My dog's broken nail exposes nerves; what if he won't let me touch it?

By your description, your dog may have a partially [broken nail](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/broken-nails/) which can be a bit painful. You can take him to your veterinary office and ask them to cut the nail back to promote normal growth, or you can monitor the toe and see if the nail grows out naturally. Just watch for any signs of infection (redness, swelling, discharge) in the toe. Do not allow your dog to lick or chew at it. An e-collar (cone) can be placed on him until he has healed.

Without a photo it's hard to say, but if you've trimmed back as much as possible, I would just continue to keep it clean and monitor it, and then trim the piece off once the nail has regrown enough. Signs to look out for that mean you should bring Sinatra to the vet include pain or swelling of the nail bed, oozing debris or pus, excessive licking, and limping.

That is what is known as the quik of the nail. It the sensitive portion that contains the nerves and blood supply. The nail have been broken and the protective shell has been separated from the quik. It is painful and can bleed a lot. Typically they have to be sedated and have the quick trimmed back so it will not be exposed further and be painful to allow the nail to regrow.

Nothing needs to be done at this time. If the nail isn't bleeding, it may have simply been an old injury that previously damaged the nail, which continued to grow out, and finally broke off. You can try to gently trim or file any loose or sharp points. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

One of our biggest concerns with a broken nail where the quick is exposed is that the dog will infect the area by licking it. In order to prevent that, I will sometimes recommend an e-collar or a having the dog wear a bootie to prevent licking. Some owners decide to bandage the area, but you have to be very careful to keep the bandage clean and dry or it will worsen an infection. If a dog has already licked a quick, I will usually recommend soaking the foot in Epsom Salts (following the instructions on the box for making it up) for 5 minutes then just drying it well. Some dogs are so painful that they will not leave a quick alone and will require pain medications. If at any time the quick is red or has a discharge or odor, then it might be infected and your veterinarian should examine it. The nail should regrow normally and should not need further treatment after that. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and that Sunny heals quickly. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi, provided the quick does not get infected, the nail will gradually grow back. I think just cleaning it and making sure it does not get infected will be enough. If you should notice any oozing or swelling/inflammation of the area, it could mean that the nail bed is getting infected and it is best to have Jaxon checked over. Also try to prevent Jaxon licking the wound. Hope this helps !

The nail is almost completely broken, it's barely hanging there, you should be able to easily cut it off with a nail clippers, i'm pretty sure it is not going to be painful and won't be bleeding either.