Just went to trim Baliey's claws and seen that he has ripped his dew claw. The nail has completely come away from the quick but not completely come off if you know what I mean, it's quite sore because he squealed when I tried to touch it and theres fresh blood so he must have done it today when we was out.

So just wondering really whether its a trip to the vets or will it fall off on its own?

Kind regards

Karly

If he were mine I'd get him to the vet first thing in the morning.  This type of injury can be extremely painful and infection quite likely.

Do you have dog painkillers in the house?  I'd give Metacam (as I always have it in) and I'd suggest you stay with him overnight and use a collar to stop him licking or chewing at his paw.  Don't feed him breakfast before you've phoned the vet just in case they want to give him a sedative.

It'll be an easy one for the vet to sort out so he'll soon be more comfortable :)

this happened to one of mine a while ago ... nail was hanging by a thread so vet got my OH to hold her and he whipped it off quick rather than give a sedation but he did say if it had still been connected he would have had to give a sedative , he then gave an antibiotic ,a pain killer and the new nail came through within a short time.We just had to keep the wound clean bathing with hibiscrub and making sure she didnt lick it.
Agree you should really go to the vet soon as it is really painful for the dog.

Thanks for the speedy reply :) Looks like a trip to the vets tomorrow then, thought this would be the case but he doesnt react well to sedation so just wanted to see if it could be avoided if at all possible.

He sleeps with me anyway and we still have a comfy collar from one of his ops last year so he can wear that tonight though he won't be pleased lol. :)

And he is on previcox for his arthritis, will this give enough pain relief for the dew claw?

Karly

Thanks Starryeyes , think it will be a sedation because it still seems to be connected and he keeps moving his paw if it touches his other while his asleep so must be very painful.

He has done this a couple of times now and I always get him straight to the vet for the slightest little thing but my ex kept telling me I was to ott with always rushing to the vets with the dogs so I suppose I was doubting myself lol.One of the reasons he is now an ex because he doesn't care about the dogs the same way I do :)

And I have hibiscrub so I'll mix some of that up now and apply it.

Thanks again

Karly

ETA I also have Rimadyl can this be given with previcox?

> And I have hibiscrub so I mix some of that up now and apply it.

I love Hibiscrub BUT at this stage I'd be careful not to mess with his nail too much, and you don't want to set it off bleeding again.  If you feel the wound does need washing then dilute the Hibiscrub with water and spray it on - otherwise leave well alone for now.

The painkiller might be helping a bit but not doing a great job if contact is waking him up.  If he'll let you, just pop a small cushion (or rolled up towel) between his legs to try and prevent the nail catching in his sleep.

Poor love - it's off to the vet at dawn :)  Let us know how you get on

Caught me just in time regarding the Hibiscrub lol I have diluted it 1 part hibiscrub to 5 parts water, was going to dab it on but like your idea of spraying it on much better thank you.

And the rolled up towel is a brilliant idea too thank you. He'll let me do anything to him bless him he's a very good boy. Been through the wars a lot in his short 5 years, his nickname is Ferrari because if I didn't have him I could have easily afforded a Ferrari lol wouldn't change him for the world though :)

I will keep you posted on how things go

Again thank you so much :)

The nerve endings will be screaming, and I wouldn't want hibiscrub on it if it was me!  Even with sedation, once removed, it will take a little while for it to harden off enough for comfort.  I normally put a dressing on after a claw has been ripped off, just for a bit of protection.

>I have diluted it 1 part hibiscrub to 5 parts water

No, that's much too strong for bathing something like this - you want the water to be only faintly pink, so dilute 1 part Hibi to about 50 parts water! Hibiscrub stings in open wounds!

Alternatively dissolve a teaspoon of salt in a pint of water for keeping it clean.

Our old lab used to rip her dewclaws like this; they were the only times she ever cried in pain. Every time she moved it seemed to catch on something and hurt her, so go very gently with it today. The vet will probably be able to quickly pull it off without sedative being needed.