# Please help with broken nail.. (pic)



## Ucdcrush (Mar 22, 2004)

This is Riku's paw with one busted up nail. In the pic, in case it isn't clear, my thumb is pushing a good nail out of the way, and the messed up nail is down from my thumb.










On the top part that is sticking up, I cut a bit of it off already, but he seemed to be very sensitive when I tried to cut more of it off. But looking at the pic, should I be able to cut most of that top part off? I thought the part I want to avoid (the quick) is in the other part, not the top part, which I was trying to cut back.

Or is there any advice on what I should do to help him? He is walking OK, just licking it a bit, and does not like me handling that paw now. Thank you.


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## bergwanderkennels (Mar 26, 2009)

Quick like a band aide on a kids knee is best if you can! 

If it is not bleeding which it looks like it is not then you can get a normal pair of finger nail clippers and just clip that split piece off?


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## rgrim84 (May 8, 2009)

ouch!


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

I'd clip off what i can without causing any pain and use liquid bandaid to protect what's left. 

http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=13279&catid=44601

By the way, how did that happen?


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## Jazzstorm (Nov 29, 2005)

<span style="color: #000099">This happened to my dog twice. You have to clip the hanging part of the nail. Then we did epsom salt and warm water soaks, 3x a day for at least 5 minutes. The first time my dog was also on anti-biotics because it was pretty bad and it was "mud season." You have to be careful about infections. (The vet advised me about the soaks.) </span>


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## Ucdcrush (Mar 22, 2004)

Thanks all, I'll get some of that liquid bandaid stuff and will cut back more of that split off part up top.

I'm not sure exactly where it happened, but I think it may have been running on the street with his backpack on.


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## AnnaRiley (Feb 14, 2008)

Don't let it get infected - the infection could move to the bone.


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## Mandalay (Apr 21, 2008)

Oh my goodness, that poor thing. I hope it is ok and grows back in without any kind of infection. I'd definitely get that clipped off though, before it gets caught on something and gets pulled off.


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## Crabtree (Jan 6, 2006)

it's sore because the broken part is pressing on the underlying quick, poor baby. The soaks are a good idea. Try to keep it clean if it's muddy. Watch for infection.


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## raysmom (May 22, 2004)

<span style="color: #000066">I can't see the picture from this computer at work but Kaiser split both of his front dew claws last December - the right one was really bad and the broken part was almost perpendicular to the intact part and he was whimpering and holding his leg up. (He doesn't have them on the back legs).

We took him to the vet and they cut both dew claws way back and put him on antibiotics. They said the claws might not grow back properly, which they didn't. In March, the quick of the right dew claw separated from the nail and fell out. I could see raw flesh deep down in the nail bed, so we took him back to the vet as I was afraid of dirt getting down in there close to the bone. The vet said the nails would never be "normal", so he ended up totally removing both of his "thumbs" - the claw along with the digit. We had him neutered and his teeth cleaned at the same time. He's as good as new now!







</span>


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