My springer has been holding is paw up on and off today and initially i coudn't see what the problem was but tonight i re checked as he was licking his paw non stop. Anyway he has split one of his front claws lengthways and it looks sore. He will let me look at it and i have tried to keep it together with a plaster but that was very short lived as he pulled it off.
Obviously i will take him to the vet on monday but has any one got any good ideas for keeping it clean and for protecting it??

One of my Bearded Collies is always doing this.  Hurts her like hell, because it exposes the nerve endings.

Like you, I've tried many ways of keeping it clean, but if you can manage some bandage and a plastic bag - anything really.  Last time she ended up with a humungous bag, right up to her armpit, and tied with red ribbon!!!

Hi Lorripop,

Generally, if nails are broken down to the quick (if it is?) it's best to get all the bits of the broken nail around the outside trimmed away, otherwise they can be uncomfortable and cause more licking! You've done the right thing by wrapping it initially to stop the licking, but keeping it covered all of the time can lead to it getting hot, damp and infected - especially if he has already chewed it.
If he is lame even some of the time and still trying to get to it then I would pop to the vet and get it checked if it's obviously still bothering him. They should be able to trim away any loose nail causing irritation, give it a good clean and dress it really well if necessary. As there is often quite a bit of dirt from the ground and bacteria from saliva where they have licked then these things often become infected and inflamed. In fact if you're not familiar with nail maintenance yourself I'd get to the vet to check all's well.
For now, I'd be inclined to boil up some salt water and then when it has cooled bathe the paw in it, then dry and cover for tonight (I wouldn't use plastic unless going outdoors as this will keep the wound warm& wet which is perfect for bacteria)

HTH?
Best wishes for him.
Ooops! sorry Its late and I skim read the last part of your post, appologies! I see you're going to the Vets :-)

Vets tomorrow as still limping and licking the nail. Very difficult to put anything on it as he is very tender and very wary of me touching it.
I can see the fleshy part under the nail but not too confident with it so will leave til tomorrow.

he does look sad though.

claw been removed under sedation and now he has a big bandage on his foot :-( hopefully he'll feel better soon.

I always have Cassie's removed under sedation too.  And they really bandage it well.  I use the plastic bag just for going outside, and it's particularly muddy and wet right now.

Hope it isn't a continual problem for you.  My girl is always doing it, splits lengthwise due to a deformity in the nail bed.,  Can't remember the veterinary term for it, but she takes zinc every day.

> hopefully he'll feel better soon

Aw! Glad you're all sorted though, best wishes for a speedy recovery :-)

Thought it might be pertinent to add here (as these type of topics tend to get thrown up in google searches) Many vets will testify this is a common admitted injury that is in the main avoidable (prevention being better than cure!) Usually occurring in dogs whose claws haven't been maintained and are too long, so keeping on top of clipping is a good idea.
(Not saying this was the problem in your case Lorripop, as I don't know the circumstances, Just thought it pertinent to mention on this topic :-) )

Our old boy did this years ago and we had to have the claw removed and he had a lovely bandage on his foot, took a photo of him as he felt so sorry for himself and its such a funny photo. He was right as rain as soon as it healed..

Best of luck x