My dog's nail is torn, bleeding, and he's limping. What to do?

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.

Hello, I'd recommend taking Cali to her veterinarian. Limping is a sign of pain, as well as excessive chewing. They will likely want to x-ray her leg and look for signs of infection, a tumor, or another cause for her to be in pain. I hope this is helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! While it is hard to say exactly what is going on without seeing a photo, it is possible that Devon somehow broke his nails. The blood you are seeing may be due to the quick, or the small blood vessel that runs through each nail being exposed. This is pretty painful and can be why Devon is constantly licking. I recommend getting him an E-collar or “cone” to prevent him from licking and causing further trauma and having him seen by a vet who may prescribe pain medication. I hope this helps!

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. The nail has indeed split & what you are seeing is the fleshy quick of the nail. My remedy is to snip off the hanging part of the nail & bandage the foot for a few days to protect the sensitive quick until it begins to heal. Your veterinarian can do this quickly & efficiently & Tiny will feeling much better soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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 recommend booking an appointment with a veterinarian to have Lexie’s nail evaluated, as it is likely causing her pain, as indicated by the limping. Pain medications meant for humans can be very dangerous (and even deadly) for dogs, so I do not recommend giving any to your pup without consulting with your vet. Your veterinarian can prescribe safe medication to help with the pain, and can clean and treat the injury to help reduce the risk of infection. In the meantime, I recommend putting an e-collar (cone) on Lexie to help prevent her from licking her paw an reduce the risk of infection. I hope Lexie feels better soon!