toe nail

[beddlington/greyhound 50]

Hi all,

 

i have a 5 month old lurcher which has one of his middle toe nails hanging off.the firt time it happened he was 4 months old the end of the toe nail come away from the base but it healed up now its happened again the nail has come away and is pointing to the side of his foot. its weird because it does seem to be bothering him to as he was running around like mad then got home and he seem to be walking ok on it. the nail looks hollow.

 

will this effect his running if he has it removed???????????

 

cheers justin

[littlefish 598]

Has this happened just recently? That looks like it is hanging by a thread and ready to come away. My bitch lost one of hers about 6 months ago, in the end she just nibbled it off herself within a few hours. The nail never grew back to its full length but she is ok and sound.

[skycat 6,174]

That needs to come off asap: it would doubtless get ripped off when the dog runs sometime, but there is a risk of infection if you leave it on. If it's only hanging on by a bit of dead skin or a flake of nail then take it off yourself with a sharp twist BUT it does look more as though the whole nail has been wrenched sideways badly and is still well attached at the root.

 

Please don't just leave it there but get someone who knows (preferably a vet) to have a look at it. Keeping a dog's claws trimmed short will help to stop the same thing happening in the future but sometimes you just get freak accidents.

[beddlington/greyhound 50]

That needs to come off asap: it would doubtless get ripped off when the dog runs sometime, but there is a risk of infection if you leave it on. If it's only hanging on by a bit of dead skin or a flake of nail then take it off yourself with a sharp twist BUT it does look more as though the whole nail has been wrenched sideways badly and is still well attached at the root.

 

Please don't just leave it there but get someone who knows (preferably a vet) to have a look at it. Keeping a dog's claws trimmed short will help to stop the same thing happening in the future but sometimes you just get freak accidents.

thanks penny. this happened yesterday so will be getting him to the vet monday. it happened a month ago but not like this it just lifted up of the skin then seem to be ok after a few days but this time it has gone like this.

 

if it comes off will it effect his running????

[beddlington/greyhound 50]

Has this happened just recently? That looks like it is hanging by a thread and ready to come away. My bitch lost one of hers about 6 months ago, in the end she just nibbled it off herself within a few hours. The nail never grew back to its full length but she is ok and sound.

yes it happened yesterday. its not actually hanging off its still well attached just the nail has lifted and split a little from one side. i think its a job for the vet.

[Guest AngelicAcid]

Like SC said get it off, it could completely ruin the dog.

[poacherkev 64]

I had a greyhound bitch years ago that had a nail the same as this and it kept growing then spliting and every time i worked her it would end up hanging off in the end the vet said she would just remove the nail from the toe so the bitch still had good balance on her feet.

After she removed the nail she said she had a good look at it to see why it kept spliting and she said it was split as far back at the root so when a new nail grows it should be ok. After about 3mts a new nail did grow and it was much better but i always kept it very short at about 5mm long and she never had a problem again. i hope this helps you

kev

[Guest AngelicAcid]

Is the bone twisted as well?

[beddlington/greyhound 50]

Is the bone twisted as well?

no its just the nail. the nail has just come away from the bone.he is going to the vet to get sorted monday.thanks

[skycat 6,174]

Even if the claw doesn't grow back it won't be a problem as the dog has 3 other claws to grip with: just make sure to allow it plenty of time to heal once the vet takes it off: a month is not too long as the skin needs to grow and cover where the claw was, that is if it doesn't grow back. You'll see soon enough if the claw does start growing and once it has grown even a little bit you can run the dog again no problem

[beddlington/greyhound 50]

Even if the claw doesn't grow back it won't be a problem as the dog has 3 other claws to grip with: just make sure to allow it plenty of time to heal once the vet takes it off: a month is not too long as the skin needs to grow and cover where the claw was, that is if it doesn't grow back. You'll see soon enough if the claw does start growing and once it has grown even a little bit you can run the dog again no problem

thanks penny you are always helpful to me when i got problems i appreciate your help.this is not the first time you have replied to my post and im sure it wont be the last.lol thanks

 

merry christmas

 

justin

[beddlington/greyhound 50]

just come back off a walk and now the nail has come off.what do you think i should do still take him to the vet? or see how it goes keep it clean with some antiseptic wash (hibiscrub).it doesnt look like its bothering him.

[littlefish 598]

When it happened to mine, I kept it in the house for a few days to keep it clean and dry while the skin in the nail area hardened up and dried out. The bitch kept it clean herself - you know what it's like, you can't stop them licking at it. Just had a wee check there, there is now a wee hard stumpy nail now, not much beyond the toe. I think mine damaged hers jumping out of the car which she jumps out of every day in life - just one of those things!