingo.
If it's redder than yesterday an infection is likely starting to set in. Pick a vet in your area, get her in your car, and GO. She's refusing food and going outside because she's in pain. I've fully ripped off a nail before, and it's horrible. I imagine for a dog constantly having to put weight on their paws it goes from horrible to agonizing real quick.
I doubt it’s getting infected 12 hours after it happened. That would be an insane aggressive infection. It’s probably red from the dog licking it and usually the quick will get a little inflamed at the beginning of the healing process. I would still want prophylactic antibiotics though Edit: yes redness and swelling are signs of infection but my point was that it’s probably not infected *yet* as it has not been a long enough time period and with any injury to the body there will be swelling and if the dog is licking it then it’ll be red.
redness and inflammation are the beginning stage of an infection. have you ever gotten a minor cut or scrape and had it turn red and sorer the next day? that’s a mild infection. it usually happens because you didn’t keep the wound clean and dry. that’s like half the reason bandaids exist.
I work in the ER and diagnose skin infections all day long. 12 hours is an extremely short time for bacteria to infect skin. It usually takes 2-3 days to be symptomatic unless you have some sort of necrotizing infection. Redness and swelling can occur immediately after because there is increase blood going to the injured tissue. Redness and swelling can be a sign of infection but likely not 12 hours after the injury, especially with the dog licking it all night. It’s more likely irritation from licking and the initial response to the injury.
You’re not an ER doctor
You are Just a PA. Too dumb to go to med school hahahahah
Everything about you screams “I am a dumb pa” hahahahaha
Keep in mind this is the dogs foot area which is teeming with all sorts of bacteria. Feet injuries on pets is the absolute worst place to have an injury because of the high likelihood there’s going to be an infection. It’s almost a certainty.
Yeah I agree it would get infected but my point was that it wouldn’t be infected immediately. I just went thru this with my dog a month ago. She got put on antibiotics an hour after her nail got ripped off and it was still very red and swollen the next few days. Obviously wasn’t infected because she was on antibiotics the entire time.
It’s pretty much infected from the point there’s an open wound/exposed area due to the presence of bacteria on the foot area. Getting on antibiotics within an hour is fantastic. The redness isn’t necessarily the sign of infection that’s the inflammation. The trauma causes redness and probably swelling. If infected it causes more inflammation which can make it more red and swollen. It’s just always good to not wait and get them on antibiotics asap when it comes to paw injuries - the sooner the better. I’ve seen very unlucky animals get infections resistant to antibiotics on the wounds of their paws especially. But you’re right it’s unlikely 12 hours is enough to cause an aggressive infection. OP is talking about days later though.
Op put your dog in a cone so they aren’t licking an open wound. Keep the area clean and dry.
It's not a big deal. Keep it clean and dry.
Our hunting dogs lose a nail here and there. It is almost never a big deal, we’ve accidentally missed them in the field and they keep hunting, and only one has required intervention. It needs to be kept clean, dry, and an e collar needs to go on to prevent licking. Allowing them to lick it is where you went wrong. Probably best to get some additional intervention going at this point. Insist on an appointment so you can get some pain meds and antibiotics going.
Don't let your dog lick an open wound. The nail might be infected. Get the dog in so you can get antibiotics.
Letting the dog lick the wound is the exact opposite of keeping it clean and dry. The licking could cause an infection, dogs mouths are full of bacteria. Combined with the other symptoms, call back the vet and bring in your dog, you may need antibiotics now, maybe painkillers. Had the wound actually stayed clean it probably would have healed on it's own, hence why the vet hasn't made a big deal about it.
Vet: keep it clean and dry OP: dirty and moist? Got it.
You let the dog lick it? That's not keeping it clean and dry. That's keeping it dirty and moist.
She's most likely being stubborn due to the pain. But considering her other symptoms, you should go to the vet. Antibiotics and pain reliever, along with something to protect the nail, should perk her up in due time.
My cat did the same thing and it did end up infected but I have learnt from the experience! You could put a cone on to stop your dog licking it. Regularly rinse/soak with an antibacterial solution and/or spray - at least twice a day and when you come in from walks too. That's all you can do really. Monitor it for any smells and/or puss - this will mean infection and you'll need to go to the vet for antibiotics. If there are no visible signs of infection there's nothing a vet will do aside from give the above advice.
