My dog's toenail quick is exposed and raw. Does it need surgery?

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!

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.

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!

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!

Hello. If Rosie is at all uncomfortable on the foot, constantly licking the toe, or unwilling to walk on the leg, she probably should see her veterinarian tomorrow. The toe needs to be protected, possibly with an antibiotic soaked wrap until the quick dies a bit. It will take a couple of weeks for a new nail to grow out, but if the sensitive quick can be protected, she will be much more comfortable. I do hope you can have her seen soon & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi, provided the quick does not get infected, the nail will gradually grow back. I think just cleaning it and making sure it does not get infected will be enough. If you should notice any oozing or swelling/inflammation of the area, it could mean that the nail bed is getting infected and it is best to have Jaxon checked over. Also try to prevent Jaxon licking the wound. Hope this helps !

Poor Russell. He definitely avulsed his nail. The remaining quick should not be removed and as long as it is not bleeding, it should not pose too much risk. The unfortunate thing is that these are very uncomfortable and can lead to limping as the quick contains lots of sensitive nerves. I would limit his activity for several days and do not allow him to lick it. It will slowly start to dry out and the nail may regrow. There's potential that the nail may not grow normally and will require more frequent cutting.