What Should You Do If Your Dog Breaks Their Nail?

Broken toenails are a common thing among dogs. When their paws come into contact with anything from grass to rocky terrain, it’s only natural for their toenails to suffer. So, what should you do if your dog’s nail breaks?

We’ll go through the ins and outs of canine broken toenails in this post, as well as how to respond if it happens.

What Causes Dogs’ Nails to Break?

On their front paws, most dogs will have 5 toes, while on their rear legs they will have 4. The dew claw of the front toe is removed in some puppies early on, but it isn’t always done.

A dog’s nails, like yours and mine, are always growing. If a dog is unable to file their nails by walking on hard surfaces, their nails can grow to be a nuisance. Their claws may get caught along the journey due to contact with materials such as carpet or weeds.

Even if we trimmed our dog’s nails regularly, they may sustain nail injuries as a result of minor trauma to the region. When dogs jump, their nails might get snagged on carpet, break when digging, and so on. It is an unpleasant injury that must be treated with care regardless of the reason for your dog’s nail damage.

Why Is It a Problem When Dogs’ Nails Are Broken?

When our dog’s nail is fractured, we must always be concerned. Even the toughest of dogs would suffer from this problem, and it can produce a number of issues if left untreated. While we may only perceive the hard keratin layer on the dog nail, there is much more to it than that.

Within the nail, the quick is a cluster of nerves and blood vessels. This is the sharp structure seen in clear dog nails, and the portion of the nail that bleeds when it is cut too short. Although the keratin component of the nail is not living tissue, the rapid is. The quick is a fragile structure that, in addition to being linked to bone, may cause significant agony when exposed.

The first step in treating a dog nail injury is determining the severity of the damage and whether or not it will require surgery. The quick can be exposed and they must apply pressure on the paw, which may be observed as them walking with a limp and avoiding putting weight on that paw. You could also notice your dog constantly licking the afflicted region, which can increase the risk of additional discomfort and infection.

A broken nail, as you can see, is a lot more dangerous for your dog than you might have imagined. So what should you do if this happens to your dog? Let’s get started.

What to Do If Your Dog’s Nail Is Broken

We always recommend consulting your veterinarian for additional assistance with a nail injury due to the risk of discomfort and infection. However, if you discovered the damage at home, there are a few things you can do right away.

1. To begin, restrain your dog in such a way that you may check the wounded area while being safe. Expect your dog to be wary of these injuries since they may be painful. Before proceeding, see your veterinarian if your dog is in too much discomfort to allow you to check the nail.

2. If your dog’s nail is bleeding and they will let you touch it, you can start treating the wound. Applying moderate pressure to the area or dipping the nail in a bit of corn starch might help to “plug” the space and stop the bleeding. It’s time to visit the veterinarian if you can’t stop the bleeding after 10-15 minutes.

3. If you can remove a tiny piece of the nail from the area, do so. This should only be attempted if your dog is comfortable with the pain. If your dog is too unpleasant for you to attempt this and will not allow you to do it, seek medical attention immediately.

If your dog’s nail has become cracked or seriously damaged, it is critical that you visit your veterinarian. Because of the high potential for infection, it is always better to be cautious and seek expert assistance. The suggestions above might assist your puppy in the present time, but will not enough to maintain his feet healthy as long as the quick is exposed.

Last Thoughts

A dog nail injury is a distressing experience for our canine companions. Make sure to go through the information we’ve supplied above, and you’ll be able to assist your dog better going forward!