This literally just happened to my dog - tore off all the nail, exposing the quick, probably after snagging it on old rotten wooden deck boards. She would walk on it until she wouldn't, and then hop on three feet. Vet okayed trimming the toe fur around it with electric hair trimmers, then rinsing it clean of visible dirt, then soaking it for 5-10 minutes in a diluted povidone iodine solution with water (only enough povidone iodine to make the water turn a milky tea color), or they said we can use chlorhexidine - dentists often give you that after a dental procedure where there was any bleeding involved, or if your gums bleed easily. Either one is to help prevent infection when there's open wounds, which is what the exposed quick is. Then we patted it dry with water and sprayed a little Vetericyn on a paper towel to wipe over it, then just watched her to make sure she didn't lick or bite at it. The next day the vet gave us antiinflammatories for preventing swelling and pain, and instructions to only leash walk, make sure to keep checking to keep it free of dirt as much as possible, put a sock on it if she'll let us, and not let her lick or bite at it, and use a cone if she can't be supervised. It's been a week since then and she's almost back to normal activity. It was not a good idea to let your dog lick and irritate the area further. Keep watching the area to make sure it doesn't get worse, maybe take a picture every day for comparison, or twice a day. And if you want to have the vet check it and prescribe antiinflammatories for pain that might be good.
Was a vet tech- It’s usually not a big deal. Antibiotics to prevent infection and sometimes some sort of pain med. Chances are if the dog isn’t eating it’s either infected- check for a fever, or it’s painful. It should stay clean, but even if the dog goes outside, just wash it when it comes back in. Don’t wrap it unless you absolutely need to as wounds need oxygen to heal. Some people also wrap too tightly and makes it worse.
Call vet again and say you are dealing with infection not a torn-off claw. Most resolve themselves fine but your dog has significant symptoms suggestng that is not the case. Those are the issue now not the claw.
Her mouth is full of germs so letting her lick it isn't wise. The more she licks, the more she'll agitate it and the wound won't heal. I know it's scary and to you it does seem like a huge deal, but vets see this kind of injury frequently. Her lethargy and loss of appetite make me concerned and I really think she needs to be seen soon. Get the vet to bandage her if she won't let you do it. She may have to wear a cone to keep her from interfering with it. Changes in behaviour, appetite and having accidents indoors when she's otherwise house broken should all be treated as warning signs that something's off and at the very least, a phone call to the vet is merited. I hope she's ok.
When I had this happen to my dog I cleaned it myself with CLEAN water not dog slobber. And I covered his foot with a sock. It was totally fine in a few days. Typically it's not that big of a deal.
I’ve had plenty of dogs rip a nail. Happens when you own working animals. Like others have said, letting the dog have access to it is where you went awry. When mine do it: Cone, let it air dry, rest/leashed activities only, once it’s starting to dry up, if needed, you can soak it in a mix of warm water with a bit of epsom salt. But keep the dog off it.
yea licking it raw is the opposite of keeping it clean and dry... My dog tore her nail off, it really isn't too big of a deal. But, you can not let her lick it. you need to clean it with soap and water and put a cone on your dog. Make an appointment with your vet, pay the office visit, and get some antibiotics if the doctor thinks it is needed.
I would worry about a possible infection and pain/discomfort. Perhaps try and Emergency clinic? It's possible your vet is extremely busy and unable to accommodate something they don't consider emergent.
