Lost Nail On Front Paw

[hilaryo]

Help! My bitch has has lost a nail from one of her front paws. She is in so much pain. She can't even walk on the grass to toilet herself - I've been carrying her out. She tries to sleep but it must be throbbing. Is there anything I can do to help her?

To add to all this she is still feeding 3 week old puppies

[poodlefan]

Help! My bitch has has lost a nail from one of her front paws. She is in so much pain. She can't even walk on the grass to toilet herself - I've been carrying her out. She tries to sleep but it must be throbbing. Is there anything I can do to help her?

To add to all this she is still feeding 3 week old puppies

Head for the vet. If nothing else she might be given some pain killers that won't affect the babies.

[alpha bet]

You dont necessarily need to worry. It is not uncommon for dogs to pull a nail..... bit like with us and a fingernail. Hurts heaps but does settle down.

Have had quite a few dogs over the years do this (the problem with having dogs in pens). They are sore for a few days and you will see some swelling and redness around the nail area. Then the dog will just start to limp around carefully. After about 2 weeks the dog will seem pretty happy just a limp. After 3-4 weeks will be a big improvement.

I would avoid using any antibiotic when she is feeding the pups.

You can dip the foot in salt water to try and keep it cleaned.

[hilaryo]

Whoops that should be puppies that are 4 weeks (today).

[Miranda]

You can dip the foot in salt water to try and keep it cleaned.

Yes this is what I do, I've found that it's generally ok in a week or so and I've never had one get infected.

[Kirislin]

depends on how much nail is ripped out. If it's exposed the toe bone you could have trouble if you dont get her to a vet and get AB's into her. Here's what my Pucky did earlier this year. I headed him straight to the vet within minutes of him doing it cause I could see it was potentially nasty.