My dog's nail is torn, but the top half is still attached. Should it be removed?

Poor Ranger! Continue to keep the area clean but i would recommend holding off for 12hours before any steps to remove as it may fall or he may take it off! If nearly off, twisting 5-10times may cause it to fall if not too painful or securely attached, otherwise i recommend a vet visit for numbing or sedation and removal by your vet. Do not attempt any manual removal without a safe and secure muzzle

It definitely appears to be torn at the fleshy part of the nail. These can sometimes be easily removed. You can try this at home if you are comfortable, but should be prepared for a lot of bleeding. Before you attempt that, I recommend you read the article at the link below. "https://undefinedvcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/first-aid-for-broken-nails-in-dogs" It's good to keep it clean and keep it covered for now. You can keep it clean by flushing the foot with cool water for 10 minutes a day. You can also do a footbath with epsom salts for 15 minutes once a day.  I hope that helps and Blue gets better soon.

Without a photo it's hard to say, but if you've trimmed back as much as possible, I would just continue to keep it clean and monitor it, and then trim the piece off once the nail has regrown enough. Signs to look out for that mean you should bring Sinatra to the vet include pain or swelling of the nail bed, oozing debris or pus, excessive licking, and limping.

Poor Paddt! Sometimes these nails need to be removed behind the break. It's hard to give you the best advice without being able to examined the nail. I recommend to have Paddt examined by the veterinarian. He should also be wearing an elizabethan collar at all times to prevent any licking since this could make the nail infected. The area should be kept clean and dry and the exercise should be severely restricted until the nail is healed (no walks, running or jumping). I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Yes, it will probably heal on it's own but you must stop him from licking at it. I suggest you use an E-collar and apply this wound spray to the affected nail area until it heals. The top portion of the nail may fall off as it looks like it is separated from the nail bed. Remember, the cone collar must be long enough to go past the end of his nose or he will still be able to lick so be sure to buy the correct size. ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/well-and-good-e-collar ) ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/vetericyn-plus-wound-and-skin-care-for-dogs )

Hi, I think the old nail should be removed. It would also be great if we could prevent Marley from licking the area as this can cause inflammation and infection. I know this is tricky given Marley’s breed ! Another thing you could do is bathe Marley’s paw in diluted Chlorexidine twice a day, dilution is normally 1:10 (i.e. one part of chlorexidine to 10 of water ) but even to make a very diluted pink solution will do and dry up with a clean cotton cloth afterwards. Hope this helps !

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!