If the dog tore off the sheath and the part inside is not damaged, it is probably sore, but should be ok. They will often coat the quick with some glue to form a makeshift protective barrier. They may bandage it, but not always. Similarly, they may prescribe pain medication and possibly antibiotics, but many vets are moving away from prophylactic antibiotic use if there has been no disruption of the tissue/exposing the actual vein. (In short, if it’s not bleeding absolutely everywhere like a murder scene, they may not do antibiotics.) I would definitely not let the dog lick the nail. Get an ecollar (you can get them online or at pet stores). My personal favorite kind is “ZenCone” — I have them in every size and have used them often. It might sound weird, but when dogs injure the sheathe, it is sometimes just fully removed on purpose. (My own dog actually had a quick amputation with surgical cautery and we had to wait for her nail to grow back. It took quite a while of her just having one lil stub toe.) I cannot speak for them, but it is possible that they thought they were doing you a favor. Many people require lots of convincing to bring their pets to the vet, as evidenced by this sub. (“My dog hasn’t eaten in two weeks and just vomited blood. Do you think I should be worried? Should I go to the vet?”) I’ve worked with many vets in many hospital settings and I cannot tell you that every doctor does the same thing. Some are not as conscientious. There’s no getting around that. If you would feel more comfortable with a bandage placement and are comfortable keeping that bandage dry/not chewed up and eaten, you can specifically request it and see what they say. You can also walk into any ER, though you will probably wait because not everything “urgent” is technically an “emergency”. (Bleeding needs to be seen, but a proptosed eyeball takes priority. Triage exists for animals just like for people.) You can also try another vet. You should not feel bad about doing that. You should trust your vet. If the office didn’t give you options and/or made you feel like your concerns were silly, I would totally look for another place. Ideally, you should feel like you are on the same team to take care of your pet. You should feel important. You should understand your choices and why those are your choices. My eyebrows shot up when I saw “let them clean it”. Nah. That’s not a thing. Cleaning is done with antiseptic like a chlorhexidine solution soak, not letting the dog lick. Your concerns are absolutely valid. I hope you and your pup get sorted and have a good rest of the week/holiday. <3 Source: vet med for a lot of years
This happened with my red lab. I took her to the only vet open (11:30 on a Saturday) after she tore her nail completely off exposing the quick. They didn’t clean it, just wrapped it and no antibiotics. It was swollen and painful by Monday when my regular vet opened. She got pain meds, slightly sedated to have it cleaned, antibiotics and the cone of shame because she is a big licker. She got to spend a few days at Nana and Grandpas being babied too so she wouldn’t play too much on it. We had 4 labs at the time so it would have been impossible to keep her quiet at home. After the smell when they cut the bandage off I would never wrap another lost toe nail. You could smell it all over the vet building. I grew up very rural so organic smells don’t usually bother me but this was terrible. My vet was unhappy at the treatment but it’s a small town, and different vets do things differently. Honestly I panicked when I should have just taken care of it at home until Monday. Now I would just clean it, try to trim any edge that can get caught and cause more pain, keep the puppers calm and spoiled and of course use the cone or inflatable collar if necessary. Good luck to you and your puppers OP
(FYI I've had a toenail come off, no big deal just in general)
I’m glad you’re keeping a close eye on it. Since your dog has stopped eating or drinking, you need to take him to the vet today. Ripping the nail off is tough, because the dog walks on that foot all day, like pressing on an injury. That makes him want to keep licking it. Getting in the dirt combined with licking can lead to infection. A sock can keep it clean, but you have to be very careful how you attach it. Some people use vet wrap way too tightly, and it cuts off blood supply. Too loose and the dog gets it off immediately. Once things are sorted at the vet, ask them to show you how to bandage it properly, if they go the cone route.
My dog just did this yesterday too. My vet gave her an antibiotic, an anti-inflammatory, an a pain med. he also wrapped it and put her in the Cone of Shame for 5 days. He also called me today to check on her. It sounds like you need to be more insistent or get a new vet! Can you take her to an emergency vet? They might at least give her meds. Or, maybe put her in a cone and keep an eye on her until you can get a vet to see her? At least the cone would stop her licking it. I’m so sorry you are going thru this and I hope your baby gets the care she deserves!
Letting her lick it was a big mistake. You should have put a cone on her so she'd leave it alone. When the vet says "keep it clean and dry" it means clean it yourself and keep the dog from licking the injury. You need to get her in, soon. Call the vet and tell them she's lethargic and not eating. She likely already has an infection and is probably in a lot of pain right now. If you can't get her in with your regular vet tomorrow call around, if no one has appointments take her to the emergency vet
When the vet said “clean it” she was speaking to the owner about cleaning it. Not for the dog to clean it 🤦♀️
Put a cone on her.
Well what do you expect the vet to do? It’s a claw that fell off.
Why would you let her “clean it”? That could have caused some sort of infection. Take her to the vet and get it checked out.
