Dog's nail

[Fourpaws]

My dog split his toenail all the way to the pad. It never bled, he just got a lot of dirt stuck inside. I also have been keeping it clean. I ended up taking him to the vet just to make sure it was okay and they said I could give him pain meds and wait and see what it does or sedate him and rip the nail out (ouch!) I chose to wait. I am wondering though, what are the signs that it might be infected? The vet said their toes hardly get infected, but my other dog's nail did get infected when he broke the whole thing off. Is there anything I need to look out for? Thanks so much for your help!

[Aleda M Cheng, D.V.M., C.V.A]

When I have a dog come in with a broken nail I almost always pull the nail straight out to stop the pain and to accelerate the healing process.  By keeping the remainder of the nail in there is a possibility of eliciting pain everytime anything touches the nail.  I may also take X-Rays of the injured paw to see if there is infection, fracture above the nail or soft tissue swelling.  I often include foot soaks with betadyne solution and oral antibiotics and pain meds for a few days.  Signs that there is infection would be foul odor coming from the foot, swelling, discoloration, lameness and fever.  If you see any of these signs please take your dog back to the vet!

[Fourpaws]

you need to post a new question if you want the Dr to answer.

[Shanow]

My dog has been licking her toe for several days.  I looked at her left front paws inside nail, and discovered that it was slightly red, and it looked as if a small tendonish (rubbery) piece of something was coming out of it.  I do not see glass or any other object in there.  Whats wrong with her paw? It is obviously causing her discomfort, and I really can't afford to take her to the vet right now.

[Fourpaws]

Thanks Dr. Cheng! I have an appointment on Monday for him to get it taken out. That sounds like the best plan for his poor little paw. Thanks again.