My dog's injured toenail still hurts after a week. What can I do?

Hi there. I'm sorry to hear about Tinker Bell. My pit has done this many times! If it's not getting better, she probably needs to see your vet and have them remove the infected nail quick. When the nail breaks, the quick can become infected and painful. It's best to remove this and let the nail grow back normally. I hope that helps! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Hello, I hate to hear that Harley had this happen. This can often be very painful. There is no photo attached to this post. When dogs do break their toenails, it is recommended to have them examined by the veterinarian. Some of these pets need sedation and to have the quick removed. You also need to protect from licking as this will make it worse. An Elizabethan collar worn at all times can help. I hope he starts feeling better quickly and please feel free to post any additional questions.

The first picture looks like the nail may be loose and broken, this will likely fall off and regrow if this is the case and although it would be uncomfortable as when we lose a nail ourselves, they usually heal uneventfully if infection can be avoided

It is very difficult to tell from these photos, it is possible that your dog's toe nail became slightly torn/detached from the underlying nail bed and you are seeing the separation here. We can, however, occasionally see nail bed tumors. I would recommend a visit with your vet to better examine the area. If it is a loose toenail they may need to trim it back to make it more comfortable until it grows back in normally. This can be very tough to do at home because often these guys are painful so trimming the nail back can be really difficult without skilled help!

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.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Ouch, poor Naria. If the nail is completely removed and exposing the nail bed, keep the toe as clean as possible to try to prevent infection. For my patients that have done this, I typically will place them on oral antibiotics and analgesics (pain medication) to prevent infection and keep them comfortable while the nail regrows. Some nails will not regrow normally if the nailbed was also injured. If Naria is limping on the affected paw, or the toe becomes swollen I would recommend having her seen by her veterinarian for appropriate medications to be dispensed.

Poor Beebe! Exposed quicks can be very painful and typically require bandaging for a week or so until the tissue begins to heal and a new nail begins to grow. This will happen without a bandage, but bandaging will help prevent infections. Your vet can also prescribe pain medications and antibiotics. Light sedation may be necessary to place the bandage and clean the area. I hope this helps and that Beebe gets well soon!