# broken toenail



## emilycn (Jul 30, 2013)

Goodness gracious! just discovered that this mangled toenail on Lua's front paw... it doesn't seem to bother her, and it doesn't appear to be bleeding, but I've never seen anything like it. Have any of you encountered a similar issue? What did you do about it?


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## dextersmom (Oct 29, 2013)

Dexter did that once (there's a thread on here somewhere) - though his didn't go all the way up to the nail bed. I would for sure visit the vet for some antibiotics so it doesn't get infected. With Dexter, we cleaned it and clipped what we could off (so it didn't snag further) but I'm not sure you could do that with hers. We still exercised him, just with a boot on (since it didn't bother him) and kept it super clean. I know sometimes vets want to put them under and remove the whole nail but Dexter's wasn't that bad. His grew out fine on its own in a few weeks. It might be a different scenario if it's split all the way up though.


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## dextersmom (Oct 29, 2013)

If I remember right, Dexter's split about halfway up, but one side of the nail had already ripped off. So half his quick on the outside was completely exposed.


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## Bob Engelhardt (Feb 14, 2012)

One of ours had that - just once I think. It bled quite a bit, which is what got our attention. There was no way that he was going to let us clip off the jagged part, so we just cleaned it with irrigation & put some antibiotic grease on it. Didn't bother him & it healed right off.

Bob


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## sfapsey (Jan 9, 2015)

Our Penny has the exact same thing now. We took her to the vet and got antibiotics yesterday. We also have to soak it twice a day. We still take her out for runs as she seems ok. The vet said they would have to put her under to remove it but we passed and will keep an eye on it.


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## riley455 (Aug 27, 2011)

Tala had it much worse, nail completely ripped off. I just cleaned it with water and put neosporin. It's now healed and nail growing back.


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## ajcoholic (Feb 11, 2015)

Both my Shepherd and Vizsla had broken nails more than once.

Since I am a woodworker by trade, I use a lot of CA (basically industrial crazy glue) glue in my shop. The thin viscosity stuff is great for repairing nails - I use it on myself all the time for splits in my nails and skin. My wife is an ER doctor, and they have a similar product, albeit medical grade, that they use in the emergency room instead of stitches, for smaller cuts. I actually use dit on my 4 year old's forehead when he cut his head open hitting the coffee table.

When I used it on my dogs nails and pads (for small cuts) I would very carfeully drop a little of the adhesive on the split - careful to avoid getting too much on, and stay away from the hair. The glue hardens clear and hard very quickly, making the nail as strong as before splitting.

One thing, you dont want to close in any dirt or gunk, so clean it first. Also, if its infected it is best to just bandage and use some antibiotic ointment.

My vet(s) said no prob for what I am suggesting, they also have a similar product to what my wife uses in the people hospital.

Easiest place to purchase it is a hobby shop. Its cyanoacrylate glue, but commonly sold as CA. DONT get it on your hands, or you'l glue your fingers to whatever you touch. The thin stuff is water consistancy.

I actually glued a few splits in my hands an hour ago (my hands dry out like made in the winter and crack).


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