# Broken nail/quick exposed



## SoulDogs (Aug 14, 2014)

So I've never had this happen before with either dog... my female somehow ripped one of her toe nails off, well the majority of it, I'm assuming I am seeing the quick with a bit of her solid nail on top. It is reddish pink on bottom. Thing is... I have no idea when it happened and there is no blood anywhere and it is currently not bleeding either. I always thought that would be a bit of a bloodbath! But I guess not? It is "weeping" a bit... I am not sure if that is the right word, but it gets a little sticky pink that I've wiped off twice in the last few hours. But definitely not anywhere near gushing. I've trimmed the hair around that toe so it doesn't stick to it. What else can I do? I've poked a little around the internet for suggestions and get mixed answers... some say to put triple antibiotic ointment directly on it and put a sock over it, and others say if the quick is exposed to NOT put any ointment on it... so... which is it?! And should I buy some of that styptic stuff, or since it's not bleeding should I not get that? I don't want to make it worse. 

What sucks is my vet refuses to give advice over the phone without seeing the animal. I mean, I guess I understand why in some regards... but it seems that a lot of people are able to call and ask their vets questions about such matters and I wish I could. I didn't find this out until several months ago when I called asking a question about my other dog. Sigh. 

Anywho... what do I do. Obviously watch for any signs of infection in which she would need to get into the vet. But otherwise, do I put antibiotic ointment on it? Styptic powder on it? COMPLETELY leave it alone? Stores open in a couple hours so trying to come up with my game plan.


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## DaveS (Feb 26, 2014)

Our vet had us use an over the counter product called 'New Skin' from the drugstore. It forms a hard shell to prevent irritation and infection. The first application will sting but after that the quick is already covered so no more sting. The first day we put three coats on before taking him for a walk (no more limping). We walk mostly walk on pavement so we would add a coat and let it dry for a few minutes before each walk. It took a few weeks but the nail grew back just fine.


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## Effisia (Jun 20, 2013)

We JUST went to the vet for this two days ago. Annabel caught her toe on her crate and dragged the whole 70pound thing across the room. Needless to say... broken nail. Looked really nasty, too, with the quick. So when we went to the vet, here's what she told us.

If the nail is loose and just hanging off, they usually just take the whole nail off and let it grow back naturally. If the nail is still pretty well stuck on there (it was for Annabel), then they trim it back as short as they can, and eventually the new nail will grow back and the short stub will fall off. However, I don't advise doing this yourself, though. The vet sprayed her foot with numbing spray and she still yelped and struggled in pain. Plus, there's the possibility that it will really start bleeding when they cut it back, though I guess you could use a styptic stick for that.

Our vet didn't notice any sign of infection on our pup, so she's not currently on antibiotics, and with the nail trimmed back, the pain is way less because there's less pressure being pushed onto the exposed quick, so she's not on pain meds either. We're supposed to watch it carefully to make sure it doesn't get infected. She has to wear a bootie when she goes outside to keep dirt, mud, and gross water from getting onto the exposed nail bed. When she doesn't have the bootie on, she's supposed to wear a cone of shame IF she's licking too much. We're supposed to keep her from licking so she doesn't irritate the tissue.

However, we're not supposed to just keep the bootie on all the time because that can create a moist, dark environment perfect for bacteria to grow. So basically, watch it, keep it from getting dirty, keep the pup from licking... that was about it. No creams or anything else.


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## Hector4 (Sep 16, 2013)

http://legendaryteri.wordpress.com/2012/09/10/caring-for-minor-dog-injuries-split-nails/


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## SoulDogs (Aug 14, 2014)

DaveS said:


> Our vet had us use an over the counter product called 'New Skin' from the drugstore. It forms a hard shell to prevent irritation and infection. The first application will sting but after that the quick is already covered so no more sting. The first day we put three coats on before taking him for a walk (no more limping). We walk mostly walk on pavement so we would add a coat and let it dry for a few minutes before each walk. It took a few weeks but the nail grew back just fine.





Effisia said:


> We JUST went to the vet for this two days ago. Annabel caught her toe on her crate and dragged the whole 70pound thing across the room. Needless to say... broken nail. Looked really nasty, too, with the quick. So when we went to the vet, here's what she told us.
> 
> If the nail is loose and just hanging off, they usually just take the whole nail off and let it grow back naturally. If the nail is still pretty well stuck on there (it was for Annabel), then they trim it back as short as they can, and eventually the new nail will grow back and the short stub will fall off. However, I don't advise doing this yourself, though. The vet sprayed her foot with numbing spray and she still yelped and struggled in pain. Plus, there's the possibility that it will really start bleeding when they cut it back, though I guess you could use a styptic stick for that.
> 
> ...


how long would you both say it took for the nail to grow back? It's been about a week since it happened, and thankfully no signs of infection and it's no longer "weeping." I wrap an ace bandage around it when she goes out to the bathroom to protect from the dirt and then remove it otherwise when she's inside. Should I continue to do this until the nail has fully grown back enough to cover the quick again? Will it take a month? Longer, shorter? And also should I be concerned about hair getting stuck in it as the nail grows back? She has somewhat fluffy long hair between her toes, and like I said in the OP I trimmed them back the day it happened, and when I examine it every day I move back any hair that moved over it but I wouldn't be able to see if any single hair is stuck on it... didn't know if that would cause problems if a few hairs were encased in the nail as it grew back. Or maybe I'm being overally paranoid. Anyways, thank you all for your suggestions, it's turned out to be not as catastrophic as I originally thought thankfully!


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