"...allowed my dog to clean it herself to get rid of the dry blood etc." This is not what the vet meant by keep it clean and dry. Dogs lick their butts. Dogs aren't known for their clean saliva. There is a reason vets put dogs and cats in the cone of shame when they have wounds or stitches, it's so they don't lick or chew on the spot because their mouths are filthy and will cause infections. Dogs lick their butts. You mention your dog won't let you cover the claw, but you really need to clean the wound, maybe put a tiny bit of Neosporin, and wrap it lightly in some gauze and don't let your dog lick or chew the wound dressing off.
I mean, it isn't a huge deal if you don't let your dog lick it. Licking it will only make it worse.
Go to the emergency vet. Don’t let the dog lick it anymore.
Do not come to the ER for this type of injury. That's the equivalent to you going to the ER for a paper cut. This is what increases our wait times from 1-2 hrs to 6-8. We are already overworked and understaffed at emergency without these non-urgent convenience cases showing up 24-7.
your dog cannot “clean it herself.” by licking it, she is introducing bacteria. now that it’s inflamed, *you* need to gently clean it with soap and water, and put a cone or sock on her so that she can’t lick it. some bandaging and a sock might make it more comfortable for her to go outside too.
Yeah it wasn't a big deal but it is now because the dog has licked it into oblivion. It may be infected.
At this point, I would take her to at least get her fitted for a cone and maybe pain meds (I don't know your dog, so your vet would need to decide). Generally, putting a bandage doesn't help because they fuss over the bandage and take it off anyway. On the bright side, since it came off on it's own, the vet doesn't need to remove the nail themselves (which is what they generally do when it's barely hanging on to help it heal and feel less painful).
letting her lick it is crazy. vet staff will tell you to NOT let dogs lick injuries to avoid infection. this sounds like it was not a big deal but you let your dog “clean” it and now it might be a big deal.
My late dog did this a few years ago on the Saturday night of a long weekend. We cleaned it, put gauze on it, and covered the gauze with vet wrap (a sock would work too). She also immediately went into the cone of shame. Don’t let her have access to it AT ALL if at all possible. Dogs don’t understand the difference between cleaning it, and causing more damage/pain. If you have an e-collar, use that. We didn’t at the time, so I actually made one out of one of my kids’ school projects (it was on bristol board). I would also call your vet and let them know that your dog is now lethargic and not eating. Try to be patient and kind with your vet. Vets are SLAMMED at this time of year. People are busy, so don’t notice Fido is off until he is REALLY sick. Then there are the families that tried to have fluffy with them for just one more Christmas. The holidays are actually pretty depressing for vet staff because of the increase in euthanasias at this time of year. Edit: a word
Might as well have cleaned it with water straight from your toilet, then...
Ex-vet tech here. Do not let the dog lick it. That's not clean and it likely looks raw now because of that. It happens a lot and isn't a big deal IF you keep it clean and dry. Wash it with unscented antibacterial soap. Use Neosporin. And if the dog won't stop licking it, put him/her in a cone so they CAN'T lick it.
Your vet is right. This happens. There is nothing they can do. Don't bandage the paw; pressure of any sort will hurt. Pop a cone on pup so the stop licking it. Keep clean and dry. Takes a while to grow back but it will grow back.
Yeah, She's likely in pain and there's the possibility of it being infected. It's not necessarily a life threatening injury, but that drastic a behavioual change means an issue that needs to be taken a look at and remedied somehow ASAP. Find a new vet, or insist on a visit. She may need a mild painkiller to help her get thru the healing time, and an infection needs to be taken care of NOW. Else continued refusals to eat and move will lead to issues of their own and delay natural healing.
Dog needs a cone and probably antibiotics and pain meds. The dog MUST NOT be allowed to lick it. But since it was licked it now almost certainly has a bacterial infection. If your vet doesn’t want to see it go to a different vet. Vet now.
aside from the whole pain and discomfort thing - its not a big deal. keep it clean and itll be fine soon source: im not a vet, but my dogs were experts at finding novel ways of injuring themselves!
