Dog injury, does it need a vet visit?

[designer]

One of my greys hurt his toe, the nail looks like it was pulled out, showing flesh around the edge. Do you think it needs a vet to look at it? I asked some other greyhound adopters but they always say be on the safe side and take him to the vet. I can't go running to the vet for every little thing. There's taking off work, the vet bill, waiting for hours to see the vet. I don't want to go unless it is really needed. Others say the chance of infection is too high on the foot to chance it. What do you think?
Carol M

[beaglady]

If it were my dog, I would clean and disinfect, wrap it to prevent further injury and keep the dog from being active. Then I would see how it looks tomorrow and base my vet decision from there. In the end, i would probably go, but not as an emergency situation.

[Shahbazin]

I'd soak it in warm epsom salt solution 2x/day, then once it's dry, wrap w/gauze & vetrap to prevent the dog from picking at it/getting dirt in it. Usually, I don't even wrap these, just do the epsom soaks, & they heal right up. Had one dog yank his whole toenail out by the roots, several others have done partial toenail pulls like yours.

[Jen H]

Ditto the epsom salt soaks, and keep the dog confined for a few days so the foot can heal up. If the foot feels abnormally warm or looks swollen, it's time for a vet visit. Otherwise, just let it heal.

[Pyrenees]

The nail needs to come off.

If the nail is only loosely attached, you can take it the rest of the way off yourself. Just grab it with a pair of pliers and pop it off with a quick jerk. Then do to epsom salts, betadine/chlorhex or whatever your favorite antiseptic is.

If it is too tightly attached to remove it yourself...then yes you need to bite the bullet and take him to the vet. Worst case scenario - gets infected and abscesses, infection gets into the joint and surrounding bone, which leads to amputation of the toe. Been there done that...

[giacomo]

My opinion would also be to keep it as clean as possible and watch it closely for a couple of days.
I'm new here and I definitely am not trying to cause trouble on my first night, but I would NOT do what Pyrenees described. I am under the impression that an injured nail can be very painful for a dog, and the majority of the inside of a nail is alive and part of the dog, like a little finger, I think it's called the "quick"....so I don't think it would work like a person ripping a nail off with plyers. It's hard enough trimming a dogs' nails without cutting too far...and the bleeding doesn't stop for some time. They even sell a powder called quickstop or something to dip the nail in if it won't stop bleeding.
Again, please don't take offense Pyrenees, and let me know if you see something I don't...but it looks to me like the only problem is the flesh around the upper part of the nail, the cuticle I guess you would call it, and if the nail is damaged bad enough it will probably come off on its own?

good luck designer

[Pyrenees]

Originally Posted by giacomo

My opinion would also be to keep it as clean as possible and watch it closely for a couple of days.
I'm new here and I definitely am not trying to cause trouble on my first night, but I would NOT do what Pyrenees described. I am under the impression that an injured nail can be very painful for a dog, and the majority of the inside of a nail is alive and part of the dog, like a little finger, I think it's called the "quick"....so I don't think it would work like a person ripping a nail off with plyers. It's hard enough trimming a dogs' nails without cutting too far...and the bleeding doesn't stop for some time. They even sell a powder called quickstop or something to dip the nail in if it won't stop bleeding.
Again, please don't take offense Pyrenees, and let me know if you see something I don't...but it looks to me like the only problem is the flesh around the upper part of the nail, the cuticle I guess you would call it, and if the nail is damaged bad enough it will probably come off on its own?

good luck designer

I suppose I should have clarified I am a vet and have treated hundreds of ripped toenails...if it is minimally attached it can be popped of quite easily with minimal pain. If it is solidly attached, then get to a vet who can do it under sedation.

[giacomo]

Well it certainly helps to know you are a vet! I just noticed that I could have checked your profile for that info.
I doubt I could pull that off (no pun intended) with one of my dogs. I have a great dane that is the biggest baby I have ever seen, so I guess I'd be sitting in the vet's office.

[Laura Workman]

Why can't she just keep it protected, and if it falls off on its own, so be it, and if it stays on , so be it?

[silentcrow]

Though it's not the same, when my dog cut his pad over the summer (big deep cut), this is what I did...First I disinfected with peroxide, then rubbing alcohol. Next I put polysporin on the cut, put a gauze pad on, gently (not too tight) wrapped his foot with gauze, and covered that with vet-wrap. I did this twice a day for about a week, then once a day thereafter until it was healed. Had he shown any sign of infection, I'd have taken him to a vet. He healed well and has had no problems with it since.

[GoldenMom]

I second exactly what Pyreenes suggested (I'm a vet too). One of the main reasons to "finish the job" and take the nail off is because it is extremely painful for the dog every time that nail touches anything. It's much more humane to just get the rest of the nail off and be done with it. And make sure you soak it in the epsom salt solution like others have suggested (5-10 minutes twice daily).

[designer]

Thanks for all th help. Fox has had to go to the vet for a hanging dew claw nail clip off. He screemed so I almost fainted. So I'm so scared of going. But I called and they will see him 4:20pm Friday. I don't know how he did it. He was running in the pasture, made 3 laps and stopped at the gate like normal. But he was holding his hine leg up. He won't put weight on it, it is very sore. The part that scares me the most is the 2 white dots at the bottom of the nail. Like the buds of a small deer's head. Maybe the root of the nail? It is still very attached. He is a huge dog, 30" at the shoulder and so pittyful!

[comfortablynumb]

you have to remember dogs are like people... some of them aredrama queens when it comes to pain.

I had an old blonde greman shepard who got in a fight with a bull, and ripped a sheet of skin off her bely and chest, and had a hoof print in her face... she acted like nothing happened, got stitched up, and we cleaned her and babied her for months, and she never so much as flinched.

my sisters beagle will squeel like a stuck pig when you try to snip her toenails. sometimes, before the clipper touches her.
they dont hurt, because the VET just grabs her paw and snip snip and she doesnt make a sound... she doesnt even blink.
she wails because she has our number, is a drama queen and knows we will sooth her with cookies.

no doubt, that nail is painful. Ive had dogs whove cut their pads wide open and didnt seem to know it, and others youd think theyd taken a bullet to the spine they acted so much over it.

so yer doggy yelped, i would yelp too... no doubt. but some dogs are big babies, so dont let it eat at you.

yep i agree take it off, it will feel better and heal faster/better.

I had to cut one of my own fingernails off after I got it whacked with a sawzall once... I was brave and bold, till the numbness wore off.....

YIPE YIPE YIPE

so I feel fer the dog... let em yelp.
lol

[designer]

Update on Fox, The vet said he couldn't tell what happened but it looked like the skin was peeled up from the nail bed. The nail is very much attached and he feels it will heal fine. He wrapped it and gave him antibiotic and pain meds. I'm supposed to unwrap it Sunday night. So I hope it will be fine.

Carol