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My dog's nail is broken and detached. What should I do now?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | American Pit Bull Terrier | Female | unspayed | 67 lbs

My pit bull broke her pinky nail while outside. It is pretty bad, the whole nail seems to have come up and back off of the quick, like a "shell". It is still attached but sticking out 90 degrees to the side, snagging on things and making walking hard. How should I bandage this? It's not bleeding anymore. Should I try to remove/cut/pull the broken piece of nail off? I also read that I could use superglue to put it back straight and then tape it up? This is causing her a lot of pain, thank you.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on February 2nd, 2020

Poor Ruby. These can be really painful to dogs. This will have to be cut off, but I would not do it yourself because of the pain. Wrap a bandage around her paw to protect and cover it, then have her seen by a vet in the morning to have it treated. Cover the whole paw with the bandage. She may need to be sedated to have it removed, so don't feed her in the morning. I hope this helps!

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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