Sunday, January 17, 2010

Dog split his nail - infection possible?

My dog was at the vet's for the weekend (we took a weekend trip) and when we picked him up we noticed he was limping on one of his paws. Upon looking for the cause we found that he split his nail in half, it wasn't bleeding anymore but obviosly very painful for the guy! We called the vet back and took him in and all she did was cut off the piece of the nail that was hanging. It looks like there is soft material there and it is sensitive for him to walk on - how long do you think this will take to heal - should we worry about infection? He is a 2 year old boxer - very healthy active dog - he just looks so down in the dumps now that he can't play much....Dog split his nail - infection possible?
Dog's paws are often the most overlooked when checking out a dog's health. Because they have ';pockets'; between the toes/nails debris can get caught in there, even snow when they walk in the snow!





It is important to check your dogs paws on a daily basis, make sure they don't have any cuts or debris that can cause infection.





Regarding your dog's toe, there are creams and ointments that you can put on it to prevent him from licking it, which is one thing that many people think is good for the dog to do (licking wounds) but really can cause infection. If you do use a cream like neosporin, be sure to wrap the paw so the dog doesn't lick it off. If you use 100% Aloe or other creams that aren't harmful if swallowed, then no need to bandage.





But please clean your dog's nail morning and night until the wound closes. Peroxide would be good to use to clean it if you have some handy. If not, then warm soapy water.





Also, if the dog is in pain, a small amount of aspirin would be helpful to ease his pain. But if the paw is infected (paws get infected so easy when there is any type of open wound, sometimes you won't even be able to tell without close inspection) then you will need some antibiotics or a special cream from your vet.





However, all that advice aside, you might want to ask your vet to take care of it free of charge because you left your beloved pet in his care while you went on your trip. It happened while you were away, and the vet seemed to be so nonchalant about it. That is not cool. I would suggest finding another vet -- one you can trust with your best friend!Dog split his nail - infection possible?
Dogs are really strong, it should heal pretty quickly. He'll lick it up and their saliva will heal it better.





As for the playing part, when he's sitting down grab a toy and play a light game of tug-a-war with him for a bit. Pet him and ruffle his fur and whatnot too. Aslong as your paying attention to him, he shouldn't be that ';depressed.';





If it doesn't heal in a bit, take him to the vet and i'm sure they will have something for him.
Seems like he got his nail caught in the metal wire cage as if he was pawing to get out.This is very painful with the skin showing.That would be as if you tore your nail pass the nail bed,it hurts for a long time.Call the vet to see if you can give him baby aspirin and what dose.

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