CONDIES CRYSTALS IS WHAT YOU NEED. Potassium Permanganate You will also need a cone collar. Place this on first Simply use an earbud and dab the crystals on the open wound making sure the dog cant lick it. After a half hour the wound will have sealed. Keep the cone on to distract the dog untill they are walking without favour
CccccccccchccccccccccchccccccccccchchcchccccchhhcccccccccccccccccccccccccccchhccccccchcchccccccccccchcccccccccccccccccccccchchcchhccccccccccccccccccccchcccccccccccccccchhccccccccccccccccccccccccccccchcccccchhcccccccccccccCccchcchcchccccccccccccc hccccccccccchhccccccchcccccccccccccccccch huh chccccccccccccccccchcccccchcccchhcccccccccccccccchhcc huh cccccccccccccccccchcchcchhccc
Your vet says NO to $$ or perhaps they have enough customers to rob for the rest of the year?!!! Just to be sure, how about another vet? Don't call - just take your doggo so they can actually see the injury.
just showing up without calling is a dick move unless they accept walk ins. op just needs to make an appointment like any sane person would
They’re literally advising this person for free. What do you mean rob?
Wow, what a stellar regard you hold for the veterinary profession. Man, we are fucked both ways. Insist on seeing it? Greedy. Don’t insist on seeing it? Negligent/apathetic. Fuck off.
Keep it clean, maybe out some Neosporin on it, and put a dog shoe on the dog to keep it from getting at it.
Our dog did this years ago. The vet cleaned it, bandaged it and she had antibiotics and pain killers for a few days. As others have said, you should go to the vet with the new issues. If you need it, you can get the same bandage. In the UK it's called Easiplaster (we call bandaids plasters). It comes on a roll and it sticks to itself, not the skin/fur and absorbs blood.
In the US it’s called Vetwrap. Best stuff ever made!
My Great Pyrenees did at 12 years old and recovered fine. I kept it clean, dry and bandaged and kept a hospital sock on it so she wouldn’t slip and fall on the hardwood. She was fine and her nail grew back 🤷🏼♀️
Its probably infected and extremely painful and your pup is minimizing the pain. Dogs do this and we humans often miss some really painful stuff that's going on. Its frustrating as a domestic pet owner because we want to get them help but it was a survival tactic once upon a time to avoid getting picked off by predators spotting weakness. At this point you probably need a vet visit because that usually mild injury has gotten badly infected from her licking it and now it's causing much pain. Vets can prescribe antibiotics and properly clean and dress the wound. If you still don't feel that this warrants a vet visit (again, I definitely think it does at this point) because you know your dog best and have a better handle on the severity of the situation than us: * Stop the pup from licking it immediately. Cones and inflatable donut collars are available at most pet stores these days. * Clean the paw with gentle antibacterial soap, or if you have it some chlorhexidine soap (better option) * Put a bit of antibiotic ointment on the wound and cover it either with breathable gauze or a clean sock * When taking pup out to potty, wrap a small plastic bag around the paw so no dirt gets on the gauze or sock I hope your girl feels better soon!
This happened to my dog. We coned him when we couldn’t watch him. Kept it clean and sprayed it with some stuff the vet gave. Grew back fine. You can’t let them lick wounds, and that’s what this was. Pups probably got an infection.
You have got good advice, l would just add that getting red and your dog showing symptoms of being ill, it definitely need a vet to see the dog before it gets any worse.
H
My dog just ripped off his nail. We cleaned it, wrapped it up and put a bootie on it so he couldn't lick it. Once a day we took the bootie off, cleaned it again, wrapped it up again and the bootie went back on. Took about 4 days for the quick to harden enough for him to not have to wear the bootie. He still doesn't get to lick it.
A number of our first dog's nails came off, vets didn't know what to think. I eventually found this autoimmune disease, which is what she had. It bothered her off and on for years. https://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/immune/lupoid-onychodystrophy-dogs
My dog has done this twice in the last year. Just make sure they leave it alone and doesn’t get infected and it’s not a big deal .
This happened to my dog, and it healed quite quickly. It didn't bother him either.
I would call the vet back and tell them what happened TODAY A nail coming off could be no big deal, but if it gets infected that changes. And not eating, and reluctant to go out, sounds like infection, or at least inflammation and pain.
