These torn toenails are rough and snag on things, and they may be uncomfortable for your dog.įortunately, these are also the easiest nail problems to fix, and most times, they will not even involve a trip to the veterinary hospital. Some dogs have brittle or overgrown nails, and others are just prone to injury. There’s no blood, since only the outer portion of the nail is involved. It’s most common to see a small portion of the nail broken or split open without exposing the “quick,” or center blood vessel. These are some of the most common types of dog toenail injuries: Broken, Cracked, or Split Nails You will probably at some point have to deal with a toenail issue, and it will be a lot less stressful for all parties if you know the best way to deal with it. Types of Dog Nail Injuriesĭogs can injure their nails in many ways. Beyond the toenail injury itself, there are hormonal, nutritional, and metabolic problems that can affect toenail health, and your vet can check for these. If you notice a change in your dog’s toenails, especially if multiple toes are involved, it should be checked by a veterinarian. Moving their paw away or yelping when you touch their paw Redness or swelling of the nail bed or paw color changes in the nails Other symptoms of a problem might include:ĭischarge or crustiness around the base of the nail

However, dogs can have other toenail problems that aren’t caused by an injury. They may leave drops of blood on the floor if the injury is fresh, or you might see them licking their foot excessively. Most of the time, it’s clear when your dog has a problem with a toenail. Healthy toenails are not brittle and will not chip or split when trimmed with a good-quality pair of nail trimmers. The nail attaches to the toe at the nail bed, and on the underside of the foot, the nail lies very close to the toe pad.

However, if your dog has black nails, it makes clipping them much more complicated, since you can’t see the quick area inside the nail. If your dog has clear or light-colored nails, you will be able to distinguish these parts clearly. This hard shell protects and seals in the delicate inner portion, “the quick,” which contains the blood vessels and nerves. The hard outer part of a dog’s nail is made up of keratin. This likely explains why dogs can be in pain when they break a nail. Dog Toenail Anatomyĭog toenails are very similar to people’s nails, with one major exception: they are attached to the end of the “finger bones.” That means an infection that gets into the nail or nail bed can potentially enter the bone, becoming much more severe.

Should you be worried? Is this an emergency, or can you wait to see your veterinarian tomorrow? Here’s what you need to know about the parts of a dog’s nail and what to do about your dog’s bleeding or broken nails. After cleaning away the blood, you can see that your dog’s toenail looks broken, and there’s a good amount of blood. It is the dreaded Sunday afternoon scenario-you’re playing fetch with your dog, and suddenly they come back limping. In this chapter, a review of claw anatomy is followed by the diagnostic approach to claw disease, and finally a discussion of the treatment options for the most common disorders affecting the claw is presented.The following content may contain Chewy links. PetMD is operated by Chewy. A thorough diagnostic approach is essential, as treatment is successful only when the cause of the disease is known. Some relevant terms are explained in Table 63-1. In the past decade, several studies have shed light on the etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of claw disease in the dog. Onychology (the study of nails) is an area of veterinary dermatology that has only recently become the focus of more detailed study.

Dew claw dog anatomy