Dog's dew claw hanging but no pain. How to treat it at home?

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!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Max! if you are referring the the "thumb" nail that is the dew claw. If they tear or break that nail, the treatment is to cut it back to the pink vein or quick. If the nail has already been torn off to the pink vein and there isn't any residual nail hanging off then bandaging it for 3-5 days should be enough. Sometimes we do prescribe oral antibiotics and pain medications. The nail will grow back, which is a slow process. If there is still nail hanging on then it should be cut back as that is a constant source of pain. I wish Max the best!

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.

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!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This appears to be a simple torn nail. Even though this looks really scary, it’s not usually a big deal. Gently clean the area with diluted iodine or plain warm water. If you have nail clippers, clip that nail as short as you feel comfortable doing. If the nail is dangling, sometimes it will come right off, leaving that red inner hub. If there is bleeding, just apply pressure with a clean cloth until it stops. If Izzy is licking it, put her in an E-collar 24 hours a day for about 3 days. And that’s it. As long as you keep it clean, most simple torn nails will grow in on their own within a month. If anything looks odd, it’s not healing, it’s smelly, or anything concerns you, it’s time to see the vet. Hope this helps and best of luck to you and Izzy!

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If the dew claw has been pulled off from the nail bed, the nail will eventually fall off and a new nail may grow back. Declaws often get caught easily and injuries to decllaws are common so it is recommended they be removed to prevent this from happening. If the claw is not healing well or frequently becomes infected, the declaw can be surgically removed.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There is unfortunately nothing you can give for pain that is over the counter. What you can do though that may help prevent further injury and pain is to keep her as quiet as possible and to try to keep her from licking at it until the appointment as that in itself can help with pain. Other than that, your veterinarian will do the rest tomorrow. Have a good night! Hoping for a speedy recovery!