My dog's dew claw is bleeding & broken. Should I take her to the vet?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This can be quite painful. I recommend you have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They can consider removing the dew claw to take the source of pain away or it can be treated with pain medications and antibiotics for instance. In the meantime, keep him from being able to reach it as he will likely want to lick or chew at it which can make it a lot worse. You may use an e-collar for that purpose. Good luck!

Hello, and thanks for your question on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Poor Harley! Torn toe nails (including dew claws) are common injuries, and thankfully are not medical emergencies so she should be ok until morning. If you can see a nail that appears broken, sometimes soaking in an epsom salt bath for 5-10 minutes twice daily can a bit. You can either soak the affected paw in a little bucket of epsom water, or you can fill the tub 2-3 inches and have her stand in it. However, if any of this causes her stress or she resists it, then I wouldn't push it - she could get more hurt if she's struggling against you. Otherwise, I recommend keeping her on level ground when she needs to go outside, so she's not accidentally bending that nail, and keep her as quiet as possible until she can be seen by your vet. I do NOT recommend giving her anything for pain. None of our human medications are going to be safe or effective, and anything you give her could interfere with a better medication that your vet may want to prescribe. Hope this helps!

You should take her to the vet as the broken piece may need to be removed. The vet can also prescribe an antibiotic to prevent infection and pain medication to help manage the discomfort. Soaking her paw in a warm Epsom Salt solution might also help.

Hello. This is such a common injury in dogs. Veterinarians deal with this by cutting the nail at the break & then applying an antibiotic cream mixed with a little lidocaine to stop the pain. The foot stays bandaged for a couple of days until the sensitive tissue starts to heal. From here, the nail will begin to grow out & Jack will be back to his old self. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello, thank you for using PetCoach. So sorry this happened to Frank. If it is not causing him any issues and it is not bleeding then you don't really need to take him to the vet. If he starts limping or the toe becomes swollen, etc then you will need to get him to a vet at that time. I recommend you get this spray wound gel to apply to it (link below, use as directed). I would not do any vigorous cleaning as you may disrupt any blood clots that will then cause it to bleed. ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/vetericyn-plus-antimicrobial-wound-and-skin-hydrogel-for-pets ) Also, if he begins to lick it, you will need to get him a cone collar to wear. If he licks it too much it may get infected. We do not want him to lick the wound gel off either as that will defeat the purpose of using it. ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/well-and-good-recovery-cone-collar-large-1225-21-3498991 ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.

The new claw is probably the cuticle which is inside the nail. This is quite painful. I would trim the toenail where it’s broken. If it’s at the cuticle it may bleed. Have styptic powder to put on the cuticle to stop the bleeding. The nail will grow fine afterwards. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Pecas.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Ouch! Poor Marcel! I would take Marcel to the Vet. If he is otherwise ok, you can wait until the Vet opens. He needs that nail trimmed all the way back, otherwise it is a source of pain. If the toe is swollen the Vet may also provide antibiotics and pain medications for a few days. If he is licking the paw, which is common, try to get an E-collar to stop the licking. He may have to continue to wear it until the tow swelling has improved. Ultimately Marcel will be fine! I hope this helps and I wish Marcel a speedy recovery!