Do Damaged Toenails Require Treatment?
My dog broke her dewclaw, but it is still halfway
attached. It is very tender and she WILL NOT let
me touch it. Will it fall off by itself?…and how
long will that take? If not, is there a chance of
infection or anything else I should be aware of?
Any advice?
Dara
Oakland, CA
Torn toenails are very common. Dogs may injure nails during active play or digging. If the nail snags or catches on carpeting, vegetation or rocky soil it may tear or separate from the nail bed.
Damaged nails generally are painful. Your dog’s nail may fall off naturally. However, leaving the nail to its own devices could cause your dog to suffer for several days.
I recommend that you have a vet check your dog’s nail. He or she may be able to remove the injured portion. This will speed up the healing process. I usually perform a nerve block on the affected area before working with it–this numbs the toe and makes the process more pleasant for the dog.
Damaged toenails sometimes become infected. Your vet may prescribe antibiotics if the affected area is red or swollen. Prescription anti-inflammatory painkillers are helpful in most cases as well.
Most damaged toenails grow back normally over time. However, in rare instances damage to the nail bed prevents normal regrowth. Nails that do not grow back normally may be unsightly, but they generally are not painful and do not cause problems for the affected pet.
You have questions. 
The dew claw was the first nail that broke like that on my GSD and I thought he had just caught it on something. But unfortunately other nails started spliting off too and it turned out to be SLO (Symmetrical Lupoid Onychodystrophy), so just keep an eye out.
SLO is an autoimmune disease of dogs which can cause severe claw problems in otherwise apparently healthy dogs. It is characterised by the loss of claws from more than one paw – eventually all claws may be lost. Other symptoms may include: receding quicks, secondary infection (often with a strong smell), claw splitting (usually down the back of the claw), pain, distorted/twisted claws and lameness.
JUST A HEADS UP, thats all.
My dog has had this happen on a couple of his claws. When the first one broke it hung on for a few days causing me to worry like this owner did, but then it just fell off on it’s own. I watched over him during the process and didn’t take him out for any walks during the two days until it fell off on it’s own, trying not to force him to put pressure on the foot whenever he had to walk. So he just relaxed and lounged around lazily until it fell off, Then was good as new once it did fall off. As if nothing had happened. Over this past weekend he broke a dew claw off completely and it is showing some signs of swelling and redness, it looks very sore more so than the first one that he lost.( He lost it while I was sleeping during the night and never let me know.) He continues to lick at it which is I think attributing to the redness and swelling, so I have now placed a doggie bootie on the injured paw hoping that this will prevent him from licking it until it gets infected or making it more infected if that is the case. he is able to walk on it without limping. It has now been 48 hours since the dew claw fell off. I am hoping it will heal on it’s own. Am I doing the right thing?
My Bischon damaged her toenail yesterday. She is one not to take pain @ all. She is resting in her bed looking like the world has done her in. I have soaked her paw in salt water. I gave her a baby aspirn and I will watch the paw for the next few days. We are leaving for vacation for the Thanksgiving Holdiay however we will be taking her withn us. Reading the above comments made me feel a little better. Thanks everyone.
MY DOG CHOY BROKE HIS NAIL IN HALF. LIKE ONE PART IS ON HIS TOE. AND THE OTHER PART IS SHEPERATEDE FROM THE NAIL ON HIS TOE. WHAT SHOULD I DO!
Low Dose Naltrexone is a treatment that is benefiting many immune related conditions. It is inexpensive and very low toxicity or side effects. It also helps to prevent future immune related conditions and increases immunity to common infectious agents. Google LDN !