My dog's broken nail is still attached and he's limping. What to do?

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!

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Devon. Poor boy! Limping means he is in pain, and the fact that he bites you when you try to touch it means he's really hurt. I would take him into a vet now. The vet can sedate him, and can remove the rest of the nail safely. He will also need pain medications and antibiotics, which the vet can prescribe. I recommend taking him into a vet immediately. I hope this helps!

Please don't give any over-the-counter pain medications; they can be toxic to dogs at even low doses and giving them will confound your vet's ability to treat the pain with appropriate medications. The reality is that most of these nail injuries end up getting infected, and even if there's no infection they are exquisitely painful. You can compare it to losing your fingernail completely, but then having to walk on the uncovered cuticle. Patch likely needs to have the area numbed and the remaining nail pulled, then have a very soft/cushioning bandage placed, followed by antibiotics and pain medication. Please take him in to see his vet as soon as you can for this.

If it's not bleeding it may not have injured the quick but I can't tell from the photo. The broken part of the nail needs to be removed and of the break is behind the quick, Loki needs to be sedated and clip behind the break (which is painful so they get sedated). Since you are unable to tell how severe the break is, I recommend to have Loki examined first thing tomorrow morning. Here is a helpful link: https://www.petcoach.co/article/bleeding-torn-toe-nails-in-dogs-puppies/ Tonight have Loki wear an elizabethan collar so he does not lick at it. Restrict the activity today and do not allow him to climb up and down on the couch. He should only be outside on a leash. Tomorrow the vet will access how significant the break is and will remove the broken part of the nail. I hope this helps.

That one will likely need to be clipped past the split to alleviate the pressure and pain. Because doing that can be painful and typically requires a bandage for the bleeding, your vet needs to do it so they can use sedation to control the pain! If it is not bleeding you can wait until the morning for your vet to open

It sounds like he broke his dewclaw - most of the time the nail will need to be removed so it won't cause chronic irritation or infection. If you're unable to pull it off at home because he is too painful or because it is still attached you will need to see your veterinarian. Sometimes sedation is required if the nail is not completely broken and the nail is clipped very close to the base. If Otis seems comfortable and the nail is not bleeding this is not necessarily an emergency - you could wait until your vet is open and make an appointment. You should keep him from licking the area until then and he may need to wear an e-collar.

If that nail doesn't look broken, it's likely that he pulled at the ligaments and they are sore, but that he won't loose the nail. If he continues to limp tomorrow, I'd recommend a check up for x-rays because it may have damaged other toes at the same time, or may just need a little pain medicine to get him through a minor hurt.