Help! My Dog’s Nail Broke—What Now?

Wondering what to do if your dog has a broken, cracked, or torn nail? Dr. Gabrielle Fadl explains the signs of nail injuries in dogs, how to tell how serious it is, and when to treat it at home vs. when to call the vet.

TRANSCRIPT

Does your pet have a broken, cracked, or torn nail? I know this can be stressful, but we're here to help. I'm Dr. Gabrielle Faddle, and this is Torshi. So, signs of a nail injury can be quite subtle. So, you might see the dog licking their feet excessively or even limping in some cases. Um, sometimes you might not notice anything at all. Um, if you suspect there could be something wrong, uh, a quick evaluation of each of their nails or their digits might be warranted and that can be done at home. If you do see a nail injury, it'll probably fall under one of the these three categories. Either cracked completely off, it might be broken but still attached loosely, or it might be cracked but still attached firmly. It can happen anywhere along the nail. It can happen really close to the toe itself um or can break completely off in that area. It can happen closer to the tip which is less problematic. But if it happens anywhere in the area where you see this pink or the quick, you might notice it's bleeding and it can be quite painful. If the nail gets torn off completely, sometimes this can be best case scenario. I still would recommend bringing them in to be seen by the vet. Um, they'll typically require some pain medications, sometimes foot soaps or even antibiotics if it has been some time and there's concern that there's an infection. If your pet's nail is bleeding at home, there is a product called Quick Stop, which can help the nail stop bleeding quickly. Um, alternatively, if you don't have that product at home, you can just use regular flour that you would use for baking and stick it right on the toenail. Um, and that might help curb some of that bleeding until you can get them into the office. If you do put any wraps around the foot, um, you could do so loosely, uh, just so it's not cutting off any circulation or causing too much irritation. And I would make sure that's a very temporary solution just to get them into the clinic. If the nail is cracked or broken um and it's still attached, it is recommended that they're seen uh for a pretty similar treatment as if it was just completely broken off. Um usually it requires removing the nail that is still hanging on there. Um and then treating the underlying quick if it's bleeding. Um so pain medication, sometimes a wrap around the foot. Um sometimes antibiotic Broken nails should be seen quite quickly. They're not necessarily an emergency unless they're bleeding profusely or you can't get the bleeding under control. Otherwise, as long as you're keeping the area relatively clean and dry, if your pet will let you, um, they can be seen the next day or as as quickly as your vet has availability. If you notice your pet is licking excessively and you have a cone at home, I would place it on them until they can get in to see us. An injured nail can heal either very quickly or it might sometimes take a week or so. It really depends on which nail and how weightbearing they are. So, if it's one of the declaws, which is on the side, the thumb if you will, um usually those will heal quite quickly because they're not putting weight on it. Um, but some of the other toes it might take a week or so. Uh, really depending on the at home care and how successful we are at keeping them from licking or bothering the toe for the time being while it's healing. I know it can be sad or scary to see your pet with a broken nail or a nail injury, but with the right approach, we can help and make them feel better quickly. Thanks for joining. See you next time.