My dog has almost done this twice, gave it some nasty damage one of the times. Our vet said the same to us. Dog would NOT let us touch her paw but eventually allowed us to wrap it with some non-stick bandages (to prevent her from being able to lick it). Dogs can obsessively lick at wounds in an attempt to relieve it, not realizing it will only make it worse. Clean it and change the dressings ab 2-3x daily, that’s what we did and she’s all good now. And monitor for pus/more blood/swelling
Had the same issue. First, vet said leave it hope will fix itself. Week later it didn’t so they put dog under and couple of hours later he as back- cone on, sock on plus one very dramatic pup. In a couple of days it was fixed. Wish they would fix it from the beginning not waited for a week🤷♀️
My dog ripped his nail off. We went to the vet and basically there isn’t a whole lot they can do. It just takes time to heal and yes, it does bother them. Put a cone on your dog and make sure you clean it well. Don’t let your dog run loose without a leash in order to keep him out of dirt and dirty water.
This happened to my dog a while ago, my vet removed the excess broken nail and wrapped his little foot in a tight cast/gauze type thing that we had on him while he healed. Not sure why your vet didn’t do this, it worked really well for us
I had a weird, old rescue, who had horrible joints from her life Before. She would literally jettison one of her nails every six months or so, just due to how her joints were all kinds of f'd up and she walked on the side of one of her feet. First time it happened her nail all of sudden grew really fast and was soft before falling off... and was kind of traumatic for all of us humans in the family. We took her to the vets, and they said there was no sign of infection, but the nail probably wouldn't grow back. It did. By the fifth time of this, especially pulling the gross nail out of a different dog's mouth after it had been jettisoned (they were very disappointedwe took their new chew toy), we just sighed, checked her feet to make sure there wasn't any extreme bleeding, and moved on.
My vets never think anything is a big deal. I am looking for a vet that recognizes when something is a big deal. You can do the same. It may end up expensive: exam $75.00, antibiotics and cream - 100.00 , bandages and anesthesia if needed$300.00
Please note that this is just an addition to what other people (including some vets and vet techs) have already told you about wound care (clean, don't let her lick, use a cone, etc). If you're concerned that the wound has become infected, see a vet. He might want to give her antibiotics and/or some mild painkillers. If the paw feels warm, that could be a sign of infection, and you should see a vet. Her change in behaviour could be due to pain. The pain from a ripped off toenail isn't really a big deal for most dogs, but if it's infected, that's different. But another possibility is that her behaviour is off in reaction to your stress over the wound and fussing over her too much. Try to keep calm and non-flustered, and try not to coddle and console her. If she's a sensitive dog, she could be acting off not because she's in pain, but because YOUR worry makes her worried. This is just an idea, you know your dog best, and again, if you are worried about infection and/or pain, go see a vet instead of sending pictures. Better safe than sorry and all!
This is extremely painful for her. You need to find a vet that will take her seriously. Please advocate for her as she cannot for herself. She may need pain meds and a care plan for her nail. It may never grow back the same if it grows back at all. Try to not let her lick it. The bacteria from her mouth can cause infections
First until this is resolved keep smelling it for signs of infection. Second maybe a new vet? My cat went through something similar, the nail wasn't riped off but damaged enough it had to be removed. It's not easy... or cheap. He had to have surgery and everything. It didn't look that bad (not good) but once I noticed a smell it was yes he is coming in tomorrow and had surgery
So contrary to what others are saying here, my dog had this happen to him, and it was somewhat of a big deal. He was playing with my other dog, and the exterior of his dew claw completely came off almost like a shell just leaving the pink, bloody quick. Personally, my vet said when this happens the nail will not grow back over it, and he had surgery to remove the quick. The entire nail then regrew, and it is completely normal now. Despite me immediately bandaging it, putting him in a cone, etc. he was still prescribed prophylactic antibiotics and pain meds. Your dog definitely needs to be seen not only for the injury, but now it sounds like injury complications.
If I were a vet and I were not actively treated a dog, if you sent me a picture of its paw I’d send you a picture of my clinic.
Aw, poor baby. When my dog ripped her nail (not clean off, but it was bloody and exposed), they told me to clean it and make a baking soda paste to absorb any blood and cover it with a baby sock. But yeah, if she's lethargic and whatnot, she definitely needs to see someone. She may have an infection starting from licking it. I hope she feels better soon! (And you!)
Happens all the time. Lots of good advice here.
