My dog broke his nail, quick exposed. Can I leave the attached piece?

If there is still some torn nail hanging loose I would try to trim off as much as possible to avoid it snagging on more things, or once it's grown out enough trim it back to its normal length again. If you can't do that yourself, or Rocky seems painful/bothered by it, having your vet take a look and trimming the nail back is a good idea. In the meantime, I would definitely keep up with what you're currently doing by keeping it clean and dry, and keeping Rocky from licking it!

The nail does not look infected and, even though looks broken, it can be left there as it is as new one will grow and push it forward. Part of the nail bed may be partially exposed, but not at the point where it can bleed or require any intervention. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Ouch, poor Rupert! The quick itself should be left alone, but it appears in the picture that there is a long skinny piece of tissue or retained nail on the inner aspect of the quick. If that's the case, it will need to be trimmed back. If you're comfortable taking care of this yourself, you can trim that part back with a dog nail clippers (make sure you are comfortable with what you're doing and know what should and should not be trimmed - do NOT trim the quick itself as that would be very painfu for Rupert!). You can apply a gob of neosporin over the quick, and it may be helpful to cover that area with a clean sock for a few days, as the quick will be very tender, and will bleed easily. If you're not confident to do this yourself, bring Rupert in to the vet and they'll trim back any remaining nail tissue, and will likely apply medicated ointment and place a soft bandage. Monitor Rupert's nail bed over the coming week or two and make sure it is not getting red, swollen, or having discharge, which would indicate a nail bed infection requiring a vet visit and antibiotics. Hope this helps and thank you 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.

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.

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.

Gently wash the area with warm water and antiseptic soap. Keep it clean and dry, and monitor for signs of infection. If you do see infection (redness, swelling, warmth to the touch, pus), then have Snuggle seen by a vet.