Yeah, been through that a couple times with a schnauzer, who would get a little split in a nail and get it caught in carpeting. It was painful for him, and he did bleed pretty heavily from it. I can't compare the extent of his injury to that of the dog you mention but our vet trimmed the nail down as closely has he could and he did a wrap on it with the stretchy cling tape. He hobbled around on it for only a few days before he started walking normally (the dog, not the vet) and since the support of the wrap evidently made the nail immobile, he didn't mess with the wrap much. I think we were able to take it off rather quickly, perhaps a week. Gosh, makes me think I got off easy compared to your situation. Does it make you feel better if I told you I did the same thing to my big toe last summer? LOL. The nail was sticking up like a car hood and I had to sleep with it like that until the care clinic opened up the next morning. He had to remove the whole nail. Two weeks later, I did it to the other foot moving furntiure. LOL I go barefoot a lot. I just wrapped my foot like he did the dog's. No veterinary or medical advice intended or offered. Good luck, hope you can get a handle on it.

I have a question or two.

Since my dog and I walked at least two miles a day, his nails never seemed an issue. Never clipped the nails, the sidewalk kept them down. I notice a number of my neighbors who do not regularly walk their dogs have rather long nails. The dogs I mean, not the people.

My question is, do long nails perhaps lead to a increased change of the nail tearing? I have a dog nail clipper, and some of that septic (wrong spelling I'm sure), that can stop the dog bleeding. But as I mentioned, never cut any dog nails.

One electronic fence dog scratched me slightly seven times when I entered his area to play with him. (If a dog is named Chewy, don't be surprised at anything. This one jumps sideways, which I never saw before). Kept telling myself not to pet him anymore, but my dog had just passed, and I felt sorry for this one.

I did prepare some strips of old tee shirt for a dog paw emergency. Some of these dogs must need two adults to do this type of work. One strip of cloth for the set of paws not being worked on, and a two or three foot piece for the head. I gather one loops around the mouth with a single knot on top of the mouth, then goes under the head for the second single knot, and ties a double knot behind the head. Some of the store-bought muzzles just don't stay on when the dog is in agony and shaking the head violently.

Thank you for your comments.
Robertz6: I live in the country. I have several acres of fields surrounded by forest. I don't hunt but I have a hunting dog...paradise country for him here. Everyweek I do take him to the village...park the car and walk him but it's not enough for his claws to wear out. It's one of those things that happened because I have a good nail clipper (same one the groomer uses) and also the little machine...nail file that works with a battery and he's a very nice dog and I have no problems clipping and filing his nails. The vet suspects the nail must have been split in the middle. I have to be patient because he needs loads of exercise and I can't do nothing with him but walk him with a plastic bag on his leg.
Thanks again!

Anicee

Anicee, sounds like you stay on top of things.

The hound dog I borrow for walks weighs about 90 pounds, is three years old, and strong as heck. I would hate to have to deal with him bleeding when we were out for a walk. In spite of barking aggressively at dogs and folks he does not know, he is the biggest coward on the block. My herding dog mix was a calm and friendly pooch, and even he bit me once. I had gone to his aid too quickly once when he got tangled up in wire and had arthritis due to his age.

It may be that broken nails are rare enough that most owners are not prepared for them, may not have the styptic powder/stick for one. An ehow post says use cornstarch or flour as substitute.

Yes cornstarch works great...in my dog's case, the nail had to be removed entirely, bad break and it's a very common injury in dogs unfortunately, I was told at the animal hospital

Anicee

I assume your dog is starting to show some improvement by now but I just wanted to add that the sock is probably causing him more discomfort and pain. Anything that puts pressure on an area with so many exposed nerve endings is going to very uncomfortable, so I'd try to leave the foot uncovered. Although you're using a large, loose sock it's still coming into contact with the foot. Also, being covered all the time increases the chance of infection.
Has the vet mentioned soaking the foot in order to keep it clean?

Thanks Annz...yes the vet said to rince it with water if it gets dirty and very important to keep it dry. The sock is to prevent him from licking it. I know some injuries heal better in the open air but even with an e-collar he can reach the toe and I have the proper size for him. The sock hangs at the end so it doesn't touch the toe but I would much prefer it to be uncovered but I just can't supervise him 24/7. When I did remove the sock at one point...he went at it, it took a few seconds and he was bleeding quite a lot so it's like being back at square one. I use white cotton sock. One of my cats broke a toe a couple of months ago and a toe amputation was easier on the cat that the claw injury on the dog...
Thanks again for your input.

Anicee

hello Anicee - I realised it has been years since this happened but my labardor is in the same position! She had the nail removed three days ago, bandage removed today and vet has told me to supervise her and not put anything on it, rinse it whenever it gets dirty (such as if she goes outside to the toilet). We usually walk her twice a day but she can’t walk at the moment. How long did it take for your dog to recover? I had to give painkillers for her tonight at 3am as she was in obvious discomfort. I want it to heal ASAP - it looks awful and must be so painful. Plus we want to be able to walk her, take her for a swim again.