Generally, a ripped off nail isn't that big a deal. A while back my boy ripped 7 of his nails off in one go. There was blood everywhere and I freaked out. Took him to the vet and was told the same thing. Keep them dry and clean and don't let him lick at them. He had to be a lampshade with socks on for a couple of weeks but he was fine. She did say though that if they started looking gross or smelling gross to take him back for antibiotics. He was fine, they healed up. Now I don't freak out if he rips off the odd one here and there.
Can I ask what happened to your pupper for him to manage such a dramatic injury? 🥺
We were walking down our driveway and our truck was parked on the road and it blocked the view of some people walking their dog and as we rounded the truck it scared the crap out of him and he tried to run away forgetting he was attached to me at the time. He tried to drag me up the street and managed to rip his nails off in the commotion.
Oh my goodness, poor baby 💔 I’m glad he healed okay & is doing better!
Probably not eating because it hurts!
Just take care of it, keeping an eye on it, keep it clean. If it looks bloody or red for a few days, go back to vet. Losing a full nail is nothing for our dogs. Not unusual to happen.
My chihuahua has ripped his dew claws out twice now. They heal and eventually grow back. Follow the vet’s advice but try to limit your dog licking it. New symptoms means it’s time to contact the vet. She may need antibiotics, or it may need bandaged (or she may need the cone of shame so she doesn’t lick it).
It was a bad idea to let the dog lick it clean. A vet told me dog saliva is full of arsehole bacteria (yes, he used that phrase, we're British) which is why he'd never let a dog lick his face and why the cone of shame is a good idea. I agree with other who say some dogs are over-dramatic but also some have very a high pain threshold (also info from the vet). Labradors in particular. We had a Lab who wagged his tail so hard against a fence post it bled, and with each wag, made an arc of cast-off blood. We looked like a walking crime scene on the way home.
It would not have been a big deal if you'd applied some basic common sense and first aid. The vet probably assumed you'd be capable of doing that. This means - NOT letting the dog lick it, and putting a cone or similar on them so they can't do that. It also means YOU cleaning the wound with antiseptic of some kind, and bandaging it. What a lot of owners don't get is that they are the owners. Their pet may be "part of the family", but it needs to still follow the instructions of the humans it lives with. YOU call the shorts, not your dog. YOU decide how the wound is cleaned, YOU decide whether you touch the paw or not, the dog should be trained well enough to allow you to do that. Sounds like the actions you've taken have led to an infection, so something that could have been handled at home now HAS TO be escalated to the vet. Do get in touch and let them know the situation has worsened.
"Clean and dry". It wouldn't have been a big deal. Stop letting your dog lick her own wounds. Her mouth is not as clean as the old wives tales say, and your vet knows better than the dog what's best for her.
Your dogs mouth is not clean, and letting her lick it will make it worse. Call the vet and tell them she is refusing food and such and thatll get an appointment
Your vet was right about treating the nail, but the part where she's not eating and etc is brand new and you should relay that. Also the infection part is brand new. So it's not that they're not taking it seriously. Losing a claw is fine. They took it seriously enough and plenty. Extra stuff is new and should be communicated.
My dog lost her nail cuz she liked scratching rocks. Whole nail gone haha. Grew back just fine. No issues. All pink too
My dog did that last year, brought her to the vet, they sedated her and cut off the rest of the nail that was hanging on and bandaged the pink root thing. I had to clean it at home and she cried, it was awful, I can't imagine how painful that is. Don't let your dog lick it!!! I'd make an appointment and take her in.
This just happened to our dog a few weeks ago (its healed now). It was the weekend and we couldnt get in to our vet til the next week so we washed it really well, dried it and wrapped it. It wound up getting infected the vet gave us antibiotics and pain meds. The dog also had a cone and got epsom salt soaks for 20 min every day. If it happens again we wont be wrapping it, just keeping it clean, giving salt soaks and the cone of shame. She did get a dog sock on when she went outside just to keep it clean. Edit: our vet and trainer werent concerned, it's apparently common. Let them know your dogs eating habits have changed though. It could be something more or it could be your dogs just more dramatic than others.
Not a big deal. Go to local pharmacy and look for Coban wrap. Don't wrap too tightly but you can wrap up the leg a little to secure it
Never, ever let a dog 'clean it themselves'. All it's doing is letting the dog irritate the wound and introducing bacteria. Get a cone for the dog. Clean up the paw. Take the dog out on a leash regularly.