Nail Seems To Be Separating?

[Guest RosieFT]

Rosie has been limping on and off the past few days, each time i was going to ring the vet, she went sound again. Anyway, have found the source of the problem, it appears one of her nails on her front foot is separating. The outer nail is lifted off from the inner bit (is this the quick?). Also a very thin sliver has split off vertically, but this does not seem to bother her (maybe 1mm in width).

Has anyone encountered this before? what is the treatment? time? vet? She is fine now, but she will probably limp again tomorrow, it is on and off.

How often should nails be trimmed? I never have to trim her hind nails, but her front ones I do every now and again. How long is too long? I know only to cut up to the quick (most of her nails are clear luckily for me! the black ones are trickier).

Thanks

[puggy_puggy]

Might need the nail trimmed back as far as possible.

Is the nail actually lose from the nail bed? Might need pulling out.

[Staffyluv]

I would get it checked - it sounds remarkably like what Ollie just had. I had stepped on his toe and thought that I caused the damage but it turned out to be a nail bed tumour - no lumps just the nail looked like it was going to come out and split up the middle...

[Guest RosieFT]

Thankyou for taking the time to reply and for the information.

Just to clarify, the nail is not split badly vertically - the little bit to the side is so fine it is is not causing trouble, like a millimeter wide. It is not split vertically in the middle or anything. My concern is that the outer nail is separating from the chunky bit in the middle, at the outer edge of the nail and towards the top, but not (yet?) at the bed. But today she has not limped at all and is fine with us having a good look at it. Where as before I could not touch it without her getting licky/worried. Today I cut it as close as i could, and it is still firmly in the nail bed.

hmm Staffyluv you have reminded me that a couple of weeks ago i did step on her foot ... I wonder if I damaged the nail? Poor Ollie, a nail bed tumour, is he ok?

thanks again.