Dog toenail injury, no bleeding, on meds. Should I take him to vet?

Poor guy. His toenail has been injured, exposing the nail nerve. This entire paw should be soaked in Chlorhexidine solution 3% diluted with water until light blue mixture for 5-10 minutes once a day. Then you should get him on oral antibiotics and pain medication prescribed by your veterinarian. Please do not give him over the counter people pain medicine as these can be quite toxic to pets liver and kidneys. The nail may also need to be bandaged for a few days, until it heals a bit more, especially if he is limping on it. : ( The bloody urine should be seen immediately by your vet as well. This can indicate urinary stones, a UTI or even bladder cancer if your pet is older. I am sorry we cannot contact you by your personal phone number due to the privacy stipulations for experts on the site. However, its best to get Johny seen by your vet in person, so that you can go over everything in full detail. I hope that Johny's foot heals soon and that you get to the bottom of his bloody urine issue. Best wishes and take care!

I think it would be best if you take him to the vet for a wound clean-up, and exam whether there is more than just a stripped nail. Your veterinarian will likely want to bandage the paw and give your dog pain medicine and an antibiotic so that the bacteria in that area cannot cause an infection.

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.

That definitely sounds pretty painful for Brutis. If you are saying that his entire nail came off, this should probably be assessed. It will be important to make sure that there are no shards left so that it can grow back in properly. Additionally, the veterinarian will be able to provide you with some pain medication and anti inflammatory medication to provide him. Depending on his lifestyle, an antibiotic to prevent secondary infection could also be indicated. If the area is pretty clean right now and it is unlikely to become very dirty, you can try covering it or wrapping the area to prevent it from becoming soiled. At the vet it might also be useful to take an x-ray of the foot to make sure no bones were broken during the event. Hope this helps!

I think as long as you schedule a visit on Monday Bertie should be okay. I'd recommend getting a E-collar to prevent Bertie from licking the nail as this may result in infection. You can also soak the foot in a diluted chlorohexidine or diluted iodine solution and then rinse thoroughly. If Bertie stops eating, acts lethargic, starts limping, or is obsessively trying to lick the nail then it would be better to get him to a veterinarian sooner. If he remains otherwise normal I think you are okay in waiting until Monday. Torn nails can be pretty painful, but please remember there are no safe over the counter pain medications for dogs so you will need a prescription from a vet for pain meds. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and I hope Bertie's issue resolves quickly!

Aw, I bet that stings for sure! If the nails were pulled completely and cleanly, they aren't likely to become heavily infected. If there are remnants left behind, they rest needs to be dealt with by a veterinarian so they can grown back in properly. As for the chunk of tissue missing, this has a much higher likelihood for complications from infection. Since I can not see it, I can't say whether or not it needs to be assessed, closed, sutured, stapled etc. You may want to have someone take a look at it. If not, make sure to flush the area with some chlorhexidine solution, keep it clean as possible, make sure that Teddy can't lick the area (use an e-collar), and possibly apply topical antimicrobial ointment. Teddy would likely benefit from some pain medication and antibiotics, but a vet visit would definitely be required to obtain those. Hope this is helpful!

I would keep an eye on the area for now given that Hercules is not showing any signs of discomfort when walking and there is only a bit of bleeding. It may be there was a bit of trauma to the nail when he fell but not serious enough to require a vet visit. Should he start limping on that leg, licking that paw a lot, the paw continues to bleed, the paw becomes swollen, red, and/or warm to the touch, the nail becomes cracked in half, he becomes lethargic, or has a loss of appetite, then he will need to see a vet. I hope this helps!